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products of the soil. Two bowls of rice, with a few scraps of vegetables or pieces of fish added, make the daily food for each one of countless numbers of the poorer people.

With all, rich and poor alike, rice and vegetables form the staple food. This is well illustrated by the fact that these words have come to stand for all food. In his invitation to partake of a most sumptuous repast the host will ask his guests "to eat rice"; and a servant will announce a feast by saying "the vegetables are served."

The Chinese never eat fresh eggs, milk, or butter. If eggs are to be used, they are first boiled very hard, and then kept for months, or even years, before they are thought to be fit to eat.

In place of knives and forks the Chinese use two small, round sticks, called chopsticks, to convey all food. to the mouth.

Next to rice, fish is used more than any other article of food. The lakes and rivers abound in fish and they are caught in a great variety of ways. The most singular method is by the use of cormorants. The fisherman, standing on a raft, takes a position in the middle of the stream. On the raft are four or five queerlooking birds, which at a signal from the master dive into the water to search for fish. As soon as a fish is caught the bird rises to the surface and swims to the raft. On the neck of each bird is a bamboo ring to prevent the fish being swallowed. Great pains are taken in training the cormorants, and they seldom refuse to obey their masters.

Among the provinces included within the Chinese Empire the one least known is Tibet.

Surrounded as it is by lofty mountains and trackless deserts, few travelers have been able to reach this land. From the accounts of the few adventurers who have invaded this inhospitable country we learn that it is the highest plateau on the globe-sixteen thousand feet above the sea- and that it is a dreary waste. Lofty ranges of mountains cut off the moist winds from the ocean, and so the uplands of Tibet are bleak and barren.

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The air is so dry that the rocks crumble into dust and sand, which the fierce winds drive in blinding sand storms. The cold is intense, and the continual wind, snow, and sleet compel traders and travelers crossing these plains to protect their faces with horsehair veils.

The soil is so barren that large tracts of country do not produce enough vegetation to support any animal life. In the valleys where irrigation is possible, the soil is cultivated and good crops are raised.

The people of Tibet are, for the most part wandering shepherds, living in tents. Immense flocks of sheep and goats are raised on these desolate steppes. The quality of the wool brought to the markets by the Tibetan traders is so fine it always commands a good price.

In the eastern portion of Tibet is a famous body of water known as the Koko-Nor, or Azure Lake. This large lake, 250 miles in circumference, is nearly 11,000 feet above sea level.

Tibet is known as the land of the lamas, or priests. These lamas control extensive tracts of land and hold a great power over the people.

Although by faith the lamas are men of peace, they are always prepared for war. The home of the lamas is called a lamasery, and it is fortified like an armed camp.

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The Tibetans are a superstitious people and have faith in many curious ceremonies. Praying wheels are to be seen everywhere - many of the people carrying them in their hands and turning them rapidly all the while. These prayer wheels are even fastened to the roofs of houses that every passing breeze may help to turn out more prayers for these strange people.

The city of Lassa is the capital and the principal market of Tibet. Chinese traders come here every year bringing silks, carpets, and hardware.

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The lamas are so jealous of foreigners that it is often very difficult to carry on trade with them. Tibetans are fond of tea, and the English merchants of India are anxious to supply them; but, owing to the suspicion and animosity of the people, difficulties are constantly arising to prevent the rapid growth of the trade.

Lassa has been visited by only two or three Europeans, so jealously is it guarded against all foreigners. The time will soon come, it is believed, when the Chinese government will withdraw all opposition to travelers entering Tibet. When the country has been fully explored, and the sacred city of the lamas visited, it will not be found so great a land of mystery as it has

been imagined to be. Few travelers will then care to visit the country and endure the difficulties of such a trip; but traders, always alert for new markets, will do much to arouse and enlighten the people of Tibet to the advantages of trade with other nations. This will be the first step toward the fuller development and civilization of these people.

CHAPTER XII.

THREE PRODUCTS OF CHINA.

"CHINA without the bamboo would not be China," some one has said. When we see in what a variety of ways the bamboo enters into the daily life of every Chinaman, whether he be prince or peasant, we realize the truth of this statement. Bamboo grows

in nearly every part of the empire.

From it is derived food and shelter for thousands. An inestimable number of things, from fishing rods to houses, are manufactured of bamboo. The little composition which follows was written by a Chinese boy, and in it he tells, quite fully, of the almost countless uses of this precious grass:

"We have a bamboo hedge in our grounds, and nothing could be prettier. I am writing with a bamboo-handled pencil, and I have seen boats with bamboo masts. On the whole, the bamboo is one of the most precious possessions of China. Its tapering stalks sup

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ply joists for houses, ribs for sails, shafts for spears, tubes and buckets for water, fishing rods, and the handles and ribs of our fans; and the great bamboo,

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