it was arranged that for every piece of game he brought us, we
should give him forty sapeks, equivalent to about four French sous.

We decided upon eating hares for two reasons. First, as a matter of
conscience, in order to prevent the Lamas from imagining that we
permitted ourselves to be influenced by the prejudices of the sectaries
of Buddha; and, secondly, upon a principle of economy; for a hare cost us
infinitely less than our insipid barley-meal.

One day, our indefatigable hunter brought us, instead of a hare, an
immense roebuck, which is also black flesh and prohibited. In order not
to compound in the least degree with Buddhist superstitions, we purchased
the roebuck, for the sum of three hundred sapeks (thirty French sous.)
Our chimney smoked with venison preparations for eight consecutive days,
and all that time Samdadchiemba was in a most amiable frame of mind.

Lest we should contract habits too exclusively carnivorous, we resolved
to introduce the vegetable kingdom into our quotidian alimentation. In
the desert, this was no easy matter. However, by dint of industry,
combined with experience, we ultimately discovered some wild plants,
which, dressed in a particular manner, were by no means to be despised.
We may be permitted to enter into some details on this subject. The
matter in itself is of slight interest; but it may have its use, in
relation to travellers who at any future time may have to traverse the
deserts of Thibet.

When the first signs of germination begin to manifest themselves, if you
scratch up the ground to the depth of about an inch, you will find
quantities of creeping roots, long and thin like dog-grass. This root is
entirely covered with little tubercles, filled with a very sweet liquid.
In order to make an extremely nice dish of this vegetable, you have only
to wash it carefully and then fry it in butter. Another dish, not less
distinguished in our esteem than the preceding, was furnished by a plant
very common in France, and the merit of which has never yet been
adequately appreciated: we refer to the young stems of fern; when these
are gathered quite tender, before they are covered with down, and while
the first leaves are bent and rolled up in themselves, you have only to
boil them in pure water to realize a dish of delicious asparagus. If our
words were of any effect, we would earnestly recommend to the attention
of the Minister of Agriculture this precious vegetable, whi