A Wonderful Journey

One of the most remarkable journeys ever made overland across Asia has just been completed successfully by two Calïnuck Tartars froni the province of Astrakhan, Russia, on the Volga. They actually made their way across Siberia into Tibet and entered the sacred city of Lassa, which Rockwell and Miss Taylor saw from a distanoe. They ako saw the Dalai Lama face to face. Il these men had had any scientific training, the world would be far richer by their observations of a comparatively unknown territory, but they noticed Tery little on their journey and seemed to be mainly intent on secnring a supply of religious books at Lassa and on reaching their homes again as speedilj as possible. The travelers are Budwa Menkudjinolï and Saranga Ulanofï. Both are Mongol Buddhists and speak the Mongol language fluently. In talking of their journey they said that Menkudjinoff, being a Lama, decided to go to Lassa to get 3 supply of books and prayers that could be vouched for as genuine, and Ulanoff, a neighbor, agreed to accompany him. Three years ago they left home. They eould give only scanty details of cheii trip, bnt the journey across the great mountains and elevated plateau was terrible, even to those hardy men, inured to extreme cold. It took 14months ; of constant traveling to reach the sacred : city. In orossing what has been aptly I called "the roof of the world" they passed over mountains so high that the ' blood flowed from their ears and eyew. It was so cold, even in midsnmmer, on . these great heights that they wore double coats of bearskins. In crossing the great desert they met no one except a band of robbers in four weeks. Finally they reached the sacred city. ! They concealed the fact that they were : Russians, as they knew that if any one j suspected them of being foreigners they ' could never hope to gain admission to the city and its temples. They gave out they were Mongols, and as they both spoke the language they had no troublo in sustaining the disguise. They wero received by the venerable Dalai Lama and worshiped before him. He seemed i much gratified by their piety and their I desire for literatura With nis own hand he gave them a Buddhist Bible in 120 volumes, which was worth in ; Lassa 1, 000 ounces of fine silver. They bought 20 large packages of prayers, images, charms and sacred books, which they safely transported on animáis to j Hankow. It is a curious fact that the I prayers are printed on Chinese rice paper made in the province of Kiangsi. From Lassa they made their way eastward through Koko-Nor and the uorthern provinces of China to Peking, a hard journey, which consumed Í5 months. From that city they went to Hongkong in the hope of securing sa re on a tea steamer to Odessa.