James Gilmour of Mongolia: His diaries, letters, and reportsGilmour, James
Religion
James Gilmour of Mongolia: His diaries, letters, and reports
Gilmour, James
Gilmour, James, 1843-1891; Missions -- Mongolia
After another but briefer sojourn at Olau Bourgass he set out on his
return journey, visited Urga, then crossed the great plain on horseback
in the course of fourteen days, and reached Kalgan on June 11. After a
rest there he made two excursions into Mongolia, visiting Lama Miao,
one of the great Mongol religious centres, in the first; and occupying
some weeks with a further spell of Mongol tent life during the second.
His diary, under date of September 22, 1871, while he was resting at
Kalgan, thus sums up his experiences:--
'I desire to-day to look back on the way by which the Lord has led
me for the last year. In September 1870 I was looking out eagerly,
anxiously for someone who was going to Russia, that I might go with
him. I could find no one. I made it a subject of prayer, and at
last, when I was on my knees, in came McCoy to tell me of a Russian
who was going up without delay. I saw the Russian, and arranged to
go, and started. "While they are speaking I will answer them."
'On the journey between Peking and Kalgan I was alone, I may say,
and could speak little Chinese, yet I got on very well; and though
my money was in a box on the back of a donkey, yet it came in all
safe, none lost. In Kalgan I had difficulty at first about finding
camels, but at length the Russian postmaster turned out to be going
home. The time when was uncertain, quite; his departure depended on
the coming of his successor. I prayed about this, and one day was
informed that the successor had arrived much sooner than was
expected, and that we were to start in a day or two. We did start,
and after a prosperous journey arrived safely at Kiachta.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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