They had as their guide and negotiator a Kalmuck Lamaite.

The following morning we were approaching a small settlement of Russian colonists and noticed some horsemen looking out from the woods.

One of our young and brave Tartars galloped off at full speed toward these men in the wood but soon wheeled and returned with a reassuring smile.
"All right," he exclaimed, laughing, "keep right on." We continued our travel on a good broad road along a high wooden fence surrounding a meadow filled with a fine herd of wapiti or izubr, which the Russian colonists breed for the horns that are so valuable in the velvet for sale to Tibetan and Chinese medicine dealers.

These horns, when boiled and dried, are called panti and are sold to the Chinese at very high prices.
We were received with great fear by the settlers.
"Thank God!" exclaimed the hostess, "we thought.

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