enjoy the luxury of eating this delicacy at home?' 'How many good amblers did we possess, and how many fat camels?' In Southern Mongolia, as a mutual token of good-fellowship, hadaki (silk scarves) are interchanged by the host and his guest; these scarves are bought of the Chinese, the quality varying with the rank of the recipient.[1]
When these salutations are over, tea is offered, and, as a special mark of civility, lighted pipes are handed round. The visitor never wishes his host good-bye on taking his departure, but gets up and walks straight out of the yurta. The host always escorts his guest to his horse, which is tethered a few paces from the tent, — a sign of respect invariably shown to lamas of importance and government officials.
Although servility and despotism are so strongly developed among them that the will of the superior generally replaces every law, a strange anomaly is observable In the freedom of intercourse between rulers and the ruled. At the sight of an official the Mongol bends the knee and does reverence, but after this obsequious token of submission he takes his seat beside him, chats and smokes with him. Accustomed from childhood to perfect liberty, he cannot endure restraint for any length of time, but soon gives free rein to his habits. This freedom of manners and equality may surprise the inexperienced
- ↑ Among the Khalkas the scarves serve as currency, but are rarely used for presents. [The polite interchange of the scarf (Khata of the Tibetans) is noted again in one of the later chapters on Tangut. — Y.]
