Identifier: sportscienceonsi00sowe (find matches)
Title: Sport and science on the Sino-Mongolian frontier
Year: 1918 (1910s)
Authors: Sowerby, Arthur de Carle, 1885-1954
Subjects: Natural history -- China Scientific expeditions Natural history -- Mongolia China -- Description and travel Mongolia -- Description and travel
Publisher: London : A. Melrose, ltd.
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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to blare out their mournfuldirges, to the accompanying boom of colossaldrums. A long, low wail rose from the lamas,sitting upon little mats in long rows between thegreat red pillars of the prayer hall. Every nowand then the wail would rise into a mightyvolume of sound, while trumpets, smaller than thegreat roaring instruments on the balcony above,would add their clarion notes to the swelling chorusof wild music. Then again all sound would gradu-ally die away to a dull drone, like that of a hiveof bees on a summers day, only to rise once moretill the great hall would ring again. All thiswhile the little skeletons and demons were flittingabout amongst the gay crowds, striving vainlyto keep order, while ever and anon a fat priestwould sally forth and take a look at the rapidlydarkening sky. Soon the rain began to fall, at first a gentlesprinkle, then a steady shower, which finallydeveloped into a tropical deluge. As if by magicthe great courts were cleared of the yellow and 154 PLATE X.
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Opposite p. 154.) SINO-MONGOLIAN FRONTIER red lamas, the laughing bevies of Mongol damselsand the blue-gowned Chinese, while the littledevils were jostled about, much to their annoyanceand disgust, as the crowds, regardless of blows andcurses, sought shelter upon the extensive verandahsof the prayer hall. It rained for an hour, duringwhich time the mournful dirges continued un-abated. At the end of that time the clouds dis-persed and the lamas, dressed in long, yellow robesand high, helmet-like caps, issued from the hallin a double line. Two, bearing a tall, pyramid-shaped object, surmounted with a grinning humanskull, preceded the rest. They walked side by sidebearing aloft the object of veneration, in suchfashion that it passed over the heads of a long lineof kneeling Mongols. Having arrived at the outermost court, thelong procession of monks found to its dismaythat it was flooded a foot deep with water. Thisbrought the proceedings to a close, so we returnedto camp, without being ab

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