B EAS TS ME N A N D G O DS

BY

FE RD I N A N D
Oicicr d A

O SSE N D O

cad mz c

WS KI

Frangaise

N E W YO RK

D UT T

O N 8: C O M

6 8 1 FIFT H A VE N U E

PA N Y

Co pyrig ht , 1 9 22
By E

P D UT T O N

CO M PA N Y

A ll Rig ht:

0?

in tin g
S ec
d P ri ti n g
T hi rd P r intin g
F ou r th P ri ntin g
F ift h P r in tin g
F

ir

st

on

Pr

ug

S e p t , 1 9 29
O ct , 1 9 2 8
.

ov ,

1 9 22

ec

1 9 22

P r i nte d i n the Un ited S ta te :

f A m e rica

X P LA

WHEN one of

N A T O RY N O T E

le ad in g publicists in Am erica , Dr
Albert S haw of the Revie w of Rev iew s, after re ad in g the
manuscript of Part I of this volume, characteri zed the

author as T he Robinson Crusoe of the Twentieth Century

he touched the feature of the narrative which i s at once most
attractive and most dangerous ; for the succession of trying
and thrilling experience s recorded see m s in places too hi g hly
colored to be real or, som eti m es , even possible in this day
and generation I desire, therefore to assure the reader
at the outset that D r O sse n d o w sk i is a m an of long and
diverse experience as a scientist and writer with a training
for careful observation which should put the sta m p of
accuracy an d reliability o n his chronicle O nly the e xtr a o r
d in a ry events of t hese extraordinary ti m es could have
thrown o n e with so many talents back into the surrounding s

o f the
Cave Man and thus given to us this unusual account
o f personal adventure , of great hu m an mysteries and of the
political and religious motives whic h are energ i z ing the
the

Heart of Asia
My share in the work ha s be en to induce Dr O ssen
dowski to write his story at this ti m e and to assist him in
rendering his experiences into Eng lish
LE WI S S T A N T O N PA LE N
.

CO N T E N T S
PART

TE R

CHA P

D RA WI N G

TS

WI T H D

AT H

O FR SS
II THE S E C RE T OF M F E W TRA E E
III THE S TR UGGLE L I E
IV
V A D ANGERO U S N EIGH R
VI
VII T H RO UGH S O IE T S I E IA
THE E D GE A P E I I E
VIII T H EE DA
IX T THE SA AN
S A FE Y
X THE B ATTL E THE S
XI T HE B A RR IER O F R PA R TI SA S
XII I THE CO UNT R Y E ER NAL PE ACE
XII I M TE IE M IRACL E S
A N W F I GH T
X IV
X V THE M A RCH G HO ST S
XVI I N M TE I T I ET
.

I NT

T HE

FO R

V L R

LLO

BO

S A N D

O F

OF

YS

21
22

26

31

E YB I

49

62

71

79

0 1"

YS

R O US

HE

AR T II T
LA N D O F D M O N S
XV II M YS TE RIO U S MO NG OLIA
XV III THE MYSTERI O U S LA M A A VE N GER
XIX WIL D CHAHA R S
P

4O

AN D

S,

ED

10

R C P C

O F

YS O N

E
3

P G

IO I
1 13
122
I2

I 3O

vi

ii

CO

NTENTS

C HA ER
XXII A ON G THE M UR DERER S
XXIII
XXI V A B LOODY C HA ST ISE E T
XX V H A RA SSIN G D A YS
XXV I THE B AN D OF WH I TE H
XX V II MYST ER Y IN A S LL T E
XXVIII

PA

PT

1 40

U N G H UT ZE S

LE

M P

M A

T HE S TRA I N I N G HE AR T O F AS IA
XXIX O THE ROA D O F G RE AT C O ! UE R R S
A RRES T E D !
XXX I T RA EL G
UR G A
XXXII A O FO R U E T ELL ER
XXXIII D E AT H FRO THE WH IT E M W ILL S TA N D B E HIND
AR T III

SS

7S

77

47

1 82

1 60

GE

1 93

IN

BY

LD

YO U
.

"

O RR OR OF WAR !
B UDD HA S
I THE C I T Y O F LI I G G D S
MO N S
A S
OF CR USA ER S
PR A E E R S
T HE C A
OF MA R YR S
B EFO RE THE FACE OF BU D H A
T
M A WI H A HEA I E A S A LE
T HE H

V N

O N

M P

HE

D L K

"

DD

L I VI N G B UDD HA
I N THE B LISS F UL G A R D E O F A T H O U S A D J O Y S
THE D U ST OF CE N T UR IE S
THE BOO K S O F M I RACL E S
THE B I R T H O F THE LI VIN G BUD DHA
PART I V

XL
X LI
X LII
X L III

IV T

AND

2 18

222

XXXVI
XXX VII
XXXV I II
XXX I X

2 11

AN

XXXI V
XXXV

227
AND
2 32

2 38
2 50
2 56

2 67

T HE

2 73
2 82
2 87

CO

CHA PT ER
X LI V

NTENTS

ix
P

A GE TH E H I ST OR Y OF T H E PRE S E LI ING
B UDDHA
X LV T H E VISI O N O F T H E LI ING B UDD HA OF M A Y 7
.

IN

NT

A GE

2 92

295

M Y STE RI E S T HE K I N G O F THE
WO RLD
X LV I T H E S U TERRA NE A N K IN GD O M
99
X LV II T H K ING O F T HE WO RLD B EF ORE T HE FAC E OF

ART

MYS TE RY

OF

30 7

X LV III
X LIX

E ALITY 0R REL I GI O U S FA ASY ?

T H E P R O H E CY OF T H E K ING OF TH E WO RL D IN

NT

310
1

89 0

31 3

B EAS T S ,

GO D S

T he re

a re

ti m es , m e n

a nd e ve

n ts

a b out

whi c h H i sto ry

I T U S LI VI U S

P art I
D R A WI NG L O T S

WI T H

D E AT H

B E A ST S

AN D

M EN

G O D S

P art I
D R A WI NG L O T S

WI TH

D E AT H

CHAPT E R I
I N TO

T HE

FORE S TS

the b eg i nning o f the year 1 9 2 0 I happened to be

liv i ng in the S iberian town o f Krasnoyarsk situated
that noble strea m
o n the S hores o f the River Yenisei
w hich i s cradled in the sun bathed mountains o f Mon
golia to pour i ts warming li fe into the Arctic Ocean and
to Who se mouth N ansen has twice come to open the
shortest road for commerce from E urope to the heart
o f Asia
There i n the depths o f the Still S iber i an winter
I was suddenly caught up i n the whirling storm o f m ad
r evolution raging all over Russia
sowing in this peace
ful and rich land vengeance hate bloodshed and crimes
that go unpunished by the law N o o n e could tell the
hour o f h i s fate The people lived fro m day to day
and left thei r homes no t kn o wi n g W hether they should

BEAS TS

MEN AND GO D S

return t o the m o r whether they sh o ul d be d ra gg e d f ro m

the streets and thrown i nto the dungeons o f that travesty
the Revolutionary Committee more terrible
o f courts
and more bloody than those o f the Mediaev al Inquisition
We w ho were strangers in this distraught land were
not saved from i ts persecutions and I personally l i ved
through them
One morning when I had gone out to se e a fr i end
I suddenly received the news that twenty Red sold i ers
had surrounded my house to arrest me and that I m ust
escape I quickly put o n one o f my friend s o ld hunting
suits took some money and hurried away o n foot along
the back ways o f the town till I struck the open road
where I engaged a peasant w ho in four hours had driven
me twenty miles from the town and se t me down in
the midst of a deeply forested region O n the w ay I
bought a rie three hundred cartridges an ax a kni fe
a sheepskin overcoat tea salt dry bread and a kettle
I penetrated into the heart o f the wood to an abandoned
hal f burned hut From this day I became a genuine
t rapper but I never dreamed that I sho uld follow thi s
rO le as long as I did
The next morning I went hunting
and had the good fortune to kill two heathcoc k I found
deer tracks in plenty and felt sure tha t I Should not
want for food However my so j ourn i n this place w as
not fo r long F i ve days later when I returned from
hunting I noticed sm oke curling up o ut o f the chimney
o f my hut
I stealthily crept along closer to the cabin
and discover ed tw o saddled horses with soldiers ri es
slung to the saddles Two disarm ed m e n were not
dangerous for me w i th a weapon so I quickly rushed
across the open an d ent ered the hut Fro m the be nch
,

FO RE S T S

T HE

INTO

tw o so l d i ers started up i n fr igh t The y w ere B ol shev i k i

On their big Astrakhan caps I made o ut the red stars
o f Bolshevism and o n their blouse s the d i rty red bands
.

We greeted each other and sat down The soldiers had

already prepared tea and so we drank this ever welco m e
ho t beverage and chatted suspiciously eyei ng o n e a n
other the While To disarm this suspicion o n their part
I told them that I w as a hunter from a distant place
and was living there because I fou nd it good country
fo r sables They announced to me that they were soldiers
o f a detachment sent from a town into the woods t o
pursue all suspicious people

Do you understand Comrade

said one o f them to

m e we are looking fo r counter revolutionists to shoo t

them ?
I knew i t without his explanations All my forces
were directed to assuring them by my conduct that I
was a S imple peasant hunte r and that I had nothing
i n common with the counter revolutionists I was think
i ng also all the time of where I should go after the
departure o f my unwelcome guests It grew dark In
the darkness their faces were even less attractive The y
took o ut bottles o f vo d ka and drank and the al cohol
began to act very noticeably They ta lked loudly and
constantly i nterrupted each other boasting how m any
bo urgeoisie they had killed i n Krasnoyarsk and ho w
many Cossacks they had slid under the ice i n the r i ver
Afterwards they began to quarrel but soon they were
ti red and prepared to sleep All o f a sudden and W ithou t
any warning the door o f the hut swun g w i de ope n
and the steam o f the heated roo m rolled o ut i n a great
cloud o ut o f wh i ch seem ed to r i se like a gen ie as the
.

BEAS TS

MEN AND GO D S

stea m se tt led the gure o f a tall gaunt peasan t im pres

s ive ly crowned w i th the high Astrakhan cap and wrapped
in the great sheepskin overcoat that added to the m as
He stood with his rie ready
siv e n e ss o f his gure
to re U nder his girdle lay the sharp a x w i thout which
the Siberian peasant cannot exist E yes qu i ck and glim
mering like those o f a W lld beast x ed themselves alter
n at e ly o n each o f us
In a moment he took o ff his
cap ma d e the S ign o f the cross on h i s breast and asked

o f us : Who is the master here ?

I answered him

May I stop the night ?

Ye s
I replied places enough f or all T ake a cup

o f tea It is still hot

The stranger running his eyes constantly o v er all o f
us and over everything about the room began to take
o ff his S kin coat after putting his rie in the corner
He was dressed i n an o ld leather blouse with trousers
o f the same material tucked in high felt boots His
face was quite young ne and tinged with something
akin to mockery His white s harp teeth glimmered as
his eyes penetrated everything they rested upon
I
noticed the locks o f grey in his Shaggy head Lines o f
b itterness circled his mouth
They s howed his life had
been very stormy and full o f danger He took a seat
beside his rie and laid his ax 0 n the oor below

What ? I S i t your wi fe ? asked one o f the drunken

soldiers po i nting to the ax
The tall peasant looked calmly at him from the qu i et
eyes under the i r heavy brows and as calmly answered :

O n e m eets a d i ff erent folk these days and with an

a x i t i s m uch sa f er
,

BEAS TS

AN D

M EN

GO

DS

stirrups and br i d l e and as he n i sh e d saddli n g s mil e d

and said :

I am ready I m going to awa k e m y co m rades

Half an hour a fter the morning dr i nk o f tea my three
guests took their leave I rema i ned o ut o f doors and
S uddenly
w a s enga ged in splitting wood fo r my stove
from a distance rie Shots rang through the woods rst
then a second A fterwards all was s t ill F ro m
o ne
the place near the shots a frightened cove y o f blackcoc k
broke and came over me At the t op o f a high pine a
j ay cr i ed o ut I l i stened for a long time to see i f any
o n e was approaching my hut but everything w a s still
On the lower Yenisei i t grows dark very early I
built a re i n my stove and began to cook m y soup
constantly listen i ng for every noise that came fro m b e
yond the cabin walls Certai n ly I understood at al l ti m es
very clearly that death was ever beside m e and mi ght
claim me by means o f either m an beas t cold acc i den t
o r disease
I knew that nobody w as near m e to assis t
a n d that all m y help was in the han ds o f God
i n the
power o f my hands and feet i n the accuracy o f m y a i m
and in m y presen ce o f m i nd However I listened i n
vain I d i d not notice the return o f my stranger Like
yesterday he appeared all a t once on the threshold
Through the steam I made o ut h i s laugh i ng eyes and
his ne f ace
He stepped i nto the hut and dropped
with a good deal o f noise three r i es i n t o the corner

Two horses t wo r i es t wo sad dles t wo bo x es o f

dry bread hal f a bri ck o f tea a s m all bag o f salt fty

cartr i dges tw o overcoats t wo pa i rs o f boot s laugh

in g ly he coun t e d ou t
In t ruth to d ay I ha d a ve ry

success fu l hunt
,

INTO

T HE

FO RE S TS

In as t on i sh m ent I l ook ed at h im

K om u
What are you surprised a t ? he l aughe d
nujny e ti to va ri sc hi ?
Who s got any use for these
fellows ? Let us have tea and go to sleep Tomorrow

I will guide yo u to another safer p l ace and then go o n

.

C HA PT E R II
T HE

S E CR E T OF MY

FE LLO W TRAVE LE R

the dawn o f day we star t ed f orth leav i ng my r st

Tplace o f re fuge
Into the bags we packed o ur
personal estat e and fas t ened them o n o n e of the saddles

We m ust go four or ve hundred ve n ts very calmly

announced m y fellow traveler who calle d himsel f

Ivan a n am e that meant noth i ng to m y mind o r heart

i n this land where eve ry second m an bore the same

W e Shall travel then fo r a ve ry long tim e I re

m arked regretfully

N o t m ore than o n e week perhaps e ven l ess he

answered
That nigh t we spent i n the w oo d s under the w i de
spreading branches o f the r trees It was m y rs t
night in the forest under the open sky H o w m any like
this I w as dest i ned to spend in the year and a half o f
m y wanderi ngs ! Du r ing the day there w as very sharp
cold Under the h o o fs o f the horses the f rozen snow
crunched an d the balls that formed and broke from
the i r hoo fs rolled away o ver the crust w i th a sound
l ike crackl i ng glass The heathcock ew f ro m the trees
V ery i dly hares loped slowly down t he b eds o f s umm er
streams At night the wind b egan to S igh and whistle
as i t ben t the t o ps o f the trees over our heads ; w hi le
belo w it was s til l an d calm W e s t oppe d i n a d ee p r avi ne

IO

THE

S E C RET O F

MY FE LLO W TRAVELER

TI

bo rd e red b y h eavy t r e es where we fo un d f all en rs

cut them into logs fo r the re and a f ter having bo iled
o ur tea dined
Ivan dragged in two t ree t runks squared the m o n one
s i de with his ax laid one on the other with the squared
faces together and then drove in a big wedge a t the
butt ends which separated them three o r four inches
Then w e placed live coals in this ope ning and watched
the re run rapidly the whole lengt h o f the squared faces
,

vis cz-vis

N ow there w i ll be a re i n the m orning he

This is the nai da o f the gold prospe ctors

a nnounced
We prospectors wandering in the woods sum m er and
winter always sleep beside this naida
F i ne ! Yo u
,

shall see fo r yoursel f he continued

He cut r branches and made a slop i ng roo f out o f
them resting it on two uprights toward the Haid a Above
our roof o f boughs and o ur nai d a spread the branches
o f protecting r More branches were brought and
S pread on the snow under the roo f o n these were placed
the saddle cloths an d together they made a seat for Ivan
to res t o n and to take o ff his outer garments down to hi s
blouse Soon I noticed his forehead was w e t w i th per
sp i rat ion and tha t he w as w i p i ng i t and hi s neck on h i s
S leeves

N o w i t i s good and w arm ! he excla i med

In a short time I was al so forced to t ake o ff m y over
coat and soon lay down to sleep W i thout any covering
at all while through the branches o f the r trees and
o ur roo f glimmered the cold bright stars and j ust b e
yond the n aid a raged a stinging cold fro m which we
w ere cos i ly defended After thi s nigh t I w as no longer
,

B E AS TS

1 2

ME N AN D

GO

DS

fri gh t ene d by the cold Frozen dur i ng the d ays on horse

back I was thoroughly warm ed through by the gen i al
n ai da at night and rested from m y hea vy overcoat sit
ting only in my blouse under the roofs o f p i ne an d r
and sipping the ever welcome te a
D uri n g o ur da i ly treks I v an rela t e d t o m e the stor i e s
o f his wanderings thr o ugh the m ountains and woods o f
These s tori es were
T r an sb aik alia in the search for gold
very livel y full o f attract i ve advent ure danger and
struggle Ivan was a type o f these prospectors who
have discovered i n Russia and perhaps i n other coun
tries the richest gold mines while they the m selves r e
main beggars H e evaded telling me why he left Trans
I understood f rom h i s
b aikalia to come t o the Yenise i
manner that he w i shed to keep his own co unsel and
so did n o t press him
However the blanket o f secre cy
coveri ng this part o f his mysterious li fe w a s one day
quite fortuitously li fted a bit We were already at the
obj ective point o f our tr i p T he whole day we had
traveled with difculty through a th i ck growth o f willow
approaching the shore o f the big ri ght branch o f the
Yenisei the Mana
E very where we saw runw ays
packed hard by the feet o f the hares l i v i ng i n th i s bush
These small W hite denizens o f the wo o d ran to a nd fro
in front o f us Another t i me w e saw the red tail o f a
fox hiding behind a rock watching us and the unsuspect
ing hares a t the sa m e t im e
Ivan had been silent for a long while Then he spoke
up and told me tha t not far from there was a small
branch o f the Mana at the mouth o f which w as a hut

What do you say ? Shal l w e push o n the re or spend

the n i ght by the naida ?

.

'

THE

S E CRE T O F

MY FELLO W TRAVE LER

I suggest ed go i ng to the hut because I w ant ed to wash

and because it would be agreeable to spend the night
under a genui ne roo f a gai n Ivan kn i tt ed h i s brows
bu t acceded
It was grow i ng d ar k when w e approached a hut sur
rounded by the dense wood and wild r aspberry bushes
I t contained o n e small roo m w i th two m ic ro sc 0 pic
w i ndows and a giganti c Russ i an stove Against the
bu i lding were the rema i ns o f a shed and a cellar W e
red the stove and prepared o ur modes t dinner Ivan
drank f ro m the bottle inher i ted fro m the soldiers and
in a hor t time w a s very eloquent w ith brilliant eyes
and w i th hands that coursed frequently and rapidly
through his long locks He began relating to me the
story o f one o f his adventures but suddenly stopped
and with fear in his eyes squinted i n to a d ark co rner

I s i t a rat ? he asked

I did not se e anyt hing I replied

He again becam e silent and reected wi th kn itt ed brow
O ften w e were s i lent throu gh lon g hours and c o n se
quently I w a s not astonished Ivan l eaned over near to
m e and began to whisper

I want to tell yo u an old story I had a fr i end i n

T r an sb a ik alia
He was a ban i shed conv i ct His name
was G avr o n sky Through m any woods and over many
m ounta i ns w e traveled in search o f gold and w e had
an agreement to div i de al l we g o t i nto even shares But
G av r o n sky suddenly went o ut to the Taiga o n the
Yenisei and disappeared A fter ve years we heard
that he ha d found a very ri ch gold m ine and had b e
come a r i ch man ; then later that he and h i s W i fe w i th
,

x4

EAS S

AN D

M EN

GO

DS

h im had b e en m ur d ere d
I v an w as s t il l f or a
moment and then continued :

This i s the i r o ld hut H ere he l i ved w ith h i s w i fe

and somewhere o n this r i ver he took o ut his gold But
he told nobody W here All the peasants around here
kno w that he had a lo t o f money i n the b ank and that
he had been sell i ng g old t o the Government Here they

were murdered
Ivan stepped to the s t ove t oo k o ut a a m in g st i ck
and bending over lighted a spot o n the oor

D o you se e these spots o n the oor and on the wall ?

I t i s the i r blood the blood o f G av r o n sky T hey died
but they did no t d i sclose the whereabouts o f the gold
It was taken ou t o f a deep hole which they had dri fted
i nto the bank o f the r i ver and was hidden in the cellar
under the shed But G av ro n sky gave nothing away
A n d Lor d how I to r tur e d the m ! I burned them
with re ; I ben t back the i r ngers ; I gouged o ut the i r

eyes ; but G avro n sky d i ed i n silence

H e thought fo r a m o m ent then quickly sai d t o m e :

I have heard all th i s f ro m the peasants

He threw
the lo g i nto the stove and opped down o n the bench

It s time to sleep he snapped o ut and w a s st i ll

I listened for a long t i me t o his breath i ng and his
wh i spering t o h im sel f as he t urned f ro m o ne s i de to
the other and s m oked his pipe
In the m orn i ng w e left this scene o f so m uch su ffer
i ng and crime and o n the seventh day o f o ur j ourney
w e came to the dense cedar wood grow i ng o n the foot
hills o f a long cha i n o f mount ains

From here Ivan expla i ne d t o m e i t i s e i ghty ve rs ts

to the next peas ant se ttlem en t T he people com e to th e se
.

C HAPT E R III
T HE

STRUGGLE

F OR L I FE

I w as alone A round m e only the woo d o f

ete rnally green cedars covered w ith sno w the bare
bushes the frozen ri ver and as far as I could see o ut
through the b ranches and the t runks o f the t rees o nly
the g rea t ocean o f cedars and sno w S ibe r i an taig a !
Ho w long shal l I be forced to live here ? W ill the
Bo l shevi ki nd m e here o r n o t ? Will my friends know
where I am ? What i s happening to my family? These
quest i on s were constantly as burni ng res in m y brain
Soon I understood wh y Ivan guided me so long W e
passed m any secluded places o n the j ourney far away
from all people where Ivan could have safely left m e
but he always said that he would take m e to a place
W here it would be easier to live A n d it was so The
charm o f my lone re fuge was i n the cedar wood and
i n the m ounta i ns covered with these f orests which
stretched to eve ry horizon The cedar i s a splendid
powerful t ree with w i de spread i ng branches an eternally
green t ent attract i ng to i ts shelter every living being
Am ong the cedars was always effervescent li fe There
the squ i rrels were continually ki cking up a row j ump i ng
from tree to tree ; th e nut j obbers cried shrilly ; a oc k
o f b ulln che s with carm ine breasts swept through the
t re e s li ke a am e ; o r a s m all arm y o f g o ld n che s bro ke
HE N

16

S TRUG GLE

THE

FO R

LIFE

in and ll e d the am ph itheat re o f t rees w i th th e i r w h i st

l i ng ; a hare scooted from one tree trunk to another and
behind hi m stole up the hardly v i sible shadow o f a W h i te
ermine crawling on the snow and I watched fo r a long
time the black spot which I knew to be the tip o f his
tail ; carefully treading the hard crusted snow approached
a noble deer ; a t last there v i sited m e fro m the t op o f
the m ountai n the king of the S iber i an fores t the brown
bear All this distracted me and carried away the black
thoughts from my brain encouraging me to persevere
It was good fo r m e also though di fficult to climb to the
to p o f m y m ounta i n which reached up o ut o f the forest
and from which I could look away to the range o f red
It was the red cli ff o n the farther bank
o n the horizon
o f the Yenisei
There lay the country the towns the
enemies and the fr i ends ; and there was even the point
which I located as the place o f my family It w as the
reason W hy Ivan had guided me here And as the days
i n this solitude slipped by I began to m iss sorely thi s
companion w ho though the murderer o f G av r o n sky had
taken care o f me like a father always saddling my horse
f or m e cutting the wood and doing everythi ng to ma ke
m e co m fortable He had spent m any winters alone w i th
nothin g except h i s thoughts face t o face wi th nature
I S hould say be fore the face o f G o d
He had tried
the horrors o f solitude and had acquired facility in bear
ing the m I thought sometimes i f I had to meet my
end in this place that I would spend my last strengt h
to drag myself to the to p o f the mountain to die there
looki ng away over the i nnite se a of mo untai n s and
forest towar d the poi nt wh e re m y lo v e d ones w e re
Ho w ever the sam e li fe gave m e m uch m a tte r fo r
,

&

BEAS TS

MEN AND GO D S

re ec ti on an d yet m ore occupa ti on f or the ph y s i ca l s i de

It was a continuous struggle fo r ex i stence hard and se
vere The hardest work w as the preparat i on o f the b i g
logs for the naid a The f allen trunks o f the t rees were
covered wi th sno w and f rozen to the ground I w a s
forced to dig the m o ut and afterwards with the help
o f a l ong sti ck as a l ever to move the m f rom thei r
place Fo r fac i litat i ng this work I chose the mountain
fo r my supplies where although di fcul t to climb i t
Soon I made a splendid
w as easy t o roll the logs down
discovery I found near m y den a great quantity of
larch thi s beautiful yet sad forest giant fallen during
a big s t orm T he trunks were covered with snow but
r emained
attached to the i r stumps where they had
broken o ff When I cu t i nto these stumps with the ax
the head bur i ed i tself and could with di ffi culty be drawn
and i nvestigating the reason I foun d them lled with
pitch Chips o f this wood neede d o nly a spark t o se t
the m aam e and eve r a fterward I always had a stock
o f t hem to ligh t up qu i ckly for warming my hands on
returning f ro m the hun t o r f or bo iling my tea
The greater p a r t o f my days was occupied with the
hun t I c ame to understand that I m ust distr i bute my
work ove r every day f or i t distracted me f ro m m y sad
an d depressing thoughts
Generally after my morning
tea I W ent i nto the f ores t t o seek heathc o ck o r black
cock A fter k illing one o r t wo I be g an to prepare my
dinner which never ha d an ext ens i ve m enu I t w as
constantly gam e soup w i th a hand ful o f dr i ed bread and
a fterwards endless cups of tea th i s essent i a l beverage
o f the woods
Once dur i ng my search f or b i rds I
hear d a rustle i n the dense sh rubs and carefully peer i ng
.

T HE S TRUG G LE FO R LIFE

19

I
abo u t I di sc ov ered the po i nts of a d eer s horns
crawled along toward the spot but the watch ful an im al
heard my approach With a great noise he rushed fro m
the bush and I saw him very clearly after he had run
about three hundred steps stop o n the slope o f the
m ounta i n It was a S plendid ani m a l with dark gre y
coa t with al m ost a blac k S pine and as large as a smal l
I laid my rie across a branch and red T he
c ow
an i mal made a great leap ran several steps and fell
Wi th all m y strength I ran t o him but he got up again
and half j umped half dragged himsel f up the mountain
T he second shot stopped him I had won a warm carpet
f or m y den and a large stock o f m ea t The horns I
fastened up among the branches o f m y wall where they
made a ne hat rack
I cannot forget o n e very i nteresting but wild picture
which w a s staged for me several kilometres from my
den There was a small swamp covered with grass and
cranberries scattered through it where the blackcock and
sand partridges usually came to feed o n the berries I
approached noiselessly behind the bushes and saw a whole
ock o f blackcock scratching in the snow and picking
o ut the be rries
While I was surveying this scene sud
d e n ly one o f the blackcock j umped up and the rest o f
the fri ghtened ock i mmediately ew away
To my
astonishment the rst bird began going straight up in
a spiral ight and afterwards dropped directly down
dead When I approached there sprang from the body
o f the slain cock a rapacious er m ine that hid under the
t runk o f a fallen tree The bird s neck was badly torn
I then understood that the ermine had charged the cock
fastened i tsel f o n hi s neck and had been carried by the

BEAS TS

20

MEN AND GO D S

bi r d i n t o the a i r as he suc ke d the blood f rom i ts throa t

and ha d been the cause o f the heavy f all back t o the
ear th T h ank s t o his aeronau ti c ab i l i ty I save d o ne
cartr i d g e
So I l i ve d ght i ng fo r the m orrow and m or e an d m ore
poisoned by hard and bitter thoughts The days and
weeks passed and soon I felt the breath o f warm er w i nds
O n the open places the snow began to thaw
In spo t s
the li tt l e r i vulets o f water appeared A nother day I
saw a y o r a S pider awakened after the hard w i nter
The spr i n g w as coming I realized tha t i n spring i t w as
impossible t o go o ut fro m the f ores t E very river over
o w e d i ts banks ; the swamps bec ame i mpassable ; all
the runways o f the ani mals turned into beds for streams
o f r unn i n g wate r
I understood that until summer I
w as conde m ned to a continuat i on o f my solitude Spr i ng
very qu i c kly came into her rights and soon my moun
ta i n was free fro m snow and w a s covered o nly with
stones the t ru nk s o f bi rch and aspen trees and the high
co nes of ant hills ; the r i ver i n places broke i ts co v ering
o f ice and was coursing full with foam and bubbles
,

'

C HA P T E R IV
A FI S H E RMA N
day dur i ng the hunt I approached the bank o f
the r i ver and noticed many very large sh with
red backs as though ll e d with bloo d They were swi m
ming o n the surface en j oying the r ays o f the sun Whe n
the river was enti rely free fro m i ce th ese sh appear e d
in enormous qu antities S oon I realized that they were
working up stream for the spa wning season i n the s maller
rivers I thought to use a plundering method o f catch
ing forbidden by the law o f all countries ; but all the
lawyers and legislators should be lenient to o n e who
lives in a den under the roots o f a fallen tree and dare s
to break their rational laws
Gathering many thin birch and aspen trees I bui lt i n
the bed o f the stream a weir which the s h could not
pass and soon I found them trying to j ump ov e r i t Nea r
t he bank I left a hole in my barrier abo ut eighteen i nche s
belo w the surface and fastened o n the up strea m S ide a
high basket plaited from soft W illow twigs i nto which
the sh cam e as the y passed the hole Then I stood
cruelly by and hit the m o n the head w i th a strong sti ck
All my catch were over thirty pounds some more than
eighty This variety o f sh i s called the tai m e n is o f
the trout fam ily an d is the best i n the Yeni se i
After two weeks the sh had passed and m y baske t
gave me no more treasure so I began anew the hunt

NE

21

C HAPT E R V

A DA N G E ROUS N E IGHBOR
hunt became m ore and m ore protable and
enj oyable as spr i ng an i mated everyt hing In the
m o rning at the break o f day the fores t was full o f voices
strange and undiscernible to the i nhabitant o f the town
There the heathcock clucked and sang his song o f love
as he sat o n the top branches o f the cedar and ad mi red
the gre y hen scratching in the fallen leaves below I t
w a s very easy to approach th i s full feathered Caruso
and with a shot to bring him down from his more poet i c
to his more utilitarian dut i es Hi s going o ut w as an
euthanasia for he was in love and heard nothing Out
in the Clearing the blackcocks with the i r wide spre a d
spotted tails were ghting while the hens strutting near
craning and chattering probably some gossip about the i r
ghting swains watched and were delighted with the m
From the distance owed in a stern and deep roar y e t
full o f tenderness and love the m ating call o f the deer ;
wh i le from the crags above came down the short and
broken voice o f the mountain buck Among the bushe s
f rolicked the hares and o ften near them a red fo x l ay
attened to the ground watching his chance I neve r
heard any wolves and they are usually n o t found in the
Sibe rian regions covered with mountains and forest
Bu t th ere was ano ther beast who was m y neighbo r

HE

22

BE

AS T S

M EN

GO

AN D

DS

i ng ou t of my l ow l y d we lli ng and sn ifng all around

the entrance to it I shot The bullet pierced his side
He roared w ith pa i n and ange r an d stood up o n his hind
l egs As the second bullet broke o n e o f these he squatted
down but i mmed i ately draggi ng the leg and end e avor
ing to stand uprigh t moved to attack me O n ly the third
bulle t in his breas t stopped hi m H e weigh e d about
two hundred to t wo hundred fty pounds as near as
I could guess and was very tasty He appeare d a t h i s
best in cutlets but only a little less wonder ful i n the
H a mburg steaks which I rolled and roaste d on ho t
stones watching the m swell out into g reat balls th at were
a s ligh t as t he n est sou fe omelettes we used to have

M edved i n Petrograd O n th i s welco m e addi

a t the
ti on to m y larder I l i ved from then un t i l the ground
dried o ut and the stream ran down enough so that I
could travel down along the r i ver to the coun try whi ther
Ivan had directed me
E ver t raveling with the greatest precaut i ons I m ade
the j ourney down along the river o n foot carrying fro m
m y w i nter quarters all my hous e hold furniture and g oo ds
wrapped up i n the deerskin bag which I formed by tying
the legs togeth e r in an awkward knot ; and thus laden
fordi ng the small strea m s and w ading through the
swamps that lay across m y path After fty o d d miles
o f this I came to the country called S i fk o va
Where I
found the cabin o f a peasant n am ed T r o po ff located
closest to the forest that cam e to be m y na tu ra l env i ron
m en t With him I lived fo r a ti me
.

'

a:

ow

=<

i n these unim aginable surro un di ngs o f saf e ty

an d

A DAN GE RO US NEI GH B O R

peace ummi ng up the total o f m y ex per i ence In the

S iber i an taig a I make the following deductions
In
every healthy spi ritual i ndi vidual o f o ur times occasions
o f necessity r e surrect the traits o f pr i mitive m an hunter
and w arrior and help him in the struggle w i th nature
It i s the prerogative o f the m an w i th the t r ai ned mi nd
and spiri t over the untrain e d who d oes not possess suffi
c i ent science and will power to carry him through But
the price that the cultured man must pay i s that fo r h i m
there ex i sts nothing m ore awf ul than absolute solitude
and the knowledge o f com plete isolation from human
society and the life o f m oral and aesthetic culture One
step o n e moment o f weakness and dark madness will
sei z e a man and carry him t o inevitable destruction I
spent awful days o f struggle with the cold and hunger
but I passed more terrible days in the struggle o f the
will to kill weakening destructive thoughts
The
memories of these days free z e my heart and mind and
even now as I revive them so clearly by writing o f
m y experiences they throw me back i nto a state o f fear
and apprehension Moreover I am compelled to observe
that the people in highly Civili z ed states gi ve too l i ttle
regard to the training that is useful to m an I n pri m itive
conditions in conditi ons incident to the stru g gle agains t
nature fo r existence It is the single normal way to de
v e lo p a new generat i on o f strong
healthy i ron m en
with at the same time sensitive so uls
Nature destroys the weak but helps the strong awaken
ing in the S o ul emoti on s which re m a i n dorman t und e r
the urban conditions o f m odern li fe
,

CHA PT E R VI
A RIVE R I N TRAVAI L
Y presence i n the S i fko va country was no t f or l ong
M but I used it i n full measure Fi rst I sent a man
i n who m I had condence and whom I considered trust
worthy to m y friends i n the t o wn that I had left and
r ece i ved from them l inen boots money and a small case
,

rst aid materials and essential medicines and what

was m ost i mportant a passport in another name since
I was dead for the Bolsheviki S econdly in these m ore
o r less favorable conditions I reected upon the plan
for m y future acti ons Soon in S i fk o va the people heard
that the Bolshevik commissar would come for the requ i si
ti on o f cattle fo r the Red Army It w as dangerous to
re m a i n longer I waited only until the Yenisei should
lose i ts m assive lock o f i ce which kept it sealed long
after the small r i vulets had opened and the trees had
ta k en on the i r spring fol i age For o n e thousand roubles
I en gaged a sherman who agreed to take m e fty ve
mi les up the r i ver to an abandoned gold mine as soon
as the r i ver which had then only opened i n places S hould
be ent i rely clear o f i ce At last o n e morning I heard a
deafen i ng roar like a tre m endous cannonade and ran
o ut to n d the r i ver had li fted its great bulk o f ice and
then given way to b reak it up I rushed on down to
the b an k w here I w it nessed an awe i nspir i ng but m ag ni
o

26

RIVE R I N

TRAVAI L

cent scene The r i ver had brought down the great volume
o f ice that had been dislodged in the south and w a s
carrying it northward under the thick layer which still
covered parts o f the stream until nally its weight had
broken the winter dam to the north and released the
whole grand mass in o n e last rush fo r the Arctic The

Yenisei Father Yenisei
Hero Yenisei i s o n e o f
the longest r i vers in Asia deep and magn i cent espe
where it
c ially through the middle range o f its course
is anked and held in ca ti on like by great towering ranges
T he huge stream had brought down whole miles o f ice
elds breaking them up o n the rapids and o n isolated
rocks twisting them with angry swirls throwing up se c
tions o f the black winter roads carryi n g down the
t epees built for the use o f passing caravans which in the
W inter always go from M in nusin sk to Krasnoyarsk o n
the frozen river From time to time the stream stopped
i n its ow the roar began and the great elds o f ice
w ere squee z ed and piled upward sometimes as high as
thirty feet damming up the water behind so that i t
rapidly rose and ran o ut over the low places casting
o n the shore great masses o f i ce
Then the po wer o f
the reinforced waters conquered the towering dam o f
ice and carried it downward with a sound like breaking
glass At the bends in the river and round the great
rocks developed terri fying chaos Huge blocks o f ice
j ammed and j ostled until some were thrown clear int o
the air crashing against others already there o r were
hurled against the curving cli ffs and banks tearing o ut
boulders earth and trees high up the sides All along
the low embankm ents this giant o f nature ung upward
with a suddenness that leaves m an but a pigmy in force
.

BEAS TS

MEN AND GO D S

a g reat w al l o f i ce f t e e n to tw enty f ee t h igh wh i ch

the peasants call Z o b er eg a and through which they

cannot get to the ri ver with out cutting o ut a road One
incredible feat I saw the giant perform when a block
m any feet thick and m any yards square was hurled
through the a i r and dropped to crus h saplings and little
t rees m ore than a half hundred feet fro m the bank
W atching th i s glor i ous withdrawal o f the i ce I was
l led w i th terror an d revolt a t seeing the awful spoils
wh i ch the Y eni se i bore away in this annual retreat
T hese were the bodi es of the executed counter re vo lu
o i c e r s
soldiers and Cossacks o f the former
t io n a rie s
arm y o f the Superi or Governor o f all ant i Bolshevik
Russ i a A d m iral Kolchak They were the results o f the

blood y work o f the Cheka at M in n usin sk Hundreds

o f these bodies wi th heads and hands out o ff with
m ut i lated fac e s and bodies hal f burned with broken
skulls oa t ed and m ingled with the blocks o f i ce look
i ng fo r thei r graves ; o r turni ng i n the furious whirl
poo l s am ong the j agge d blocks they were ground and
torn to p i eces into Shapeless masses which the riv e r
nauseated w i th its t ask vom i t e d o ut upon the i slands
I pass ed the whole length
an d proj ectin g sand ba r s
o f the mi dd l e Y eni se i and consta ntly cam e across these
pu t r i fy ing and t err i fy i ng remi nders o f the w ork o f the
Bolshevi ki In o n e place at a turn o f the river I sa w
a great h e ap o f horses wh i ch had been cast up by the
i ce and curre nt i n numb er no t less than three hundred
A ver s t belo w there I w a s sickened beyond endurance
by the d i scovery of a grove o f willows al o n g the bank
which had raked from the polluted stream and held in
the i r ng e r li ke droop i ng branches hu m an bodies i n all
,

A RIVER IN

T RAVAIL

shapes and a tt itudes w i th a sem blance o f nat ural ness

which made an everlasting picture on my distraught
m ind Of this pitiful gruesome company I counted
se venty
At last the m ountain o f ice passed by followed by
the muddy freshets that carried down the trunks o f
fallen trees logs and bodies bodies bodies T he she r
man and his so n put me and my luggage i nto their dug
o ut made from an aspen tree and poled upstrea m along
the bank Poling in a swi ft current is very hard work
At the sharp curves w e were compelled to row struggling
against the force o f the stream and even in places huggi ng
the cliffs and makin g headway only by clut c hing the
rocks with o u r hands and dragging along S lowly S ome
times it took us a long while to do ve or six m etres
through these rapid holes In two days w e reached the
goal o f o ur j ourney I spent sever al days in this gold
mine w here the watchman and hi s family were l i ving
A S they were short o f food they had noth i ng t o spar e
fo r me and consequently my ri e aga i n se r ved to nour i sh
me as well as contributing something to my hos ts One
day there appeared here a trained agriculturalist I did
n o t hide because during my winter i n the woods I had
ra i sed a heavy beard so that probably my o w n mother
could not have recognized me However o ur guest w as
very shrewd and at once dec i phered me I did not fear
hi m becaus e I saw tha t he w as not a Bolshevik and
later had con rm ation o f this
We foun d co mm on
acquaintances and a com mon viewpoint o n current events
He lived Close to the gold m i ne i n a smal l village wher e
he superintended public work s We d etermi ne d to escape
t ogether from Ru ssia F o r a long ti me I had pu zz led
.

BEAS TS

o
3

MEN AND G O D S

over th i s m a tt er and now m y plan was re ady Kn o w

ing the position in S iberia and its geography I decided
that the best way to safety was through U r ianhai the
northern part o f Mongolia o n the head waters o f the
Yenisei then through Mongolia and o ut to the Far E as t
and the Pacic Be fore the overthrow o f the Kolchak
Government I had received a commiss i on t o investigate
U r ian hai and Western Mongolia and then with g reat
accuracy I studied all the m aps and literature I could ge t
o n this question
To accomplish this audacious plan I
had the g reat i ncent i ve o f my o wn safety
.

B EAS TS

32

MEN AND G O D S

with the bod i e s o f m en and horses A little far ther

along we found a broken sle i gh with ried box es an d
papers scattered about N ear them were also torn gar
m ents and bodies Who were these piti ful ones ? What
t ragedy w a s staged in thi s wild woo d ? We t ri ed to
gu ess this enigm a and w e began to investi gate the docu
m ents and pape rs These were o i c ial papers address e d
t o the Staff o f G eneral P e pe laie ff Probably o n e part
o f the S ta ff du r ing the retreat o f Kolchak s arm y went
th rough thi s wood striving to hide from the enemy
approach i ng f r o m all sides ; but here they were caught
by the Reds and k illed N o t far from here w e found
the body o f a po or unfortunate woman whose cond i t i on
proved clearly what had happened be fore rel i e f ca m e
through the b e n e c e n t bullet The bod y lay beside a
strewn wi th bottles and conserv e
shelter o f branches
tins tell i ng the t ale o f the bantering f e as t tha t ha d
.

preceded the destruction o f this li fe

The f urther we went t o the south the m ore pro
n o un c e d ly hosp i table the people became toward us and
the more host i le to the Bolsheviki At last w e e m erge d
f ro m the f orests and entered the spac i ous vastness o f
the M innusin sk steppes cros se d by the high red m oun

tain r ange call e d the K iz ill Ka i ya and d ott e d here and

there wi th salt lakes
I t i s a country o f tombs thousand s
o f large and sm al l dolmens
the tombs o f the earliest
propri etors o f th i s l and : pyra mi ds o f stone ten m etres
high the m arks se t by J e ng hiz Khan along his road o f
conquest and afterw ards by the cr i pple Ta m erlane
T em ur Thousan d s of these dolmens and stone pyramids
stretch i n en dless row s to the north In these pla i ns the
T artars now l i ve Th ey were robb e d by the Bolshe viki
.

THRO UG H

SO VI E T

S IBERIA

33

an d therefore hated the m ardently W e O pe nly told

the m that we were escap i ng They gave us f oo d for
noth i ng an d supplied us wi th guides telling us w i th who m
w e might stop and where to hide in case o f d anger
After se v eral days we looked down fro m the h i gh

bank of the Yenisei upon the rst stea m er the Or i ol

from Krasnoyarsk to M in nusin sk laden w ith Red
soldiers S oon w e came to the m outh of the r i ver Tuba
which we were to follow straight ea st to the S ayan moun
tains where U r ianha i begi ns W e thought the stage along
the Tuba and its branch the Amyl the most d ange rous
part o f o ur course bec ause the valle ys o f these two rivers
had a dense population wh i ch had contributed large num
be rs o f soldiers to the celebrated Com muni s t Part i san s
S che tinkin and K r a fche n o
A Tartar ferried us and o ur hors es over t o the r i gh t
bank o f the Yenise i an d afterwards sent us so m e
Cossacks at daybreak w ho guided us to the m outh o f
the Tuba where we spe nt the whole day in rest grati fy
ing ourselves w i th a f e ast of wild black curran ts and
Cherries
.

CHAPT E R V III

T HR E E DAYS ON

A RM E D wi th

T HE E

DG E

O F

A PR E CI PIC E

false passports we moved along up

the valley o f the Tuba E very ten o r fteen ve rs ts
we came across large V illages o f fro m one to S i x hun
d red houses where all administration w as in the hands
o f Soviets and where sp i es scru ti n i zed all passers b y
We
could not avoid these villages for two reasons First
o ur attempts to avoid the m when we were constantly
meeting the peasants i n the country would hav e aroused
suspicion and would have caused an y Sov i et t o arrest

us and send us to the Cheka i n M innusin sk where we

should have sung o ur last song Secondly i n his docu
m ents my fellow traveler w a s g ranted pe rmission to use
the government post relays for forwarding him o n his
j ou rney There fore w e were f orced to visit the village
Soviets and change o ur horses O ur o w n mounts we
had g i ven t o the Tartar and Cossack w ho helped us at
the m outh o f the Tuba and the Cossack brought us
i n h i s wagon to the rst village where w e received the
post horses A ll except a small m i nority of the peasants
were against the Bolsheviki and voluntar i ly assi sted us
I paid them fo r their help by treat i ng their S ick and my
fellow traveler gave the m practical advice in the manage
ment o f thei r agriculture Those w ho helped us ch i e y
were the o ld dissenters and the Cossacks
o ur

'

34

THREE DAYS

ON

ED GE

O F P RE C IPI CE

35

Somet im es w e ca m e acr o ss v i llages ent i re l y Com

m un istic but very soon we learned to distinguish the m
When w e entered a village with o ur horse bells tinkling
and found the peasants who happened to be sitting i n
f ront o f thei r houses ready to get up with a frown and
a gru mble that here were more new devils coming w e
knew that this w as a village O pposed t o the Commun i sts
and that here we could stop in safety But i f the
peasants approached and greeted us with pleasure call

ing us Comrades we knew at once that we were among

the enemy and took great precautions Such villages
were inhabited by people who were n o t the Siberian
liberty lov i ng peasants but by emigrants f rom the
Ukraine i dle and drunk living in poor dirty huts though
thei r village were surrounded with the black and fertile
so i l
o f the
steppes
Very dangerous and pleasant
moments w e spen t in the large village o f Karatuz It
i s rather a town In the year 1 9 1 2 two colleges were
opened here and the population reached
people
It i s the capital o f the S outh Yenisei Cossacks But
by n o w i t is very di fcult to recogn ize th i s town The
peasant emigrants and Red army murdered al l the
Cossack population and destroyed and burned m ost o f
the houses ; and it is at present the center o f Bolshevism
and Communism in the eastern part o f the M inn usin sk
district In the building o f the S ov i et where w e came
to exchange o ur horses there was being held a meeting

o f the
Cheka
We were immediately surrounded and
questioned about our documents We were not any too
calm about the impress i on which m ight be made by o u r
papers and atte m pted to avoid this examinat i on M y
f ellow traveler afterwards o ften sa i d to m e :
.

36

EAS S

M EN

AN D

GO

DS

I t i s gr eat g oo d fort une t hat amon g the Bol shev iki

the good for nothing shoemaker of yesterday i s the Gov
e r n o r o f to d ay and scientists sweep the streets o r clean
the stables o f the Red cavalry I c a n talk with the
Bolshev iki because they do not know the di ff erence b e
tween disinfection and diphtheria
anthracite and
appendiciti s and can talk them round i n all things even

up to persuading them not to put a bullet into me

And so we talked the members o f th e Cheka round

t o everything that w e wanted W e presented to them
a bright scheme fo r the future development o f thei r dis
t r ic t when we would build the roads and bri dges which
would allow them to export the wo o d from U r ian hai
i ron and gold from the S ayan Mountains cattle and
furs from Mongolia What a triumph o f creative work
for the S oviet Government ! O u r ode occupied about

an hour an d afterwards the members o f the Cheka

forgetting about o ur documents personally changed our
horses placed o ur luggage o n the wagon and wished us
success I t was the last ordeal within the borders o f
Russi a
When we had crossed the valley o f the ri ver Amyl
H appiness smiled o n us Near the ferry we met a mem
ber o f the militi a from Karatu z He had o n his wagon
several ries and a utomatic pistols mostly Mausers for
outtting an expedition through U r ianhai in quest of
some Cossack o fcers w ho had been greatly troubling
the Bolsheviki We sto o d upon o ur guard We could
very easi ly have met this exped ition and we were n o t
qu i te assured that the soldiers would be so apprec i at i ve
o f o ur high sound i ng phrases as were the me m bers o f

the Cheka
Care fully questi oni ng the militiaman we
-

THREE

DAY S

ED G E

ON

O F P RE C I P I C E

37

f errete d out the r oute the i r e xpedit i on w as t o t ak e In

the nex t vill age w e stayed in the same house with him
I had to open m y luggage and suddenly I not i ced his
.

miring glance x ed upon my bag

What pleases yo u so much ? I aske d

H e whispered : Trousers
Trou sers
I had received from m y to w nsmen qui te n e w tr o users
Those trousers a tt racted
o f black thick cloth for riding
the rapt attention o f the militiaman

I f yo u have no ot her trousers

I rem arked
re ecting upon my plan o f attack against m y new fri end

N o he explained with sadness the S oviet does

They tell me they also g o W ith
n o t furnish trousers
And my trousers are absolutely worn o ut
o ut trousers

L oo k at them
With these words he threw back the corner o f hi s
overcoat and I w as astonished how he Could keep him
self inside these trousers fo r they had such large holes
that they were more o f a net than trousers a net through
which a small shark could h ave slipped

S ell me
he whispered with a question i n h i s voice

I cannot for I need the m mysel f

I answered
deci sively
He ree cted f or a few minutes and afterward

approa ching me said : Let us go o ut doors and talk

Here it is inconvenient

We w ent outside
Now what about it ? he began

You are going into U r ianha i There the Soviet bank

note 5 have no value and you will not be able to buy
anything where there are plenty o f sables fox skins
e rmine and gold dust to be purchased wh i ch they very
willingly exchange for ri es and cartri dges Y ou have

ad

BEAS TS

38

MEN AND GO D S

each of y ou a r i e and I wi l l giv e y ou one mo re r i e

with a hundred cartridges i f you give m e the trousers

We do not need weapons We are protected by o ur

documents I answered as though I did not understand

But no he i nterrupted yo u can c ha nge tha t r i e

there into furs and g old I shall g i ve you that ri e o ut

right

?
Ah that s i t i s i t
Bu t i t s very l i ttle fo r those
trousers N owhere i n Russia can you now nd trousers
All Russia goes without trousers and for your rie I
should receive a sable and what use to m e is o n e S kin
Word by word I attained to my des i re The militia
man go t m y trousers and I rece i ved a rie with o n e
hundred cartr i dges and two automatic p i stols with f orty
cartridges each We were arm ed now so that w e could
defend ourselves Moreover I persuaded the happy
possessor o f my trou sers to give us a permit to carry
the weapons Then the law and force were both o n
o ur side
In a distant v i llage we bought three horses two fo r
riding and o n e for packing engaged a guide purchased
dried bread meat salt and butter and after resting
twenty four hours began o ur trip up the Amyl toward
the S ayan Mountains o n the border o f U r ianhai There
we hoped n o t to m eet Bolsheviki either sly o r silly In
three days from the mouth of the Tuba we passed the
last Russian V illage near the Mongoli an U r ianhai border
three days o f constant contact with a lawless populat i on
o f continuous danger and o f the ever present possib i lity
Onl y i ron w i ll power presence
o f fortuitous death
o f m i nd and dogge d t enac ity brough t us through al l
the d angers an d sav e d us f ro m r ol l i ng bac k d own o ur
.

CHAPT E R IX

TO

SAYAN S AN D SAFE TY

T HE

In the h i gh
already yellow grass the trail wound hardly notic e
able in among bushes and t rees j ust be ginning to drop
their many colored leaves It i s the old already forgot
ten A m yl pass road Twenty ve y ears ago it carried
the provi sions mach i ne ry and workers fo r the nu m
e r o u s now abandoned
gold mines o f the Amyl valle y
The road now wound along the wide and rapid Amyl
then penetrated i nto the deep forest gu iding us round
the swampy ground lled with those dangerous S iberian
quagmires through the dense bushes across mountain s
and W ide meadows O ur guide probably did not surmise
o ur real intention and sometimes
apprehens i vely look
i ng down at the ground would say :

Three riders o n horses with S hoes o n have passed

here Perhaps they were soldiers

H is an xiety was term i nated when he d i scovered tha t
the tracks le d o ff to o n e side and then returned to the
tra i l

They d id not pr o ceed fa r ther he r em arked slyl y

smil i ng

Tha t s to o bad we a nswere d

I t would have been

m ore l i vely t o trave l i n company

E N SE

vi rgi n w ood surround e d

us

40

THE

TO

S AYAN S A N D

S AFE TY

41

But the peasan t only s t ro ke d h i s bear d and l aughe d

E v i dently he w a s not taken i n by our statement
We passed on the w ay a gold m ine that had b e en
formerly plan ned and equipped o n splendid lines but
w as now abandoned and the buildings all destroyed The
Bolshev i k i had taken away the machinery supplies and
also s ome parts o f the buildings Nearby stood a dar k
and gloomy church with w i ndows broken the crucix
torn o ff and the tower burned a piti fully typical emblem
o f the Russia o f today
The starving family o f the w atch
m an lived at the m ine in conti nuing danger and pr i va
t i on They t old us that i n this f orest regi on were
wandering about a band o f Reds w ho were robbing any
thing that remained o n the property o f the gold m i ne
were worki ng the pay di rt i n the richest part o f the
mine and w i th a little gold washed were go ing to d rink
and gamble it away i n some distant villages where the
peasants were m aking the forbidden v o d ka o ut of
berries and potatoes and selling i t for i ts weigh t in gold
A meeting with this band m eant death A fter three
days we crossed the northern ridge o f the Sayan cha i n
passed the border river A lg iak and after th i s day were
abroad i n the terr i tory o f U r ianhai
Th i s wonderfu l l and r i ch i n most d i verse f orm s o f
natural w e alth i s i nhabited by a branch o f the Mongols
which i s no w only sixty th o usand and wh i ch i s gradually
dying o ff speaking a language qu i te d i fferen t from any
o f the o ther d i alects o f thi s f olk and hold i n g as the i r

l i fe i deal the t ene t o f E ternal Peace

U rian hai l ong
ag o
becam e the scene o f adm i nistrati ve attem p t s by
Russians M ongols and Ch i nese all o f who m cla im ed
sovere i gnty
over the re gi on whose un fo rtuna t e in
.

BEAS T S

2
4

MEN AND GO D S

habitants the Soyots had t o pay t r i bu t e t o all three o f

these overlords It was due to th i s that the land w as
not an entirely safe refuge fo r us We had heard already
from o u r militiaman about the expedition preparing to
go i nto U rianhai and from the peasants w e le a r n e d that
the V illages along the Little Yenise i and farther south
had formed Red detachments w ho were robbing and
killing everyone who fell i nto the i r hands Recently
they had killed sixty two o ffi cers attempting to pass
U r i anha i i nto Mongolia ; robb ed and killed a caravan
German w a r
o f Chinese merchants ; and killed some
pri soners w ho escaped from the Soviet paradise O n
the fourth day we reached a swampy valley where among
open forests stood a single Russian house Here w e
took leave o f o u r guide who hastened away t o get back
be fore the snows S hould block his road over the S ayans
The master o f the establishm ent agreed to guide us to
the S e yb i R i ver for ten thousand roubles i n Soviet notes
Our h orses were tired and we were forced to give them
a rest so w e decided to spend twenty four hours here
We were drinking tea when the daughter o f o ur host
cried :

The S oyots are com i ng ! Into the room with the i r

rie s and po i nted hats came suddenly four o f them

M
they grunted to us and then without
ceremony began examining us critically N ot a button
o r a seam i n o ur enti re outt escaped their penetrating
gaze Afterwards o n e o f them who appeared to be the

local Merin or governor began t o i nvestigate o ur

political views
L istening to o ur cr i ticisms o f the
Bolshevik i he was e v i den tly plea sed and began talki ng
freely
,

TO

You are good people

S AFE TY

T HE S AYAN S A N D
.

You

43

do not like Bolshev i k i

will help yo u
I thanked him and presented him with the thick silk
cord which I w as wearing as a girdle Be fore night
they le ft us saying that th ey would return in the morn
i ng It grew d ark We went to the meadow to look
after o ur exhausted horses grazing there and came back
to the house We were gaily Chatting with the hospitable
host when suddenly w e heard horses hoo fs in the cour t
and raucous voices followed by the i mmediate entry
S ome
o f ve Red soldiers armed with ries and swords
thing unpleasant and cold rolled up i nto my thro at and
my heart hammered We knew the Reds as o u r enemies
These m en had the red stars on their Astrakhan caps
and red triangles o n their sleeves They were members
o f the detachment that was out to look for Cossack o f
cers Scowling at us they took o ff their overcoats and
sat down We rst opened the conversation explaining
the purpose o f o ur j ourney in exploring for bridges roads
and gold m i nes From them w e then learned that their
com m ander would arrive in a little while with seven
m ore men and that they would take o ur host at once
as a guide to the S e yb i River where they thought the
Cossack o fcers m ust be hidden
Immediately I re
m arked that o ur a ffairs were mov i ng fortunately and
that we must travel along together O n e o f the soldiers

repl i ed tha t that would depend upon the Comrade

o fcer
D ur i ng our conversation the S oyo t Governor entered
Very attentively he studied again the new arrivals and

then asked : Why did you take from the Soyots the

good horses and leave bad one s ?

e

BEAS TS

44

The soldiers l au gh e d

MEN AND GO D S

h im

Remembe r that you are i n a fore i gn count ry ! an

with a threat in his voice
sw e r e d the S oyot

God and the Devil ! cr i ed o n e o f the soldiers

But the S oyot very calmly took a sea t at the t abl e
and accepted the cup o f tea the hostess w as preparing
for him The conversation ceased T he S oyot nished
the tea s m oked his long pipe and stand i ng up said :

I f tomorrow morning the horses are no t back at the

owner s we shall come and take them

And with these
words he turn ed and went o ut
I noticed an expression of apprehensio n on the faces
o f the soldiers
S hortly o n e was sent o ut as a m e ss enger
while the others sat S ilent with bowed heads Late in
the night the o ffic e r arrived with his other seven men
As he received the report about the S oyot he knitted
his brows and said :

I t s a bad mess
W e must travel through the swam p
w here a S oyot will be beh ind every mound watch i ng
at

11 8

2
.

He S eemed really very anxious and his trouble for

tun ate ly prevented him from payi ng much attention to
us
I began to calm him and promised o n the morrow
t o arrange this matter with the S oyots The offi cer w a s
a coarse brute and a silly man desiri ng strongly to be
promoted for the capture o f the Cossack o fcers and
feared tha t the Soyot could preven t him from reaching
the S e yb i
At daybrea k we s tarted toge ther w i th the Red detach
m ent Wh en w e had made about fteen ki lometers we
d i sco v er e d behind the bushes two ri ders They were
Soyo ts O n the i r back s were thei r in t r i es
.

S AYANS A N D

T o T HE

Wa it f or m e !

S AFE TY

45

sa id t o the o f ce r
I shal l go

fo r a parley with them

I went forward w i th al l the speed o f m y horse O ne
of the horsem en w as the Soyot Go verno r who sa i d to
me :

Remain beh i nd the detachment and help us

All right I answered but let us talk a l i ttle i n

order that they m ay think w e are parleying

After a moment I shook the hand of the Soyo t and
returned to the soldiers

All right I exclai med we can continue o ur j ou rney

N o hindrance will come fro m the Soyots

We moved forward and when w e were crossing a
large meadow w e esp i ed at a long distance tw o S oyots
riding at full gallop right up the side o f a mountain
S tep by step I accomplished the necessary m anoeuvre to
bring me and m y fellow traveler somewhat behind the
detachment Behind o ur backs re m aine d only o n e soldier
very brutish in appearance and apparentl y ve ry host ile
to us I had t i me to whisper to m y compa nion onl y

one wor d
Mauser and saw that he very care fully
unbuttoned the saddle bag and drew o ut a little the handle
o f his p i stol
Soon I understood why these soldie s e xcellen t woods
r
men as they were would not attempt to go to the S e yb i
without a guide All the country between the A lg iak
and the S e yb i i s formed by high and narrow m ountain
ridges separated by deep swampy valleys It i s a cursed
and dangerous place At rst o ur horse s mi red t o the
knees lunging about and catching their feet i n the roots
of bushes in the quagmi res then f all n and pinning
us under the i r s i des breaki ng part s o f the i r saddles and

BEAS TS

4s

M EN

AN D

GO

DS

br i dle s T hen we would go i n up t o the r id ers kn ees

My horse went d o wn once with h i s whole breast and
head under the red uid m ud and we j ust saved it and
no more A fterwards the o fcer s horse fell with him
My companion
so that he bruised his head o n a stone
i nj ured one knee against a tree Some of the m en also
fell and were i nj ured T he horses breathed heavily
Somewhere dimly and gloomily a crow cawed Later
the road became worse still The trail followed through
the same m iry swamp but everywhere the road w a s
blocked with fallen tree trunks The horses j ump i ng
would land i n an unexpectedly deep
o ver the t runks
hole and ounder We and all the soldiers were covered
wi th blood and m ud and were i n great fear of exhaust
i ng o ur mounts F o r a long distance we had to get
down and lead them At last we entered a broad meadow
covered with bushes and bordered with rocks N o t only
horses but riders also began to sink t o thei r middle i n
a quagm i re with apparently no bottom The whole sur
f ace o f the meadow w a s bu t a thin laye r o f turf cover
i ng a lake wi th black putre fying water When we nal ly
l earned t o open o ur column and proceed at big interva ls
we found we could keep o n this surface that undulated
like rubber i ce and swayed the bushes U p and down I n
places the ear th buckled up and broke
Suddenly three shots sounded They were hardly
m ore than the report o f a Flobert rie ; but they were
genuine shots because the o ffi cer and two sold i ers fe ll
to the ground The other soldiers grabbed the i r r i es
and with fear looked about for the enemy Four m or e
were soon unseated and suddenly I no ti ced o ur rearguard
brute ra i se his rie and a i m righ t at m e However my

B E AS T S

48

M EN

AN D

GO DS

horns when bo i le d an d d r i ed are calle d pan tz an d are

sold to the Ch i nese at very high prices
We were received with great fear by the settlers

Thank G o d ! exclaimed the hostess we thought

look i ng a t her husband
and she bro k e o
'

CHAPT E R !
T HE

B AT TLE O N T H E S E YB I

dangers devel op one s watch f ulness an d

ke e nness o f pe rcepti on W e did not take o ff o ur
clothes n o r unsaddle o ur horse s t i red as we were I put
my Mauser i nside my coat and began to look abo ut and
scrutini z e the people T he rst thing I discovered was
the butt end o f a r i e under the pile o f pillows always
found o n th e peasants large beds Later I noticed the
employees o f o ur host constantly coming i nto the roo m
for orders fro m h im They did not look l ike sim pl e
peasants although they had long beards and were dressed
very dirtily They ex amined me with very attentive
eyes and did not leave m e and m y friend alone with the
host W e could not however m ake o ut anything But
then the S oyot Gove rn or came i n and noticing o ur
strained relations began e x pla i ni ng i n th e Soyo t language
to the host all about us

I beg your pardon the colon i st sa i d bu t yo u kn o w

y oursel f that now fo r o n e honest m an we ha ve t en thou

sand murderers and robbers

With th i s we began chatt i ng m ore f reely I t a ppe ared
that our host knew that a band of Bolshevi ki would
attack hi m i n the search fo r the band o f Cossack o i c e r s
who were li vi ng i n hi s house o n and o ff
He had heard

al so about the tota l l oss of one detach m en t H o w

O N STA N T

49

BEAS TS

0
5

M EN

AN D

GO D S

e v er it di d n ot ent i rel y cal m the old m an t o h av e our

news for he had heard o f the large detachm ent o f Reds
that was coming from the border o f the U sin sky D i stric t
i n pursuit o f the Tartars w ho were escap i ng w i th the i r
cattle south to Mongolia

Fro m one m inute to another we are a w

ai ti n g the m

w i th fear said our host to me

My Soyo t has come
i n and announced that the Reds are already crossing the

S e yb i and the Tartars are prepared for the ght

We i mmed i a t ely went ou t t o look over o ur saddles
and packs and then took the horses and hid the m i n
the bushes not far o ff W e m ade ready o ur ries and
pistols and too k posts in the enclosure to wai t f or our
common enemy A n hour o f trying impatience passed
when o n e o f the workm en came r unn i ng i n f rom the
wood and whispered :

They are crossing our swam p

The gh t i s o n
In fact like an answer to his words came through
th e woods the sound o f a single ri e shot followed
closely by the increasing rat tat tat o f the m i ngled guns
N earer to the house the sounds g radually cam e Soon
we heard the beating o f the horses hoo fs and the brutish
cr i es o f the soldiers In a m o m en t three o f them burst
i nto the house from o ff the road where they were be i ng
raked now by the Tartars from both directions cursing
v i olently O n e of them shot at o ur host He stum bled
along and fell o n his knee as h i s hand reached o ut
t oward the r i e under his pillows

Who are y o u ? brutally blurt e d ou t one o f the

soldiers turning to us and raising his rie W e answere d
with Mausers and successfully fo r only o n e soldier i n
the rear by the door escaped and tha t m erely t o f all
,

THE BATTLE

ON

THE

S E YB I

1
5

in to the

h an d s o f a wo rkm an in the co ur tyard w ho

strangled him The ght had begun The sold i ers called
The Reds were strung along
o n thei r comrades for help
i n the ditch at th e side o f the road three hundred paces
f rom the house returning th e re o f the surrounding
T artars S everal soldiers ran to the house to help their
comrades but this t i me w e heard the re gular volley o f
the workmen o f our host They red as though i n a
m anoeuvre calmly an d accurately F i ve Red soldiers lay
Be
o n the road while the rest now k ept to thei r ditch
fore long we discovered that they began crouching and
crawling o ut toward the end o f the d i tch nearest the
wood where they had left their horses The sounds o f
shots became more and more distant and soon w e saw
fty or sixty Tartars pursuing the Reds across the
m eadow
Two days we rested here o n the S e yb i The work
m en o f o ur host eight in number turned o ut to be o f
cers hiding fro m the Bolsheviks They asked permis
sion t o go on with u s to which we agre e d
When my fr i end and I continued o ur tr i p w e had a
guard o f eight armed o fcers and three horses with packs
W e crossed a beauti ful valley between th e Rivers S e yb i
and U t E verywhere w e saw splendid grazing lands
w i th nu m erous herds upon them but i n two o r three
houses along the road we did n o t nd anyone living All
had hidden away i n fear a fter hearing the sounds o f the
ght with the Reds The following day w e went up
over the high chain of mounta i ns called D aban and
t raversing a great area o f burned timber where o ur trail
lay among the fallen trees w e began to descend i nto a
val l ey h i dden fro m us by the i nt erveni ng f ooth i lls There
.

B E AS TS

52

M EN

AN D

GO D S

b eh i n d these

h il ls owe d the Litt le Y en i se i the l ast l ar ge

river before reaching Mongolia proper A bout ten ki lo
m eters fr o m the river w e spied a colu mn of smoke r i s
i ng up out o f the wood T w o o f the ofcers slipped
away t o m ake an i nvestigat i on For a long ti me they
did not ret urn and we fearful lest some thing had hap
pen ed moved o ff ca refully i n the direct i on o f the smoke
a ll read y fo r a ght i f necessary W e nally came near
e nough to hear the vo i ces o f m any people and among
them the loud laugh o f o n e o f o ur scouts In the middle
o f a m eado w we made o ut a large t ent with tw o tepees
o f branches and around these a crowd o f fty or sixty
men When we broke o ut o f the f ores t all o f the m
rushed forward with a j oyful welcome for us
It
appeared that i t was a large camp of Russian ofcers
and sold i ers w ho a fter the i r escape fro m S ib e ria had
lived in the houses o f the Russ i an colon i s ts and ri ch
peasants in U rianha i

What are yo u do i ng here ? we asked w i th surp ri se

Oh ho y ou kn ow noth i ng at all about what has been

go i ng o n P repl i ed a fa i rly o ld man who called h i msel f

Colonel Ostrovsky
In U ri anhai an order has been
i ssu e d from th e M il i tary Commiss i oner to m obilize all
men ove r tw en ty eight years o f age and everywhere
toward the town o f B e lo tz a r sk are moving detachments
o f these P arti sa ns
They are robbing the colonists and
peasants and killing everyone that falls into the i r hands

W e are hiding here from the m

The whole camp counted only sixt e en r i e s and three
bombs belon gi ng to a T artar w ho was t raveli n g w i th
h i s Kal m uck g u i de to h i s herds i n Western Mongolia
We ex plai ned th e a im o f o ur j ourney and o ur int e nti on
,

THE BATTLE

THE

ON

t o pass thr o ugh Mongolia t o

S E YB I

53

nea res t po rt o n the

Pacic The ofcers asked me to bring the m o ut with
us I agreed O ur r e co n naisan c e proved to us that there
were no Partisan s near the house o f the peasant w ho w a s
t o ferry us over the L i ttle Yenisei We moved o ff at
once in order to pas s as quickly as possible this danger
o us zone o f the Y enisei and to s ink ourselves into the
forest beyond
t snowed but immediately thawed B e
fore evening a cold north wind sprang up bringing with
i t a small bli zz ard Late in the night o u r party reached
the r i ver Our colonist welcomed us and o ffered at once
to ferry us over and swim the horses although there
w a s ice still oating which had come down from the
head waters o f the stream D ur i ng this conversation
there was present one o f the peasant s workm en red
haired and squint eyed He kept moving around all the
time and suddenly disappeared Our host noticed it and
w i th fear in his voice said :

He has run to the village and will guide the P artisans

here W e mus t cross immediately

Then b egan the m ost terrible night o f my whole
j ourney We proposed to the colonist that he take only
o ur fo o d and ammunition i n the boat while w e would
sw i m o ur horses across in order to save the time of the
m any trips The width o f the Yenisei in th i s place i s
about three h undred metres The stream i s very rapid
and the shore breaks away abruptly to the full depth o f
the stream The night w a s ab solutely d ark with not
a star in the sky T he w i nd i n wh i stli ng sw i rls drove
the snow and sleet sharply agains t o ur faces Be fore
us owed the stream o f black rapid water carrying
down th i n j agged block s o f i ce tw i s ti ng and g r i nding
the

B E AS T S

54

in

th e wh i rl s

and

M EN

ddies

GO D S

AN D

Fo r

lo ng tim e my hors e

efused to take the plunge down the steep bank snorted

and braced h i mself Wi th all my strength I lashed hi m
wi th my whip across his neck un til w i th a pi ti ful groan
he threw himself into the cold strea m We both went
all the way under and I hardly kept my sea t i n the saddle
Soon I was s ome m etres fro m the shore w i th my horse
stretching h i s head and neck f ar for w ard i n h i s e fforts
and snort i ng and blowing incessantl y I felt the every
motion o f his feet churning the water and the qu i vering
o f h i s whole body under m e i n this t r i a l
At las t w e
reached the mi ddle o f the river where the current b e
came ex ceed i ngly rapid and began t o carry us down with
i t Out o f th e ominous darkness I heard the shoutings
o f my companions and the dull cr i es o f fear and su ff er
i ng from the horses I was chest deep i n the icy water
So m eti m es the oatin g blocks struck m e ; sometimes the
waves broke up o ver my head and face I had no time
to look abou t o r to f eel the cold
The animal wish to
live took possess i on o f m e ; I became lled with the
though t tha t i f my horse s strength failed i n hi s struggle
w i th the s t ream I mus t perish All my att ention w a s
turned t o his e fforts and to 11 1 8 qu i ver i ng fear S ud
d e nly he groaned loudly and I noticed he was sinking
The water evidently w as ove r his nostrils because the
i ntervals o f his frightened snorts through the nostr i ls
bec am e longer A big block o f ice struck his head and
turned h im so that he was sw i m m ing right downstrea m
Wi th dif culty I re i ned hi m around toward the shore
b ut f el t now that h i s forc e was gone
H i s head several
time s d i sappeared under the swirli ng surface I had no
ch oi ce I sl i pped f ro m the saddle and hold i ng th i s by
r

BEAS TS

56

AND GO D S

M EN

asked o n e o f the m

No ! N o ! excla i med all our compan y

T z ag cm ?
followed the new ques ti on

Yes ye s said the Tart ar all are Whites

M e nd ! M e nd ! they grunted an d after starti n g

their cups o f tea began to relate very i nteresting and
important news It appeared that the Red P artisans
m ov i ng fro m the m ountains T ann u Ola occup i ed wi th
their outposts all the border o f Mongolia t o stop and
seize the peasants and Soyots driving o ut thei r cattle
To pass the T an nu Ola now would be i mpossible I
to turn sharp to the southeast pass
saw only o n e way
the swampy valley o f the Buret He i and reach the south
shore o f Lake Kosogol which is already in the terr i tory
o f Mongolia pro e r
It
was
very
unpleasant
news
To
p
the rst Mongol post i n S am g altai w a s n o t more than
sixty m iles from o ur camp while to Kosogol by the
short est line no t less than two hundred seventy ve
The horses my friend and I were riding after having
traveled more than six hundred m iles over hard roads
and without proper food o r rest could scarcely m ake
such an additional distance But reecting upon the
situation and studying my n e w fell o w travelers I deter
mined not to attempt to pass the T ann u O la They were
nervous morally weary men badly dressed and armed
and most o f them were without we a pons I knew that
during a ght there i s no danger so great as that o f
disarmed m en They are easily caught by panic lose
their heads and i nfect all the others There fore I con
sulte d with m y friends and decided to go to Kosogol
O ur company agreed to foll o w us After luncheon con
s i sting o f soup w i th big lumps o f meat dry bread and
Ulcm ?

T HE

BATTLE

ON

T HE

S E YB I

57

tea we m o ved out About tw o o clock

m ount a i ns
began to rise up before us They w ere the northeast o ut
spurs o f the T an nu Ola behind which lay the V alley
o f Buret He i

CHA P T E R XI
T HE

BARRI E R OF RE D PARTISA N S

a valle y b et w e e n two sh arp r idge s we d i sc ov ered

a herd o f yaks and cattle be i ng rapidly driven o ff
t o the north by ten mounted Soyots Approach i ng us
warily they nally revealed that N oyon ( Prince ) o f
Tod j i had ordered them to d ri ve the herds along the
Buret Hei i nto Mongolia apprehending the pillagi ng o f
the Red Partisans They proceeded but were inform ed
b y some S oyot hunters that this part o f the T an nu Ola
w a s occupied by the Partisans fro m the village o f
Vladimirovka Consequently they were forced to return
W e i nqu i red fro m them the whereabo uts o f these o ut
posts and ho w m any P art isian s were holding the m oun
tain pass over into Mongolia We sent o ut the Tartar
and the Kalmuc k for a reconna i ssance wh i le all of us
prepared fo r the f urther advance by wrapping the f eet
o f o ur horses i n o ur shi rts and by m uzzl i ng their noses
w i th strap s and bits o f rope so that they could not neigh
It was dark when our investigators returned and reported
to us th at about thirty Partisans had a camp some ten
ki lom eters fro m us occupyi ng the j u nta : of the S oyots
At the pass were two outposts one o f two soldiers and
the other o f three Fro m the outposts to the ca m p was a
l i ttle over a m ile Our trail lay between the two outposts
F ro m the top o f the mountain o ne could plainly se e the
tw o po s t s and could sh o ot them all When we ha d com e

58

O F RE D

BARRI E R

T HE

PARTI S AN S

59

near to the top of th i s mountai n I l e ft o ur pa rty and

taking with m e my friend the Tartar the Kalmuck and
From the moun
two of the young O fcers advanced
tain I saw about ve hundred yards ahead two res At
each of the res sat a soldier with his rie and the others
slept I did n ot want to ght with the Partisans but
we had to d o away wi th these outposts and that wi thout
ring or w e never Should get through the pass I did
not believe the Partisans could afterwards track us b e
cause the whole trail was th i ckly m arked with the spoors
o f horses and cattle

I Shall take fo r m y share these t wo wh i spered my

f riend pointing to the left outpost
The rest o f us were to take care o f the second post
I crept along through the bushes behind my friend in
order to help him in case o f need ; but I a m bound to
admit that I w a s not at all worried about hi m He was
about seven feet tall and so strong that when a horse
used to refuse sometimes to take the bit he would wrap
his arm around its neck kick its forefeet out from under
it and throw i t so that he could easily bri dle i t o n the
ground When only a hundred paces remained I stood
behind the bushes and watched I could se e very dis
tin c tly the re and the dozing sent i nel
He S at w i th his
r i e o n h i s knees His companion asleep beside him
did not m ove The i r white felt boots were plainly visible
to m e For a long tim e I did not remark m y friend
At the re all was quiet S uddenly from the other o ut
post oated over a few di m shouts and all was st i ll Our
sentinel slowly raised hi s head But j ust at this m oment
the huge body of my friend rose up and blanketed the
re from me and in a twinklin g the feet o f the sentinel
,

B E AS TS

60

ME N AN D

GO

DS

ashed through the a i r as my co m pan i o n had se i zed h im

by the throat and swung him clear into the bushes where
both gures disappeared In a second he r e appeared
ourished t he rie o f the Partisan over his hea d and I
heard the d ull blow which was followed by an absolute
calm He ca m e back toward m e and confusedly smiling
said :

It i s done G o d and the D ev i l ! When I w as a b o y

m y mother wanted to m ake a pries t o ut of m e When
I grew up I became a trained agronome in order
to strangle the people and smash the i r skulls Revolution

is a very stupid thing !

And with anger and disgust he S p it and began to smoke
his pipe
At the o ther outpost also all w as n i shed During th i s
night we reached the t op of the T ann u Ola and descended
again into a valley covered with dense bushes and twined
with a w hole network o f small r i vers and streams It
was the headwaters o f the Buret He i About one o cloc k
we stopped and began to feed o ur horses as the g rass
j ust there was ve ry good Here we thought ourselves
in safety We saw many calming i ndications On the
mountains were seen the grazing herds o f re i ndeers and
yaks and approaching Soyots conrmed o ur suppos i tion
Here behind the T an n u O la the Soyots had not seen
the Red soldiers W e presented to these Soyots a brick
o f tea and saw them depart happy and sure tha t w e we re

T z ag a n
a good people
While our horses rested and grazed o n the well pre
served grass we sat by the re and deliberated upon o ur
further progress There developed a sharp controversy
between t wo sec ti ons o f o ur company o n e led by a
,

THE BARRIER

O F RE D

PARTI S AN S

61

Colonel who with four o f cers were so i mpressed by

the absence of Reds south of the T an n u O la that they
determined to work westward to Kobdo and then o n
to the camp o n the E mil River where the Chinese autho r i
ties had interned six thousand o f the forces o f G eneral
B ak itc h which had come over into Mongolian territory
My friend and I wi th sixteen o f the ofcers chose to
carry through o ur old plan t o strike for the shores o f
Lake Kosogol and thence o ut to the Far E ast As neither
side could persuade the other to abandon its ideas o ur
company was divided and the next day at noon we took
leave of o n e another It turned o ut that our own wing
o f eighteen had many ghts and di f
culties on the way
which cost us th e lives o f six o f o ur comrades but that
the remainder o f us came through to the goal o f o ur
j ourney so closely knit by the ties o f devotion which
ghting and struggling fo r o ur very lives entailed that
w e have ever preserved for o n e a n other the warmest
feelings o f friendship The other group under Colonel
k
u
o
ff
perished
He
met
a
big
detachment
o
f
Red
J
cavalry and was de feated by them i n tw o ghts O nly
two o fcers escaped They related to me this sad news
and the details o f the ghts when we met four months
later in Urga
O ur band of e i ghteen r i ders w i th ve packhorses
moved up the valley o f the Buret Hei We o un d e r e d
in the swamps passed innumerable miry streams were
frozen by the cold winds and were soaked through by
the snow and sleet ; but we persisted indefatigably toward
the south end o f Kosogol A S a guide o ur Tartar led
u s condently over these tra i ls well marked by the feet
o f m any cattle be i ng r un out o f U r ianhai to Mongolia
.

CHAPTE R X I I
IN

T HE

COU N TRY OF

HE

T E R NAL P E A C E

inhabitants o f U ri anhai the S oyots are proud

o f being the genuine Buddhists and o f retaining t he
pure doctrine o f holy Rama and the deep wisdom o f
They are the eternal enemies o f war and
S akk ia Mouni
Away back in the thirteenth
o f the shedding o f blood
century they pre ferred to m ove o ut from thei r native
land and take refuge in the north rather than ght o r
become a part o f the empire o f the bloody conqueror
i
n
Khan
who
wanted
to
add
to
his
forces
these
e
h
z
J g
wonderful horsem en and skilled archers Three times in
t heir history they have thus trekked northward to avoid
struggle and now no o n e can say that on the hands o f
the S oyots there has ever been seen human blood With
the i r love o f peace they struggled against the evils o f
war E ven the severe Chinese administrators could not
apply here in this country o f peace the full measure o f
their implacable laws In the same manner the Soyots
conducted themselves when the Russian people mad with
blood and crime brought this infection into their land
They avoided persistently meetings and encounters with
the Red troops and Partisans trekking o ff with their
families and cattle southward into the distant principali
ties o f K e m c hik and S o ld jak The eastern branch of
t h i s stream o f emigration passed through the valley o f

62

BEAS TS

54

M EN

GO D S

AN D

help ; n o m ore did our sh o u ti ng and threat s He

only stood with his head down and looked so exhausted
that we reali z ed he had reached the further bourne of
his land o f toil Some S oyots with us examined him
fel t of his muscles o n the fore a n d hind legs took his
head in thei r hands and m oved it from side to side
e x a mi ned his head care fully after that and then said :

That horse will not go further His brain i s dried

out
So we had to leave him
T hat even i ng w e came to a beauti ful change i n scene
w hen w e t opped a rise and fo und ourselves on a broad
plateau covered with larch O n it we discovered the
r tas o f some Soyot hunters covered with bark i nstead
u
y
of the usual felt Out o f these ten men with ries
rushed toward us as we approached They informed us
that the Prince o f S o ld jak did not allow anyone to pass
this way as he feared the coming o f m urderers and
robbers into his dominions

they
G o back to the place from which you came
a dvised us with fear i n thei r eyes
I d i d not answer but I stopped the begi nnings o f a
quarrel between an o ld S oyot and one o f my o fcers
I pointed to th e s m all stream in the valley ahead of us
and asked hi m i ts name

Oyna replied the Soyot

It is the border of the

pr i ncipality and the passage o f it i s forbidden

All right I said but yo u will allow us to warm

an d rest ourselves a little

Yes yes ! ex claimed the hosp i table Soyots and led

us i nto their t epees
On o ur w ay there I took the O pport un i ty t o hand to
the o ld Soyot a c i garette and to another a b o x o f
not

T HE

IN

m atches
S

o yo t

'

CO UNTRY O F

ETERNAL PEAC E

65

W e w ere all walking along together save one

who limped slowly in the rear and w as hold i ng
.

his hand up over his nose

Is he ill ? I asked

Yes sadly answ ered the O ld Soyot

That is m y
He ha s been losing blood from the nose fo r two
so n

d ays and is now quite weak

I stopped and called the young m an t o m e

Unbutton your outer coat I ordered bar e your

neck and chest and turn your face up as far as yo u can

I pressed the j ugular vein o n bo th S ides o f his head fo r
some minutes and said to him :

The blood will not o w from your nose any m ore

G o into your tepee and lie down fo r some time

The mysterious action o f my ngers created o n the

The old Soyot w i th f ea r
S oyots a strong impression
and reverence whispered :

Ta Lama Ta Lama ! ( G reat

In the yur ta w e were given tea while the o ld Soyo t
sat thinking deeply about something Afterwards he t ook
counsel with his companions and nally a nnounced :

The wi fe o f ou r Prince is sick in her eyes and I

think th e Pr i nce will be very glad i f I lead the T a L am a
to him He will n o t punish me fo r he ordered that no
bad people should be allowed to pass ; but tha t shoul d

not stop the good people from coming to us

Do as yo u think best I replied rather ind i fferently

A S a matter of fact I know ho w to treat eye diseases

but I would go back i f you say so

No no ! the o ld man exclaimed with fear

I shall

guide you myself

S itt i n g by the re he lighted his pipe wi th a int
.

B E AS TS

66

ANI

M EN

G O DS

wi pe d the m outhp i ec e o n his sl e ev e and o ffered it to m e

i n true native hospitality I was c o m m e il fau t and

A fterwards he o ffered h i s p i pe to each o ne
sm oked
of o ur co m pany and received fro m each a ci garett e a
li ttle tobacco o r some matches I t w a s the seal on o ur
f r i endship Soon in our y ur ta m any per sons p i led up
around us m en women children and dogs
I t wa s
i mpossible to move From a m ong th em emerged a Lam a
with shaved face and close cropped hai r dressed i n the
ow i ng red garm en t of his caste Hi s clothes and hi s
express i on were very diff erent f ro m the comm on m ass
o f dirty Soyots with the i r queues an d fe lt caps n i shed
The L a m a w a s ver y
o ff with squirrel tails on the top
ki ndly disposed towards us but l ooked ev er greedily at
I dec i ded t o ex ploit th i s
o u r gold r i ngs and watches
av i dity o f the Se rvant o f Buddha Supplyi ng hi m w i th
tea and dried bread I m ade known to hi m tha t I was
.

in need o f horses

I have a horse Wi ll you buy i t from m e h e ask e d

But I do not accept Russ i an bank notes L e t us e x

c hange something
For a long time I barga i ned w i th h im an d a t l as t f or
m y gold wedding ri ng a raincoat an d a leather saddle
bag I rece i ved a ne S oyot horse to replace o n e o f the
pack animal s we had lost and a young goa t We
spent the night here and were feasted w i th fat m ut t on
In the morning we moved o ff under th e gu i dance o f the
o ld Soyot along th e trail t hat followed the valley o f t he
Oyna free from both mountains and swam ps Bu t w e
knew that the mounts o f m y friend and m yself toge ther
with three others were too worn down to m ak e K osogo l
and d e termi ned to t ry to buy others i n S oldjak Soon
.

T HE

IN

CO UN

E
L
F
E
T
RNA
Y
O
PR

PEACE

67

b egan to m e e t l ittl e g ro ups of Soyo t yur tas w i th the i r

cattle and horses round about F i nally w e approached
the shi fting capital of the Pr i nce Our g uide rode o n
ahead fo r the parley with him after assuring us that the
P r i nce would be glad to welcome the Ta Lama though
a t the ti m e I remarked gr eat anxiety and fear i n h i s
features as he spoke Before long w e e merged o n to a
l arge pla i n w ell covered w i th small bushes D own by
the shore o f the r i ver w e m ade o ut b i g yur tas with
y ellow and blue ags oating over them and eas i ly
guessed that this was the seat o f government S oon o ur
gu i de returned to us His face w a s wreathed w i th s m iles
H e ourished his hands and cried :

Noyon ( the P rince ) asks you to com e ! H e is very

glad !
Fro m a w arr i or I w as forced to change mysel f i nto
A s w e approached the yur ta o f the Prince
a d i plomat
w e were m e t by two o ffi cials wearing the peaked Mongol
caps w i th pea cock feathers r am p an t: behind W ith low

obei sances they begged the foreign Noyon to enter the

u
r
t
a
My
friend
the
Tartar
and
I
entered
In
t
h
e
y
r i ch yur ta draped with expensive silk we discovered a
feeble w i zen faced little o ld man with shaven face and
cropped hair wear i ng als o a high pointed beaver cap
w i th red silk apex t opped o ff with a dark red button
w i th the long peacock feathers streaming o ut behind
On hi s nose were big Chinese spectacles He was sitting
o n a low divan nervously clicking the beads o f his rosary
This was Ta Lam a Prince o f S o ldjak and High P riest
o f the Buddhist Temple
He welcomed us very cordially
and invited us to sit down be fore the re burning i n
the copper braz i er H is surpri singly beauti ful Pri nc e s s
we

BEAS TS

68

MEN AND G O D S

erve d us w i th t ea and Ch i ne se con f ec tion s and c ake s

We smok e d o ur pipes though the Prince as a Lama did
not i ndulge fullling however his duty as a host by
rais i n g to h i s lips the pipes w e o ffered him and handin g
us i n re t urn the green nephr i te bottle of snu ff T hus
with the e tiquette accomplished we awaited the word s
o f the Pr i nce
He i nquired whether o ur travels had been
felicitous and wha t were o ur further plans I talked
w i th him qu i te frankly and requested his hosp i tality fo r
the res t o f o ur company and fo r the horses He agree d
i mmediately and ordered four y m tas se t up for us

I hear that the foreign N oyon the P r i nce sa id is

a g ood doctor

Yes I k now s ome d i seases and have w ith m e so m e

m ed i cines I answered but I a m no t a d oct or I am

a sc i ent i st i n o ther branches

But the P rince did no t unders t an d th i s In h i s s im ple
direc t ness a m an w h o knows ho w to t rea t d i sease i s a
doc t or

M y w i f e h a s had constan t trouble f or tw o m onths

wi th her eyes he announced

Help her
I ask d the P rincess to show me her eyes and I found
the typical conj unct i vit i s from the continual smoke o f
th e yur ta and the general uncleanliness The Tartar
brought m e my m edic i ne case I washed her eyes with
boric acid and dropped a l i ttle coca i ne an d a f eeb l e solu
ti on o f sulphurate o f z i nc i nt o them

I b eg yo u to cure m e pleaded the P r i ncess

Do
no t go away un ti l you have cured m e We shall give
y ou sheep mi lk and our for all your com pany I weep
n o w very often because I had very n i ce eyes and m y

T HE

IN

CO UNTRY O F E TE RNAL

PE ACE

69

hu sband u sed to te ll m e they sh o ne li ke the stars and

now they are red I cannot bear i t I cannot !

She very capr i ciously stam ped her foot and coque t
tishly s mi l i ng at me asked :

D o you want t o cure m e ? Yes i

T he character and manners o f love ly w o man are the
sa m e everywhere : o n bright Broadway along the s ta t ely
Tham es o n the v i vacious boulevards o f gay Pari s and
in the s i lk draped y mta o f the So y o t Princess beh i nd th e
larch covered T a nnu Ola

I shall ce rtainl y t ry assur i ngly answ ere d the ne w

o culist
W e spent here t en days surrounded by the ki ndness
and friendsh i p o f the whole family o f the Prince The
eyes o f the P r i nce ss whi ch eight years ago had seduced
S he
the already o ld P ri nce Lama were now recovered
w as be s i d e hersel f wi th j oy and seldo m le ft her looking
glass
The P ri nc e gave m e ve fa i rly good horses t en Sheep
and a bag o f our which was immed i ately t rans form ed
i nto dry bread My friend presented h i m w i th a Roma
n o ff v e hundred rouble note with a picture o f P
er
the
et
Grea t upon i t while I g ave to him a small nugget o f gold
w h i ch I had p i cke d up i n the be d o f a stream The
P r i nce o r d ered o ne o f the Soyot s t o gu i d e us t o the
Kosogol T he who l e fami ly o f the P rince conducted us

t o the m onast ery ten ki lometres f ro m the cap i tal W e

d id no t vi s it the m onaste ry but we s t opped at the

D ug un a Ch i nese t rad i n g es t abl i sh m ent

The Ch i nese
m erchants looked a t us i n a very host i le m anner though
they s imultaneousl y offered us all sor t s o f goods th i nk
ing espec i al l y t o catch u s w i th the i r round bottles
,

BEAS TS

7o

MEN AND GO D S

o f m ayg olo or s w eet brandy m a d e f ro m an i

seed As we had ne i ther lump silver nor Chinese dollars
we could only look with longing at these attractive bottles
till the Prince came to the rescue and ordere d the Chinese
t o put ve of the m i n o ur saddle bag s
l
a
h
n
o
n
)
(

BEAS TS

2
7

M EN

AN D

GO D S

se t i n grea t banks o f the whit e m ant l e th at g lea m e d

bright under the clear sunshine T hese were the eastern
and highest bran ches o f the T ann u Ola syste m We
spent the night beneath this wood and began the passage
At noon the guide began leading
o f it in the morning
us by zi g zags in and o ut bu t everywhere o ur trail was
blocked by deep rav i nes g reat j ams o f fallen trees and
walls o f rock caught in thei r mad toboggan i ng s f ro m
the m ountain to p We struggled fo r several hours wor e
all o f a sudden turned up a t the
o ut our horses and
place where we had m ade o ur last halt I t was v ery
eviden t o ur Soyo t had los t his wa y ; and o n h i s face I
noticed m arked fear

The o ld dev i ls o f the cursed f orest: w i ll n ot allow

us to pa ss he w h i spered with trembling lips

It i s a
very ominous s i gn W e m us t return t o Kha rg a t o the

Noyon
But I threatene d h im and he t oo k the lead a ga i n ev i
Fo rt u
d e ntly without hope o r e ff ort t o n d the w ay
na te ly o n e o f o u r party an U ri anhai hu n ter noticed the
blazes o n the trees the s i gns o f the road wh i ch o ur gui de
had lost Follow ing these , we m ade o ur way through
the woo d cam e i nt o and crossed a belt o f burn e d l arch
t i mbe r and beyond th i s dipped aga in i nt o a s m all li ve
fores t bo rder i ng the bottom o f the mountai ns c rowned
wi th the eternal sn ows It grew dark so tha t we had
to camp for the night T he wind rose high and carr i ed
i n i ts grasp a grea t white sheet o f snow tha t shu t us
o ff from the horizon on every side and bur i ed our camp
deep i n i ts folds O u r horses stood round like white
ghosts refus i ng t o eat o r t o leave the c i rcle round o ur
re The w i nd c o m bed their m anes and tai ls Through
.

MYS TERIE S

MIRACLE S

N EW

FI GH T

73

the n i ches i n the m ountains it r o ared and wh i stled

Fr om somewhere in the distance came the low rumble
o f a pack o f wolves punctuated at i ntervals by the sharp
i ndi vidua l barking that a favorable gus t of w i nd thre w
up i nto high staccato
A s we lay by the re the Soyo t ca m e over t o m e and

sai d :
N oyon come with me to the 0 170 I wan t to

show yo u som ething

W e went there an d began t o ascend the m ounta i n
At the botto m o f a very steep slope w a s laid up a large
pile o f stones and tree trunks m aking a cone o f some
three metres in he i ght These o b o are the Lamaite sacred
signs se t up at dangerous places the altars to the bad
demons rulers o f these places Passing S oyots and
Mongols pay tribute to the spirits b y hanging o n the
branches o f the trees i n the o b o ha ty k long streamers
shreds torn from the lining o f their coats
o f blue silk
manes ;
o r simply tufts o f hair cut from their horses
o r by placing o n the stones lumps o f m eat o r cups o f
tea and salt

Look at i t sa i d the Soyot

The ha tyks are t orn
The dem on s are ang r y they will not allow us to
o ff
pass N oy on
H e caught m y hand and w i th S uppl i cati ng vo i ce whis

pered : Let us go back Noyon ; let us ! The demons

d o n o t w i sh us to pass their mountains
For twenty
ye ar s no o ne has dared to pass these m ountains and all
b o ld men who have tried have perished here T he demons
fell upon them w i th snowstorm and col d Look ! I t i s
G o back to o ur Noyon wa i t f or
be gi nni ng already
the wa rm er days and then
I d id no t listen f urther to the Soyot but turned back
.

BEAS TS

74

GO DS

AN D

M EN

to the re wh i ch I could hardly see through the bl ind

ing snow Fearing o ur guide might run away I ordered
a sentry to be station e d for the night to watch hi m Later
i n the night I was awakened by the sentry who said to

me : Maybe I a m mistaken but I think I heard a rie

What could I say to it ? Maybe some stragglers like
ourselves were giving a sign o f their whereabouts to
thei r lost companions o r perhaps the sentry had m is
ta ken for a ri e shot the sound o f some falling rock o r
frozen i ce and snow S oon I fell asleep again and sud
O ut o n the
d e n ly saw in a dream a very clear vision
plain blanketed deep with snow w a s mov i ng a line o f
riders They were our pack horses our Kalmuck and
the funny pied horse with the Roman nose I s aw us
descending from this snowy plateau i nto a fold in the
mountains Here some larch trees were growing close
to which gurgled a small open brook Afterwards I
noti ced a re burn i ng among the trees and then woke
up
It grew light I shook up the others and asked the m
to prepare quickly so as not to lose t i me i n getting under
way The storm was raging The snow blinded us and
blotted out all traces o f the road The cold also became
more i ntense At last we were i n the saddles The
S oyo t went ahead trying to make o ut the trail
As we
worked higher the guide less seldom lost the way F re
quently we fell into deep holes covered with snow ; we
scrambled up over slippery rocks A t last the S oyot
swung his horse round and coming up to me announced

very pos i tively : I do n o t want to d i e w i th yo u and I

w i ll not go further
My rst m otion was the swing of my wh i p back over
,

MYS TERIE S

my head

MIRA CLE S

NE

W FI GH T

75

I was s o close to the Prom ised Land of

Mongolia that this S oyot standing in the way of full
ment of my wishes seemed to me my worst enemy But
I lowered my ourishing hand Into my head ashed
a quite wild thought

Listen I said
I f yo u move your horses y o u will
receive a bullet in the back and you will perish not at
the top o f the mountain but at the bottom And now
I will tell you what will happen to us When we shall
have reached these rocks above the wind will have ceased
and the snowstorm will have subsided T he sun will
shine as we cross the snowy plain above and afterwards
we shall descend into a small valley where there are
larches growing a n d a strea m o f open running water

There w e shall light our res and sp e nd the night

The S oyot began to tremble with fright

Noyo n has already passed these mountain s o f D ark

?
l
hat O a he asked i n amazement

No I answered but last night I had a vision and

I know that we shall fortunately win over this ridge

I will gu ide you ! exclaimed the S oyot and whip

ping his horse led the w ay up the steep slope to the
top o f the r i dge o f eternal snows
As we were passing along the narrow edge o f a
precipice the S oyot stopped and attentively examined
the trail

Today many shod horses have passed here ! he cried

thro ugh the roar o f the storm

Yonder on the snow
the lash o f a whip has been dragged These are not

S oyots
T he solution o f this eni g m a appeared instantly
A
v olley rang out O n e o f my companions cried o ut as
.

BEAS TS

76

AN D

M EN

GO D S

caught hold o f h i s r i ght should e r ; one p ack ho rs e f ell

dead with a bullet behind his ear We quickly tumbled
o ut o f o u r saddles lay down behind the rocks and began
to study the situation
We were separated from a
parallel spur o f the m ountain by a small valley about one
thousand paces across There we m ade o ut about thi rty
riders already dismounted and r i ng at us I had never
allowed any ghting to be done until the i niti ative had
been taken by the other side Our enemy fell upo n us
unaware s and I ordered my company to answe r

A i m at the horses ! cr i ed Colonel Ostrovs ky T hen

he ordered the Ta rtar and Soyot to th r ow o ur o w n
animals We killed six o f theirs and probably wounded
others as they got out o f control . A ls o o ur r i es took
t oll o f any bold man who showed h i s head from beh i nd
his rock We heard the angry shouting and maled i ctions
o f Red sold i ers who shot up o ur po s iti on m ore and m ore
an im atedly
Suddenly I saw o ur Soyot ki ck up three o f the horse s
and spring i nto the s addle o f o n e with the others in leash
behi nd Behind him sprang up the Tart ar and the K al
m uck I had already drawn m y rie o n the Soyot but
as soon as I saw th e T ar tar and K ahn uck o n the i r lovely
horses behind h i m I dropped m y g un and knew all was
w ell T he Reds let o ff a volley at the tr i o but they m ade
go o d the i r e scape beh i nd the rocks and d i sappeared T he
ri ng conti nued m ore and more lively and I did n o t kno w
what t o do Fro m o ur side we shot rarely sav i ng o ur
cartr i dges W atch i ng care fully the enem y I noticed two
black point s o n the snow high above the Reds They
s l owly approached o ur antago ni sts and nally were hid
d en from view behind some sharp hillocks When they
he

MYS TERIES

MIRA CLE S

NEW

FI GHT

77

e m e rged fro m these they were ri gh t o n the edge o f so m e

overhanging rocks at the foot of which the Reds lay
concealed from us By this time I had no doubt that
these were the heads o f two men S uddenly these m en
rose up and I watched them ourish and throw some
thing that was followed by t w o deafening roars whi c h
Immediately a
r e echoed across the mountain valley
th i rd explosion was followed by wild shouts and dis
orderly ring among the Reds S ome o f the horse s rolled
d own the slope i nto the snow belo w and the soldiers
chased by o ur shots made o ff as fast as they could down
i nto the valley o ut o f which we had come
Afterward the Tartar told me the S oyot had proposed
to gu i de them around behind the Red s to fall upon their
rear with the bombs When I had bound up the wounded
shoulder o f the ofcer and we had taken the pack o ff
the killed a ni mal w e continued o ur j ourney Our posi
t i on w a s complicated
We had no doubt that the Red
detachment came up from Mongoli a Therefore were
the re Red troops in Mongolia ? What was thei r strengt h ?
Where m ight we meet them ? Consequently Mongolia
w a s no more the Promised Land ? Very sad thoughts
took possess i on o f us
But N ature pleased us T he w i nd graduall y fell The
s torm ceased The sun m ore and more frequently broke
through the scudding clouds W e were traveling upon
a high snow covered plateau where i n o n e place the
w i nd blew it clean and in another piled it high with
dri ft s which caught o ur horses and held them so that
they could hardly extricate themselves at times We had
to dismount and wade through the white piles up to
o ur waists and o ften a m an o r horse was down and had
,

BEAS TS

8
7

to

M EN

AN D

GO D S

b e h el p e d to h i s fee t At l as t th e d escen t began

.

an d

at sunset w e stopped i n the s m all larch g rove spent the

ni ght at the re a m on g the trees and drank the tea boiled
i n the water carr i ed fro m the open mounta i n brook In
various places we ca m e across the t rack s of our recen t
antagonist s
E veryth i n g even N a ture herse l f an d t he angry demons
o f D arkhat Ola h ad helped us : bu t we were not gay
because again before us lay the dread uncertainty that
threatened us w i th new and poss i bl y destructive dangers
,

BEAS TS

8o

MEN AND

i ng hills ch a s ed wi th l ovely b i ts

DS

GO

r i ch d ar k f ores t ry
At night we approached Khathyl w ith g reat precaution
and stoppe d on the shore o f the r i ver tha t ows fro m
Kosogol the Yaga o r E g in g o l W e found a Mongol
w ho agreed t o t ransport us t o the o t her ban k o f the
f rozen strea m and to lead us by a safe road between
Kh athyl and Muren K ure E verywhe re along the shore
o f th e r i ver w ere f ound l ar g e 0 1
20 an d s m all shr i nes to
the demons o f the stre am

Why are there so many o b o ? w e ask ed the Mong o l

It is the R i ver o f the D evi l dangerous an d crafty

replied the Mongo l

Two days ago a train o f cart s
w ent through the ice an d three o f them with ve soldie rs

were lost
W e s tart e d to c r o ss T he sur f ac e o f the ri ver
resembled a th i c k p i ece o f loo k i ng glass be i ng clear and
without sno w Our horses w al ked very c are fully bu t
some fell and o und e r e d before they cou ld regai n the i r
feet W e were leading the m by the bri dl e W ith bo wed
heads and tremblin g all ove r they kept the i r f rightened
eyes ever on the i ce a t the i r feet I l ooke d down and
understoo d the i r fear Through the cover o f o n e foo t
o f transparen t ic e o n e could clearly se e th e botto m o f the
ri ver Unde r the l ight i ng o f th e m oon all the stones
the holes and even so m e o f the g rass es were disti nc tly
v i s i ble even though the depth was t en m e t res and m or e
The Yaga rushed under the i ce with a fur i ous speed
sw i rl i ng and m ark ing its course w i th long bands o f foa m
and bubble s Suddenly I j um ped and stop ped as though
fastened to the spo t A long the surface o f the r i ver
ran the boom o f a cann o n follow e d b y a sec o n d and a
,

of

T HE

RIVE R

8f

DEVIL

O F T HE

u
i
c
k
er
qu
i
c
k
er
cr
i
e
d
r Mon go l w avi n g us f or
!
o
u
!
ward w i th his hand
Ano ther cannon boo m and a c ra ck ran r i gh t close to
The h o rses s wung back on their haunches i n pro
us
t es t reared and fell many o f them stri king the i r heads
In a s econd it opened up tw o feet
severely o n th e i ce
wi de so that I could follow i ts j agged course along the
I mm ediately up o ut o f the open i ng the w a t er
surface
spread over the i ce with a ru sh

Hurry hurry ! shouted the gu i de

Wi th great di fculty we forced o ur horses to ju m p
They
o ver this cleavage and to continue o n furt her
t rembled and disobeyed and only the strong lash forced
them to forget this pani c o f fear and go o n
When we w ere safe o n the f a rther bank and well
into the woods o ur Mongol gu i de recounted to us how
the r i ver a t times o pens i n th i s mysteri ous way and leaves
gr eat areas o f clear water All the men and animals o n
the ri ver at such times must per ish The furious current
o f cold water will always carry them down under the
i ce A t other ti mes a c rack has been known to pass
right und er a horse and where he fell in with h i s front
f ee t in the attem pt to get bac k to the other s i de the
c rac k has c losed up and ground h i s legs o r f eet r igh t
,

o ff

The valley o f K osogol i s the cra t er o f an ex t i nct

volcano Its outli nes may be followed fro m the high
west shore o f the lake However the Plutonic force
still acts and asserting the glory o f the D evil forces
the Mongols to build o b o and o ffer sacrices at his
shr i nes we spent all the ni ght an d all the nex t day
hurryi n g a w ay eas tw ar d to avo id a m ee ti ng w ith the
.

BEAS TS

82

MEN AND GO D S

Reds an d see ki ng good pas t ura g e f or our horses At

about n i ne o clock i n the evening a re shone o ut o f the
My f riend and I made toward it with the
d istance
f eeling that i t w a s surely a Mong ol yur ta beside which
we could ca m p i n safety We traveled over a m ile b e
f ore making O ut distinctly the lines o f a group o f yur tas
But nobody came o ut t o meet us and what astonished
us more we w ere not surrounded by the angry blac k
Mongol i an dogs with ery eyes Still from the d i stance
w e had seen the re and so there must be someone there
W e dismounted from o ur horses and approached o n foo t
F ro m o ut o f the y ur ta rushed two Russ i an sold i ers o n e
o f whom shot at m e with hi s pistol b ut m i ssed me and
w ounded m y horse in the back through the saddle I
brought him to earth with my Mause r and the other
We
w as killed by the butt end o f my f r i end s rie
e xam i ned the bod i es and found in their pockets the papers
o f soldiers o f the Second Squa d ron o f the Commun i s t
In terior D e fence H ere we spent the night The owners
o f the y ur tatr had evidently run away fo r the Red soldiers
had collected and packed i n sacks the prope rty o f the
Mongols P rob ably they were j ust planning to leave
as they were fully dressed We acquired t wo horses
which we found in the bushes two ries and two auto
m atic pistols with cartr i dges In the saddle bags we al so
found tea tobacco m atch es and cartr i dges all of these
valuable supplies t o help us k eep further h o ld on o ur
li ves
Two days la t er we were approach i ng the shore o f the
R i ver Uri when w e met two Russian riders w ho were
the Cossacks o f a certa in Ataman S utun in acting against
the Bolsheviki in the valley o f the R i ve r Selenga They
.

T HE

RIVER

DEVIL

O F T HE

83

were r id in g to c arry a m e ss age f ro m S utun in t o Kaig o ro

doff chie f o f the Anti Bolsheviki in the Al tai region
They informed us that along the whole Russian
Mongolian border the Bolshevik troops were scattered ;
also that Communist agita t ors had pene trated to
K ia khta Ulank om and Kobdo and had persuaded the
Chinese authorities to su rrender to the S oviet authorities
all the re fugees from Russia We knew that in the
neighb orhood o f Urga and V an Kure engagements were
taking place between the Chinese troops and the detach
m ents O f the Anti Bolshevik Russian General Baron
Ungern Sternbe rg and Colonel K az ag r a n d i w ho were
ghting fo r the independence o f O uter Mongolia Baron
Ungern had now been twice defeated so that the Chinese
were carrying on high handed i n Urga suspecting all
foreigners o f having relations with the Russian General
We realized that the whole situation was sharply r e
versed The route to the Pacic was closed Reecting
very carefully over the problem I decided that we had
but o n e possible exit left We must avoid all Mongolian
citi es with Chinese administration cross Mongolia fro m
north to south traverse the desert in the southern par t
o f the Principality o f J a ssaktu Khan enter the Gob i in
the western part o f Inner Mongolia strike as rap i dl y
as po ssible through S i xty miles o f Chinese t err i tory i n
the Province of Kansu and pen etrate i nto Tibet Here
I hoped to search o ut one o f the E nglish Consuls and
with hi s help to reach some E nglish port i n Ind i a I
understood thoroughly all the di fculties incident to such
an enterprise but I had no other choice It only re m ained
to make this last foolish attempt o r to perish without
doubt at the hands of the Bolshev iki or langu ish 1 n a
-

BE AS T S

84

AN D G O D S

M EN

Ch i nese pr i son When I anno unced m y p l an to my co m

panions without in any w ay hid i ng from the m all its
dangers and quixotism all o f them answered very qu i ckly

and shortly : Lead us ! We will fol l ow

One circu m stance w as distinctly i n our favor W e
did n o t fear hunger fo r we had so m e si1pplie s o f tea
tobacco and matches and a su r plus o f horses saddles
r i es overcoats and boots which were an excellent cur
r e n c y fo r exchange
So then w e began to i nit i ate the
plan o f the new expedit i on W e should start to the
south leaving the town o f Uliassuta i o n our ri ght and
taking the direction o f Z ag an luk then pass through the
waste lands o f the district o f Bali r of J a ssaktu Khan
cross the N aron Khuhu Gob i and strike for the moun
tains o f Boro Here w e should be able t o t ake a lon g
rest to recuperate the strength o f o ur horses and o f o ur
selves The second section o f o ur j ourney would be
the passage through the western part o f Inner Mongolia
through the Little Gobi through the lands o f the T o rg u ts
over the Khara Mountains across Kansu where o ur road
m ust be chosen to the west o f the Chinese town o f
Suchow From there we should have to enter the Dom i
nion o f K uku N o r and then work o n southward to the
head waters o f the Yangt z e River Beyond th i s I had
but a hazy notion wh i ch however I w as able to veri fy
fro m a map of Asia i n the possession o f o n e o f the
ofcers to the effect that the m ounta i n chains t o th e
w est o f the sources o f the Yangtze separated that river
system from th e basin o f the Brahmaputra in Tibe t
P rope r where I expecte d to be able to nd E ngl i sh
assistance
.

C HA P T E R

XV

MARCH OF GHOS T S

T HE

I descr i be the j ourney f ro m the

River E ro to the border o f Tibet About eleven
hundred m iles through the snow y steppe s over m oun
ta ins and across deserts we traveled in forty e i ght day s
We hid from the people as w e j ourneyed m ade shor t
stops in the most desolate places fed fo r whole weeks
o n nothing but raw
frozen meat i n o r d en/to avo i d
attracting a ttention by the smoke o f res Wheneve r
w e needed to purchase a sheep o r a steer for o ur suppl y
department w e sent o ut only tw o unarmed men w ho
represented to the natives that they were the workm en
We even feared to shoot
o f some Russian colonists
although we met a great herd o f antelopes numbering
as many as ve thousand head Behind Balir i n the lands
o f the La m a J a ssaktu Khan w ho had inh erited his throne
as a result o f the po i soning of his brother a t Urga b y
order o f the L i ving Buddha w e m e t wander i ng Russian
Tartars who had dr i ven thei r herds all the w ay fro m
Alta i and Abakan They welcomed us ve ry cordially
gave us oxen and thir ty six bricks o f t ea Als o they
saved us from inevitable destruction for they told us
that at this season it was utterly i mpo ssible fo r h orse s
to mak e the t rip across the Gobi where there was no
grass at all We m ust buy camels by e xchanging for

no

oth e r w ay

can

85

BEAS TS

86

MEN AN D GO D S

h o rs es and so m e o ther of o u r b ar t er i ng sup

plies O n e o f the Tartars the ne xt day brought to their
camp a rich Mongol with whom he drove the bargain
for this trade He gave us nineteen camels and took al l
o ur ho r ses
o n e rie
o n e pistol and the best Cossack
saddle He advised us by all mean s to visit the sacred
Monastery o f N a r ab an chi the last L a m aite monaster y
o n the road from Mongolia to Tibet
He told us that

the Holy Hutuktu the Incarnate Buddha would be

greatly o ffended i f we did not visit the monastery and

h i s famous Shrine o f Blessings where all travelers

going t o T ibet always offered prayers Our Kalmuck
Lamaite supported the Mongol in this I dec i ded t o go
there w i th the Kalmuck The Tartars gave me some big
s i lk ha tyk as presents an d loaned u s fou r splendid horses
Although the monastery was fty ve miles distant by
nine o clock i n the evening I entered the y ur ta of this
holy Hutuktu
He was a mi ddle aged clean shaven spare little man
l aboring under the name o f J e lyb D jam srap Hutuktu
He rece i ved us very cordially and was greatly pleased
with the presentation of the ha ty le and with my knowl
edge o f th e Mongol eti quette in which m y Tartar had
been long and persistently instructing me He listened
t o m e m ost attentively and gave valuable adv i ce about the
road present i ng m e then with a r i ng which has since
o pened for m e the doors o f all Lamaite monasteries The
name o f th i s Hutuktu i s highly estee m ed not only i n all
Mongol i a but i n T i bet and i n the Lamaite world o f
Ch i na We spent the night i n his splendid y ur ta an d
o n the f ollowing morning vis i ted the shrines where they
w ere conducti ng very sole m n serv i ces w i th the m us i c

the m

o ur

B E AS TS

88

AN D

M EN

GO

DS

change d o ur r oc kin g ch ai r s tee d s fo r horses a d ea l in

whi c h the T o rg uts skinne d us badly lik e the t rue o ld

clothes m en they a re
Ski rt i ng around these m ount a i ns we ent ered K ansu
I t was a d a n g erous move for the Chinese were arresti ng
all re f ugees and I feared fo r my Russianfellow travelers
D uri ng the d ays we h i d i n the rav i nes the forests and
bushes m aki ng f orced m arches at n i ght Four days we
thus used i n th i s pass age of Kans u The few Chinese
pea s ant s we d i d encounter were peaceful appear ing an d
m os t hospitable A m arked sym pathetic interes t sur
rounded the K alm uck who could speak a b i t o f Chinese
E verywhere we found m any
a nd m y bo x o f m edicines
i ll people ch i ey aficted w i th eye t roubles rheum atis m
and sk in diseases
A s w e were approaching N an Shan the northeas t
b ranch o f the Altyn Tag ( wh i ch i s i n turn the east
branch o f the P amir and K ar akho rum system ) w e over
hauled a large caravan o f Ch i nese m erchants going t o
T ibet and j oined th e m Fo r three days w e were w i nd
i ng through t he endles s r avm e like valleys o f these m oun
ta i ns and ascendi ng the high passes But we noticed
that the Ch i nese knew how to pick the eas i est routes
fo r caravans over all thes e dif cult places
In a s ta t e of
se mi consc i ousness I m ade this who l e journey toward the
l arge group o f swam py l akes feed i ng the Koko N o r
and a whole ne twork o f large r i vers Fro m f ati g ue and
con stant nervous stra i n probably helped by the blow
o n my head
I began su ffer i n g from sharp attacks o f
chills and fever burning up at ti m es and then chatter
i ng so with m y t eeth that I fr i ghtened m y horse w ho
several times thre w m e f ro m the saddle I raved cr i ed
-

THE MARCH

OF

GHO S TS

89

o u t a t t im es and even wep t I call e d my f ami ly and

i nstructed theui ho w they mus t co m e to m e I remember
as though through a drea m how I was t aken f ro m the
horse by m y companions laid o n the groun d supplied
wi th Chinese brandy and when I recovered a little how
they said to me :

The Chinese merchants are head i n g f or the we st and

w e m ust travel south

N o ! To the north
I repl i e d very sharply

Bu t no t o the south my compan i ons assured m e

I angrily e j aculated we have

G o d and the D e vi l !

just swum the L i ttle Yen i se i and A lgyak i s to the north !

We are i n Tibet
remonstrated my co m panions
.

We must reach the B rahmaputra

Brahmaputra
Brahmaputra
Th i s word r e
vo lved in my ery brain m ade a terr i ble no i se and
com m otion
S uddenly I remembered everyth i ng and
opened my eyes I hardly moved m y lips and soon I
aga i n lost consci ousness My co m pan i ons brought me
to the m onastery o f S ha rkhe where the L ama doct or
qu i ckly brought m e round with a soluti on o f fa til o r
Ch i nese gi nseng In discussing o ur plans he ex pressed
grave doubt as to whether w e would get thr o ugh Tibet
but he d i d n o t wi sh t o expl a i n t o m e the reason fo r h i s
doub t s
.

CHAPTE R XVI
I N MYSTE RI OUS TIB E T
FAIR LY b r o a d roa d led out fr o m S harkhe through
the mountains and on the fth day o f o ur two weeks
m arch to the south from the monastery we emerged
into the great bowl o f the mountains in whose center
lay the large lake of Koko Nor I f Finland deserves

the ordinary title o f the Land o f Ten Thousand Lakes

the dominion o f Koko N or may certa inly with j ustice

be called the Country o f a M illion Lakes We skirted

this lake o n the west be t w een it and Doulan Kitt zig
zagging between the numerous swamps lakes and small
rivers deep and miry The water was not here covered
with ice and only o n the tops o f the mountains did we
feel the cold winds sharply We rarely met the native s
o f the country and only with greatest di fculty did our
Kal m uck learn the course o f the road from the occasional
shepherds we passed From the eastern shore o f the
Lake o f T a sso un we worked round to a monastery o n
the further side where w e stopped fo r a short rest B e
sides ourselves there was also a n other group o f guests
i n the holy place These were Tibetans Their behavior
was very impertinent and they refused to S peak with
us They were all armed chiey with the Russian
military ries and were draped with crossed bandoliers
o f cartr i d g es w i th t wo o r three p i s t ols s t owed beneath

90

BEAS TS

92

i ng sp att er e d

M EN

AN D

GO D S

with a h ai l o f bul l e t s T wo o f our

offi cers fell with a cr y O n e had been instantly killed
us

while the other lived some few minutes I did not a llow
m y m en to shoot but instead I raised a white ag and
start ed forward with the Kalm uck for a parley At
rst they red two shots at us but then ceased r i ng
and sent down a group o f riders from the r i dge toward
We began the parley The Tibetans explained that
us
H am shan is a holy mo u nta i n and th at here o n e m ust not
pend the night ad vi sing us to proceed fa r ther where
They inquired
w e could consider ourselves i n safety
f rom us whence w e cam e and whither w e were go i ng
s tated i n answer t o o ur i nformation about the purpose
o f our j ourney that they knew the Bolsheviki and c o n
sid e r e d them the liberators o f the people o f Asia fro m
the yoke o f the white race I certainly did not want to
begin a political quarrel with them and so turne d back
Ridi ng down the S lope toward our
to o u r companions
cam p I waited momentarily for a shot i n the back bu t
the Tibetan hung hu tz e did not shoo t
We moved forward leaving among the s tones the
bodies o f two of o ur companions as sad tribute t o the
di f culties an d d angers o f our j ourney We rode all
n i ght with o ur exhausted horses constantly s t opp i ng and
s ome ly i n g down u nder us
but w e forced the m ever
onward A t l ast when the sun was a t i ts zenith w e
nally halted Withou t unsaddling o ur horses w e gav e
them an opportunity t o lie down for a little rest B e
fore us lay a broad swampy pla in where was evidently
the sources o f the r i ver Ma chu Not far beyond lay
the Lake o f A r o un g N or We made o ur re o f cattle
dung and began boiling water for o ur t ea Aga i n with
.

IN MYS TERIO US TIBET

bulle t s c am e rain i n g i n f r om all

sides Immediately we took cover behind convenient
rock s and waited developments
The ring became
f aster and closer the raiders appeared o n the whole circle
round us and the bullets came ever in increasing numbers
We had fallen into a trap and had no hop e but to pe rish
We reali z ed this clearly I tried anew to begin the
parley ; but when I stood up with my white ag the
answer was only a thicker rain o f bullets and un fo rt u
n ate ly o n e o f these ricocheting o ff a rock struck me in
the le ft leg and lodged there At the same mo m ent
ano ther o n e o f o ur company w a s killed We had no
other choice and were forced to begin gh t ing The
struggle continued fo r about two hours Besides mysel f
three others received slight wounds W e resisted as
long as w e could The hung hutz e approached an d o ur
situat i on became desperate

There s no choice said o n e of my associa tes a very

ex pert Colonel
W e m ust m ount an d ride fo r i t

anywhere

Anywhere
t was a terr i ble word ! W e c on
sulte d for but an i nstant
It w as apparent that with
this band o f cut throats behind us the farther we went
i nto T ibet the less chance w e had o f saving o ur lives
We decided to return to Mongolia But how ? That
we did not know And thus we began o u r retreat F i r
i ng all the time we t rotted o ur horses as fast as w e
could toward the north O n e after another three o f
m y companions fell There lay my Tartar with a bull e t
through his neck A fter him two young and ne stalwart
ofcers were carried from the i r saddles with cri es o f
death while their scared horses broke o ut acros s the
o ut any

w arn ing

93

the

BEAS TS

94

MEN AND GO D S

pla i n i n wild f ear pe r f ec t p i c tur e s of our di s t raugh t

selves This emboldened the Tibetans who became more
and more audacious A bullet struck the buckle o n the
ankle strap o f my right foot and carried it with a piece
o f leather and cloth
into my leg j ust above the ankle
My O ld and much tried friend the agronome cr i ed o ut
as he grasped his shoulder and then I saw him wiping
and banda ging as best as he could his bleeding forehead
A second afterward o ur Kalmuck w as hit twice right
through the palm o f the same hand so that i t was entirely
shattered J ust at this moment fteen o f the hung hu tz e
rushed against us in a charge

S hoot at the m w i th volle y re ! co mm anded o ur

Colonel
Six robber bod i es lay o n the t ur f while two others
o f the gang were unhorsed and ran scampering as fast
as they could after their retreating fellows
S everal
mi nutes later the re of o ur antagonists ceased and they
Two riders came forward toward
ra i sed a white ag
us In the parley it developed that their ch i e f had been
wounded through the chest and they came to ask us

t o render rst ai d
At once I saw a ray o f hope I
took my b o x o f m edicines and my groan i ng curs i ng
wounded Kalmuck to interpret fo r me

G i ve that devil some cyan i de o f po t ass i um urged

m y companions
But I dev i sed another schem e
W e were led to the wounded chief There h e lay
on the saddle clo ths among the rocks represented to
us to be a Tibetan but I at once recognized him from his
cast o f count enance to be a S art o r Turcoman probably
fro m the southe rn part of Turkestan H e looked at me
,

B E AS TS

6
9

M EN

AN D

GO D S

wo rd s I s ol e mn ly dre w fo rth and rai se d abov e the i r head s

th e ring o f H u tu kt u N a rab an chi
I returned to m y companions and calmed them I t ol d
them we were safe against further attack from the r o b
b e rs and tha t we m ust o n ly guess the w ay to reach M o n
golia Our horses were so e xhaus t ed and thi n tha t on
the i r bone s we co uld have hung o ur overcoats We spen t
two days here during whi ch tim e I frequently v i s i ted
my pat i ent It also gave us opport uni ty to bandage o ur
o w n fortunately light wounds and t o se c ure a little rest ;
though unfo rt unately I had nothing but a j ackkni fe with
w h i ch to dig the b ullet o ut o f my lef t cal f and the shoe
m aker s accessori es from my right ankle Inqu i r i ng from
the br i gands about the caravan roads w e soon m ade
o ur way o ut t o o n e o f the m ai n routes and had the good
f ortune t o m ee t there the caravan o f the y oung Mongo l
Pr i nce Po unz ig w ho was o n a ho ly mi ss i on ca rrying
a m essage fro m the Liv i ng Buddha i n Urga t o the Dalai
La m a i n Lh as a He h e lped us to purchase horses
ca m els and food
Wi th all o ur arm s an d suppl i es spe nt i n bart er duri ng
the j ourney for the purchase o f transport and food we
r e t urned stri pped and broken to the N a r ab an c hi M o n
a ste ry where we were welco m ed by the H utu kt u

I kn ew you would c ome ba ck sa i d he

The di v i n

a tio n s revea l ed i t all to m e

With si x o f o ur little band l e f t be hi nd us i n Ti be t t o
a
n
t
he
eternal
toll
of
d
sh
for
t
he
south
we
re
t
ur
ed
o
r
a
u
p y
but t welve to the Monastery an d waited there tw o weeks
t o r e adj ust ourselves and learn how even t s would aga i n
se t us aoa t o n th i s turbulent sea to steer for an y po rt
th a t D est i ny might i nd i cat e The o ffi cers enl i st ed i n the
.

IN

MYS TE RI O US TIB E T

97

d e tachm ent wh i ch was then bein g fo rm e d in M o ngoli a t o

ght aga i nst the destroyers of thei r native l and the Bol
My ori gi nal compan i on and I prepared to con
she vik i
,

j ourney over Mongolian plains with whatever

further adventures and dan gers m i gh t co m e i n the
struggle to escape to a place o f safety
And now with the scenes o f tha t t ry i ng ma rch so viv
i dl y recalled I would dedicate the se chapters to my g i
i
O
ld
and
ruggedly
trie
d
fr
i
end
the
a
ronome
a
n
t
c
t
o
g
g
m y Russ i an fellow travelers and espec i ally to the sacred
m emory o f those o f o ur companions whose bo dies l i e
cradled in the sleep am ong the m oun ta i ns o f Ti bet Col
o n e l Os t rovs ky Capta i ns Zub o ff and Turo ff L ieu t enan t
P isa r je vsky Cossac k Ve rn ig o r a and Tartar M aho m ed
Sp i r i n A lso h ere I ex press m y deep t hanks for help and
friendsh i p to the P rince o f S o ld jak Hereditary N oyon
T a Lam a and to the Kampo Gelong o f N a rab an chi M o n
a st e ry the honorable J e lyb D jam srap Hut uktu
t inue o ur

P art I I
T H E LA N D OF D E M O N S

CHAPT E R XVII
MY S TE RI O

M O N GOLIA

US

N the hea rt o f Asia lies the enorm ous my ster i ous and
,

ri ch country o f Mongolia From somewhere o n the

snowy slopes o f the Tian S han and from the hot sands
o f Western Zungaria to the ti mbered ridges o f the S ayan
and to the G reat Wall o f China i t stretches over a huge
portion of Central Asia The cradle o f peoples his
tories and legends ; the nati ve land o f bloody conquerors
who have left here thei r capitals covered by the sand o f
the Gobi their mysterious rings and thei r ancient nomad
laws ; the states o f monks and evil devils the country o f
wandering tribes adm inistered by the descendants o f
hi
e
n
z
Khan
and
Kublai
Khan
Khans
and
Princes
f
o
J g
the Junior li nes : that is Mongolia
Myster i ous country o f the cults o f Rama S akkia
Mouni D jo nkapa and P a spa cults guarded by the very
f
o
erson
the living Buddha Buddha incarnated in the
p
third dign i tary o f the Lamaite religion Bogdo G he g he n
in Ta Kure o r Urga ; the land of myster i ous doc tors
.

101

BEAS TS

1 02

MEN AND G O D S

prophets sorcere r s fo rtune t el l ers an d w itch e s ; the land

o f the S ign o f th e swastika ; the land which has not for
gotten the thoughts o f the long deceased great potentates
o f Asia and o f hal f o f E urope : that is Mongolia
The land o f nude mountains o f plains burned by the
sun and killed by the cold o f ill cattle and ill people ; the
nest o f pests anthrax and smallpox ; the land of boiling
ho t springs and o f mountain passes i nhabited by demons ;
o f sacred lakes swarming with sh ; o f wolves rare spe
cies o f deer and mountain goats marmots in millions
w i ld horses wild do nkeys and wild camels that have
never known the bridle ferocious dogs and rapacious
bi rds of p rey which devour the dead bodies cast o ut on the
plains by the people : that is Mongol i a
The land whose disappearing primiti ve people gaze
upon the bones o f their forefathers whitening i n the
sands and dust o f thei r plains ; where are dy i ng out the
people w ho formerly conquered China S iam Northern
India and Russia and broke their chests against the i ron
lances o f the Polish knights de fending then all the Chris
tian world against the invasion o f wild and wandering
A s i a : that i s Mongolia
The lan d sw e llin g with natural riches produc i ng noth
ing i n need o f everything destitute and su ff ering fro m
the world s cataclysm : that is Mongolia
In this land by order o f Fate after my unsuccess fu l
attempt to reach the Indian Ocean through Tibet I spent
hal f a year in the struggle to live and to escape My o ld
and faith ful friend and I were compelled willy n illy to
partic i pate in the exceedingly important and dangerous
events transpiring in Mongolia in the year o f grace 1 9 2 1
Thanks to this I ca m e t o kn ow the cal m good and honest
-

BEAS TS

1 04

M EN

GO DS

AN D

A fter return i ng f ro m the distr i ct o f Ko ko N or t o

Mongolia and rest i n g a few day s at the N ar ab anc hi Mon
we went to live i n Uliassuta i the cap i tal o f
a ste r y
W e stern Outer Mongol i a It is the last purely Mongolian
t own to the wes t In M ongolia there are but three purely
Mongolian t owns Urga Uliassuta i and Ulankom The
fourth town Kobdo has an essentially Chinese ch ar ac ter
be i ng the cen ter o f Chinese administration i n this distric t
i nhabited by the wandering tribes o nly nominally recog
I n Uli
n iz in g the i nuence o f either Peking o r Urga
a ssuta i an d Ulankom besides the unla w ful Chines e c o m
mi ssioners and t roops there were stati oned Mongolian

governors o r S ai ts appo i nted by the decre e o f the

Li v i ng Buddh a
When we arri ved i n that town we wer e a t on c e in the
The Mongols were protest i ng
se a o f political pass i on s
i n great agitation against the Chinese policy i n the i r
,

country ; the Chinese raged and demanded from the Mon

i
l
n
o
a
s
the
pay
m
ent
o
taxes
f
o
the
full
period
s
i
nc
e
f
r
g
the autonomy of Mongolia had been forci bly e x tracted
f ro m Peking ; Russian colonists w ho had y ears be fore
s ettled near the town and i n the v i c i ni ty o f the great
m onasteries o r among the wander i ng tribes had separated
into factions and were ghti ng against o n e another ; from
Urga came th e news o f the struggle for the maintena nce
o f the independence o f Outer Mongolia le d by the Rus
si an General Baron Ungern vo n Sternberg ; Russian
o ffi cers and re fu ees congregated i n detach m ents aga i ns t
g
wh i ch the Chinese authorities prot ested but which the
Mongols welcom ed ; the Bolshevik i worr i ed by the fo r
m ation o f Wh i te detachments i n Mongolia sent the i r
t ro o ps t o the border s o f M ongol i a ; f ro m Irku t sk and
,

MYS TERIO US M O NGO LIA

I os

Chita t o Uli assut ai and Ur ga envoy s were runn i ng fr om

t he Bols heviki to the Chinese commissione rs with various
proposals o f all kinds ; the Chinese authorities in M o n
goli a were gradually entering i nto s ecret relations with
the Bolsheviki and in K iakhta and Ulankom delivered
to the m the Russian refugees thus vi olati ng recogni zed
international la w ; in Urga the Bolshevik i se t up a Rus
sian com m unistic m unic i pality ; Russian Consuls were in
acti ve ; Red troops in the region o f Kosogol and the val
ley o f the S ele nga had encounters with A nti Bolshevik
offi cers ; the Chinese authorities established garrisons i n
the Mongolian towns and sent punitive expeditions i nto
the country ; an d to complete the con fusion the Ch i nese
troops carried out house to house searches during which
they plundered and stole
Into what an atmosphere w e h ad fallen after o ur hard
and dangerous t rip along the Yenisei through U r ianhai
Mongolia the lands of the T urg uts Kansu and Koko
N or l

D o you know sai d my o ld f r i end to m e I prefer

st rangling Part i sans and ght i ng with the hun hutz e to
g

listen i ng to news and m ore anxious news !

He was righ t ; f or the worst of it was that i n th i s
bustle and whir l o f facts rum ours and goss i p the Reds
could approach troubled Ul i assuta i and t ake every one
with their b are hands We should very w i llingly have
l e f t th i s town o f uncerta i nties but w e had no place to
go In the north w e re the hostile Partisans and Red
troops ; to the south we had already lost o ur co m pan i ons
a n d not a l i ttle o f o ur o wn blood
t
o
the
west
raged
t
h
e
;
Chi nese administrators an d detachmen ts ; and to the east
a war had broken o ut the n e w s o f which in sp i te o f the
,

B E AS TS

1 06

AND GO D S

M EN

a tt e m pts o f the C hi nese au th o riti es a t secrec y had lt ered

through and had testi ed to the seriousness o f the s i tua
t ion in this part o f Outer Mongolia Consequently w e
had no choice but to remain in U liassutai Here also
were living several Polish soldiers who had escaped from
t he pr i son camps in Russia two Polish families and two
A merican rms all i n the same plight as ourselves We
j oined together and made o ur o w n i ntelligence depart
ment very carefully watching the evolution o f events
We succeeded in forming good connections wi th the
Chinese commissioner and with the Mongolian Sait
which greatly helped us in our orientation
What was behind all these events in Mongolia ? The
very clever Mongol S ait o f U liassutai gave me the follow
i ng explanation

According to the agreements between Mongolia

Ch i na and Russia o f O ctober 2 1 1 9 1 2 o f O ctober 2 3
1 9 1 3 and o f J une 7 1 9 1 5 Outer Mongolia w as accorded
i ndependence and the Moral Head o f o ur Yellow Faith
H i s Holiness the Living Buddha became the S u z erain o f
the Mongolian people o f Khalkha o r Oute r Mongolia
w i th the title o f Bogdo D je b tsun g D amba Hutuktu
Khan
While Russia was still strong and care fully
w at ched her policy i n Asia the Government o f Peking
k ept the treaty ; but when at the beginning o f the war
wi th Germany Russia was compelled to withdraw her
troops from S iberia Peking began to claim the return
o f its lost rights in Mongolia
It was because o f this that
the rst two treaties o f 1 9 1 2 and 1 9 1 3 were supplemented
by the convention o f 1 9 1 5 However i n 1 9 1 6 when
all the forces o f Russia were pre occupied in the un suc
c e ssful war and a f t erwards when the rst Russian revo
,

BEAS TS

1 08

ME N AND G O D S

eighty o f o ur N obles Pr i nces and L am as died f ro m

hunger and torture after a previous struggle fo r the lib
e rty o f Mongolia
S ome abnormally s trong shock w a s
necessary to drive the people into action This w a s gi ven
by the Chinese admini strators General Cheng Y i and
General Chu Chi hsiang They announced that H i s Holi
ness Bogdo Khan was under arrest in hi s own palace
and they recalled to h i s attention the former decree of
the P eking Gove rnment held by the Mongols to be un
warranted and i llegal that His Holiness was the last
L i ving Buddha Th i s was enough Immed iately secret
relations were m ade between the people and the i r Living
God and plans were at once el ab orated for the liberation
of His Holiness and for the struggle for liberty and
freedom o f o ur people W e were helped by the great
P r ince o f the Buriats Dj am Bolon who began parleys
w i th Gener a l Ungern then en g ag e d i n ghting the Bol
she vik i in T r a n sb a ik al ia a n d i nvit ed him t o enter M o n
golia and help in the w a r against the Ch inese T hen

o ur stru ggle for liberty began

T hus the S ait of Uliassuta i explained the s i tuat i on
to me A fterwards I heard that Baron Ungern who had
agreed to ght for the liberty o f Mongolia directed that
the mobilization o f the M ongolians in the northern dis
t r ic ts be forwarded a t once and prom i sed to enter Mon
golia with his o w n small deta chment moving alon g the
River Kerulen Afterwards he t ook up relations wi th
the other Russian detachmen t o f Colonel K az a g ran di
and together with the mobilize d Mongolian riders began
the attack o n Urga Twice he w a s de feated but o n the
th i rd o f Feb ruary 1 9 2 1 he succeeded in capturing the
,

MYS TERIO US M O N GO LIA

1 09

t own and replaced the Living Buddha on the throne

of

the Khans
At the end o f March however these events were stil l
unknown in U liassutai We knew neither o f the fall o f
Urga nor o f the destruction o f the Chinese army o f
nearly
in the battles o f Maimachen o n the shore o f
the Tola and on the roads between U rga and Ude The
Chines e carefully concealed the truth by preventing any
body from pass i ng westward from Urga However
rumours existed and troubled a l l The atmosphere b e
came more and m ore tense while the relati ons between
the Chinese o n the o n e side and the Mongolian s and
Russians o n the o ther became m ore and more strained
At this time the Chinese Commissioner in Uliassutai was
Wang Tsao tsun and his advisor F u Hs i ang both ve ry
young and inexperienced men The Chinese authori ti es
had dismissed the Uliassuta i Sait the prominent Mon
golian patriot Pr i nce Chultu n Beyle and had appointed
a Lama P rince friendly to China the fo rm er Vice Min
i ster o f War in Urga O ppression increased The search
i ng o f Russian O f c e r s and colonists houses and quarters
commenced O pen relations with the Bolshevi k i followed
and arrest and beatings became common The Russian
offi cers form ed a secret detach m ent o f s i xty men so tha t
they could de fend themselves However i n this detach
ment disagreements soon sprang up between Lieutenant
Colonel M M M ic ha ilo ff an d some o f his O fcers It
was evident that i n the decisive m o m ent the detach m en t
m us t separate into factions
W e foreigners i n council decided to make a thorough
reconnaissance in order to know whether there was danger
o f Red troops arriving
My o ld companion and I agreed
.

BEAS TS

I I O

ME N AND G O D S

to do th i s scout ing P ri nce Chultun Beyl e gave us a very

good guide an o ld Mongol named T z e r e n w ho spoke
and read Russ i an perfectly He was a very interesting
personage holdi n g the pos i tion of interpreter w i th the
Mongolian author i ties and sometimes with the Ch i nese
Shortly be fore he had been sent a s a
Co m m rssro n e r
special envoy t o Peking with very important despatches
and thi s incomparable horseman had made the j ourney
miles i n ni ne
b etween Uliassuta i and Peking that i s
d ays i ncredible as i t may seem He prepared himsel f f or
the j ourney b y binding all his abdomen and chest l egs
arm s an d neck w i th strong cotton bandages to protec t
h i msel f f rom the wracks and strains o f such a per i od i n
the saddle In h i s cap he bore three eagle feathers as a
t oken that he had received orders to y like a bird A rm e d
w i th a special document call e d a tz ar a which gave hi m
the ri ght to rece i ve at all post Stat i ons the best horses o n e
to ride and one fully saddled to lead as a change together
w i th two o ula tc he n or guards to accompany h im an d
br i ng back the horses from the next station o r o ur to n he
m ade the distance o f from fteen to thirty miles be tween
stations a t full gallop stopping only long enough to have
the horses and guards changed before he w a s O ff aga i n
Ahead of hi m rode one o ula tc he n w i th the bes t horse s
t o enable him to announce and prepare i n advance the
complement o f steeds at the next stat i on E ach o ula tc hen
had three horse s i n all so that he could swing from o ne
that had gi ven o ut and release him to graze until h i s r e
t urn to pick him up and lead or r i de him back home A t
every third o ur to n without leaving his saddle he rece i ve d
a cup o f ho t green tea with sal t and cont i nued his rac e
After sevent een or eighteen hours o f such
southward
.

BEAS TS

1 12

MEN AND G O D S

T ell us we i nsisted
I f you do not w i sh to spea k
h i s name i t m eans that you are dealing w i th a bad char
,

acter

No ! N o l

he remonstrated ourishing his hands

He is a good great m an ; but the law d o e s not pe rm it m e

to spea k his name

We at once unders t ood tha t the m an was e i ther the
chief o f the shepherd o r some high Lam a C onsequen tly
we did not further i nsist and began m aking o ur sleep i ng
arrangements Our hos t set three legs o f m utton to boil
fo r us skill fully cutting o ut the b ones wi th h i s hea vy
kn i fe We chatted and learned that no o n e had seen Red
t roo ps around this region b ut i n Kobdo and i n Ulanko m
the Chinese soldiers were oppressing the population and
w ere beat i ng to death with the bamboo Mongol m en
w ho w ere defending the i r women aga i nst the ravages
o f these Ch i nese troops
Som e o f the Mongols had r e
trea ted to the m ountain s to j o i n de tach m ents under the
co mm and o f Kaig o r d o ff an Alta i T ar t ar O f cer w ho
w as supplying the m wi th weapons
.

CHAPT E R XVIII
T HE

MY S TE RIOU S LAMA AV E N GE R

rested soun d ly in the ym ta after the two

days o f t ravel which had brought us o n e hundred
seventy miles throug h the snow and sharp cold Round
the evening me al o f j ui cy mutton w e were talking freely
and carelessly when suddenly w e heard a lo w hoarse
E

'

e n i ng l
ev
W
W e tu rned aroun d fro m the b raz i er to the doo r an d
saw a m e dium height ve ry heavy se t Mongol in deerskin
overcoat and cap with side aps and the long wide tying
strings o f the sam e material Under his girdle lay the
s ame large kni fe in the green sheath wh ich w e had seen
o n the departing horsem an

A m o urs ay n
we answered
H e quickly untied h i s gi rdle and la i d aside h i s ove rcoa t
He stood before u s i n a wonder ful gown o f s i lk y ello w
a s beaten gold and gi rt with a brilliant blue sash
His
cleanly shaven face , short ha i r red cor al rosary o n the
le f t ha nd and his yellow garm ent proved clearly that
be fore us stood so m e h i gh La m a P r i es t w i th a big Col t
under his bl ue sash !
I turned to m y host and T z e r c n and read in thei r f ace s
fear and venera t i on T he stranger ca m e over t o the
bra z i er an d sat do wn

G oo d

1 13

1 1

BEAS TS

M EN

GO D S

AN D

Le t s spe ak Ru ssi an he said and took a b it of m eat

T he conver sat i on began The stranger began to nd
f ault with the Go vern m ent o f th e L i v i ng Buddha i n

There the y li bera t e Mongoli a capture Urga d e f ea t

the Chinese army and here i n the west they give us no
W e are w i thout act i on here while the Chinese
n ews o f i t
k ill o ur people and steal fro m the m I think that Bogdo
Khan m ight send us envoys H ow i s i t the Ch i nese c an
send their envoys from Urga and K iakhta to Kobdo
ask i ng for assistance and the Mongol Governm en t cannot

do i t ? Why ?

W i ll the Ch i nese send help to Urga I asked

Our guest laughed hoarsely and said : I caught all the

envoys took away the i r letters and then sent them back

i nto the ground

H e laughed again and glanced around pecul i arly w i th
h i s blazing eyes On ly then d id I notice that his cheek
bones and eyes had lines strange to the Mongols o f Cen
tral As i a H e looked more like a Tartar or a K i rgh i z
We were silen t and smoked our pipes

H o w soon will the detachm ent o f Chahars l eave Ul i

a ssuta i ?
he asked
We answered tha t we had n o t heard about the m Our
guest explained that from Inner Mongolia the Chinese
a uthorities h ad sen t o ut a strong deta chment mobilize d
f rom among the most warlike tribe o f Chahars which
wander about the region j us t outside the Great Wall Its
ch i e f was a notori ous hung hu tz e leader promoted by the
Ch i nese Govern m ent to the rank o f capta i n o n promising
that he would bring under subj ugat i on to the Ch i ne se
autho riti e s all the t r i be s o f the d i s t r i ct s o f K o bd o an d
,

BEAS TS

116

MEN AND G O D S

a l so t o ld tha t it has i t s found ati on l argely i n the

pan i cky fear which he could produce i n the Mongols
E veryone who disobeyed his o rders perished
Such an
o n e never k new the day o r the hour when i n his
ur ta
y
o r beside h i s gallop i ng horse o n the pla i ns the strange
a n d power ful friend o f the D ala i L am a would appear
The stroke of a kn if e a bullet o r strong ngers strangling
the neck like a vi se acco mpl i shed the j us ti ce O f the plans
O f th i s mi rac l e worker
Without the wal ls o f the yur ta the wi nd wh i stl ed and
r o ared and drove the frozen snow sharply against the
stretched fel t T hrough the roar o f the wind came the
sound o f m any voices i n m i ngled shouti ng wailing and
laughter I felt that i n such surroundings it were no t
d ii c ult to dumbfound a wandering nom ad with miracles
because N ature hersel f had prepared the setting fo r it
Th i s thought had scarcely time to ash through my m i nd
be fore T ushe g o un L ama suddenl y raise d hi s head looked
sharply at me an d sa i d :

There i s ve fy much unk no wn in N atu re and the sk i ll

o f using the unknown produces the miracle ; but the
power is gi ve n to few I want t o pr o ve it to you and you
m ay tell me afterwards whether yo u have seen it be for e
was

o r no t

He stoo d up pushed back the sleeves o f his yellow gar

m ent seized his kni fe and strode across to the shepher d

Michik stand up ! he ordered

When th e shepherd had risen the La ma qu i ckly un
bu tt oned his c oa t and bared the man s chest I could not
y et understand wha t w as his intention when suddenly
the T ushe g o un with all his force struck his kni fe into
the chest o f the shepher d The Mongol fell al l covered
,

T HE

MYS TERIO US LAMA AVEN GER

I I7

w i th blood a splash of which I noticed on the yellow

silk o f the Lama s coat

?
What have you done
I exclaimed

he whispered turning to m e his n o w

S h ! Be still
quite blanched face
With a few strokes of the kni fe he opened the chest
O f the Mongol and I saw the man s lungs softly breath
ing and the distinct palpita tions o f the hea rt The Lama
touched these organs with hi s ngers but no more blood
appeared to ow a nd the face of the shepherd was quite
calm He w a s ly i ng with his eyes closed and appeared
t o be in deep and quiet sleep
A s the Lama began to
open his abdomen I shut my eyes in fear and horror ; and
when I O pened the m a little while later I w as still more
dumbfoun ded at seeing the sh e pherd with his coat still
O pen and his breast normal quietly sleeping on his side
and T ushe g o un Lama sitting pe a c e fullly by the bra z ier
smoking his pipe and looking into the re in deep thought

I t is wonderful ! I c o nfessed
I have never seen

anyt hing like it !

About what are you speak i ng ? asked the Kalmuck

About your demonstration o r mi racle as you call

it I answered

I never said anything like tha t re futed the Kal m uck

wi th coldness in his voice

Did yo u se e it ? I asked of my compani on

What ? he queri ed in a do z ing voice

I rea li z ed that I had become the victim o f the hypnot i c
power o f T ushe g o un Lama ; but I preferred this to seeing
an innocent Mongolian die f or I had not believed that
T ushe g o un Lama after slashing ope n the bodies o f his
vict im s could repair the m aga i n so readily
,

1 1

BEAS T S ; MEN

'

AN D

"

GO DS

The follow i ng d ay we took leave of o ur hosts W e

decided to return inasmuch as o ur miss i on w as ac co m
l
i
she g o un La m a explained to us that he
s
h
e
d
and
T
u
;
p

would move through s pace

He wander e d over all Mon
golia lived both i n the single simple yurta o f the shepherd
and hunter and in the splend i d tents o f the princes and
tri bal ch i efs surrounded by d e ep veneration and pan i c
fear ent i cing and cementing to hi m rich and poor alike
wi th his miracles and propheci es When bidding us
ad i eu the Kalmuck sorcerer slyly smiled and said :

D O not g i ve any i nfo rm at i on about me to the Ch i nese

authorities

Afte r wards he added : What happened to yo u yester

day eveni ng w a s a futi le d e m onstration Y o u E uropeans
w i ll n o t recognize that w e dark minded nomads possess
the powers o f mys t e ri ous science I f you could only se e
the miracles and power o f the Most Holy Tashi Lama
when at hi s command the lamps and candles before the
ancient statue o f Buddha l i ght themse lves and when the
i ko ns of the gods beg i n to speak and prophesy ! But
there ex i sts a m ore powerful and more hol y man

Is it the K ing o f the World i n A g ha rti

I i nter
.

'

r upt e d

He stared and glanced a t me i n amazemen t

Have you heard about h im ? he asked as h i s brows

k nit i n thought
A fter a few seconds he ra i sed h i s narrow eyes and

sa i d : Only o n e m an knows his holy name ; only one man

now l i v i ng was ever in A g ha rti That is I This i s the
reason why the Most Holy Dalai Lama has honored me
and why the Living Buddha in Urga fears me But in
vain fo r I shall never s i t on the Holy Throne of the high
.

BEAS TS

120

MEN AND G O D S

the ne st of s i lk w i th m ass i ve s i lver r i ng s i n thei r ears

and precious ornaments in their elaborate head dresses
Chinese merchants led an endless caravan of merchan
dise up to distinguished lookin g Mongol S aits surrounded
by the gaily dressed tz ir ik o r soldiers and proudly n e
i
i
n
o
t
a
t
with
the
merchants
for
the
i
r
wares
g
g
S hortly the v i s i on d i sappeared and T ushe g o un b egan
to speak

D o no t fear death ! I t i s a releas e fro m o ur labor o n

earth and the path to the state o f constant blessings
Look to the E ast ! D O yo u se e your brothers and fri ends

w ho have fallen i n battle ?

We se e w e se e ! the Mongol warri ors exclaimed in

astonishment as they all looked upon a g reat group of
dwellings which might have been y ur tas or the arches o f
temples ushed with a warm and kindly light Red and
yellow silk were interwoven in bright bands that covered
the walls an d oor everywhere the gilding o n pillars and
walls gleamed brightly ; o n the great red altar burned the
thin sacricial candles in gold candelabra beside the mas
sive silver vessels lled with m ilk an d nuts ; on soft
pillows about the oor sat the Mongols who had fallen in
the previous attack o n Kobdo Before the m stood low
lacquered tables laden with man y dishes o f stea m ing suc
culent esh o f the lamb and t he kid with high j ugs o f
a a kind o f sweet rich
wine a n d tea with plates o f harm /
cakes with aromatic z a to ur an covered with sheep s fat
with bricks of d ried cheese wi th dates raisins and nuts
These fallen sol d i ers smoked golden p i pes and chatted
gail y
T h i s vi s i on i n turn also d i sappeared and b e fore the
,

T HE

MYS TERI O US

LAMA

AVEN GER

1 21

ga zi ng Mongols sto o d only the myster i ous Kal m uck with

his hand upraised

To battle and return not without victory ! I am w i th

in
the
ght
o
u
y
The attack began The Mongols fought furiously pe r
i she d by the hundred s but not before they had rushed
i nto the heart o f Kobdo Then was r e enacted the long
forgotten picture o f Tartar hordes destroying E uropean
towns Hun Baldon ordered carried over him a triangle
o f lances with brilliant red streamers a sign t hat he gave
up the town to the soldiers fo r three days Murder and
pillage began All the Chinese met thei r death there
The town was bur n ed and the walls o f the fortress de
stroyed Afterwards Hun Baldon came to Uliassutai and
also destroyed the Chinese fortress there The ruins o f
it still stand with the broken embattlements and to w ers
the useless gates and the remnants o f the burn ed offi cial
quarters and sold i ers barracks
.

CHAPT E R XIX

W ILD CHAHARS
F T E R o ur return to Uliassutai w e heard that dis
quieting news had been received by the Mongol S ait
from Muren Kure The letter stated tha t Red Troops were
pressing Colonel K az ag ra n d i very hard i n the region o f
Lake K osogol The S ait feared the advance o f the Red
troops southward to Uliassutai Both the American rms
liquidated their a ffairs and all o ur friends were prepared
for a quick exit though they hesitated at the thought of
leaving the t own as they were afraid o f m eeting the de
t a chm e n t o f Chahars sent from the east
We decided
to await the arrival o f this detachment as their coming
could change the whole course o f events In a few days
they came two hundred warlike Chahar brigands und er
the command o f a former Chinese hu ng hu tz e He was a
tall skinny man with hands that reached almost to his
knees a f ace blackened by wind and sun and mutilated
with two long scars down over his forehead and cheek
the making o f o n e of which had also closed one o f his
hawklike eyes topped o ff with a shaggy coonskin cap
such was the commander o f the detachment o f Chahars
A personage very dark and stern with whom a night
m eeting o n a lonely street could not be c onsidered a
pleasure by any bent o f the i ma gi nation
The detachment made camp within the destroyed fort
.

122

12

BEAS TS

MEN AND G O D S

wha t m ay have been m eant for m usic throu gh g rea t c o nch

shells O n e o f the Chahars co uld not resist and so
j u mped o ut O f h i s saddle and made for a Chinese shop
along the s t ree t Immediately the anxious cries o f the
Chinese m erchants ca m e from the shop The hung hu tz e
swung round not i ced the horse a t the d o or o f the shop
and realized wha t w a s happe n i n g Immediately he reined
hi s horse and m ade fo r the spot Wi th his raucous voice
he called the Chahar o ut As he came he struck him full
i n the face with h i s wh i p and w i th all his strength Blood
owed from the slashed cheek But the Chahar w a s in
the saddle in a second without a m urmur and galloped
to his place i n the le D uring this exit o f the Chahars
all the people were hidden in their houses anxiously peep
i n g through cracks and corners o f the win dows But the
Chahars passed peace fully out and only when they met
a caravan carrying Chi nese w i ne about six miles from
town did the i r native t endency display i tself aga i n in
pillaging and emptyi ng several containers Somewhere
i n the vicini ty o f Hargana they were ambushed by T ushe
goun Lama and so treated that never again will the plains
o f Chahar welco m e the return o f these warri or sons who
were sent o ut to conquer the Soyo t descend an ts o f the
ancient Tuba
The day the column l eft Ul i assuta i a heavy snow fell
so tha t t he road became i mpassable
The horses rs t wer e
up to thei r knees tired o ut and stopped Some Mongol
horsemen reached Uliassuta i the follow i ng day a fter
great hardsh i p and exe rtion having made only twenty
ve m i les i n forty eight hours
Caravans were compe lled
to stop along the routes The Mongols would not con
sent even t o at t emp t j ourneys w i th oxen an d y ak s wh i ch
.

'

WILD

CHAHARS

12

made bu t t en or tw e lve mi les a day Only cam els coul d

be used but there were too few and their drivers did n ot
feel that they could make the rst railway station o f
Kuku Hoto which was about fourteen hundred miles
away We were forced again to wait : for which ? Death
o r salvat i on ?
On ly our own en ergy and force could
save us Consequently my fr i en d and I start ed out sup
plied w i th a tent st ove and food for a new reconnais
sance along the shore o f Lake Kosogol whence the M o n
gol S ait expec t ed the new i nvasion o f Red troops
.

C HA P T E R XX
D E MO N

T HE

O F

A
G
I
T
A
S
S
I
J

small group cons i st i ng o f four mounted and o n e

pack came l mov ed northward along the valley o f
the River B o yag o l in the d irection o f the Tarbagata i
Mo untains T he road was rocky an d covered deep with
snow Our camels walked very carefully sni fng o ut

the way as our guide shouted the O k ! O k o f the camel

drivers to urge them o n We left behind us the fortress
and Chinese d ug un swung round the shoulder o f a ridge
and after fording several times an O pen s tream began
t he ascent o f the mounta i n
The scramble was hard and
da ngerous Our c amels picked their w ay most cautiously
moving the i r ears constantly as i s the i r habit i n such
stress T he trail z igz agged into m ountain ravines passed
over the tops o f r i dges slipped back down again into
shallower valleys but ever made higher and higher alti
tudes A t o n e place under the grey clouds that tipped
the ridges w e saw away up o n th e w i de expanse o f sno w
some blac k spots

Those are the 0 17 0 the sacred s i gns and altars for

the bad demons watching this pass explained the guide

This pass i s called J ag isstai Many very old tales about

it have been kept a live ancient as these mountains the m

selves
W e encouraged hi m to tell us some of them
UR

1 26

BEAS TS

1 28

G od s O f M o n goli a behol d the O ffspr i ng

o f the man who has gloried the name o f the Mongols
f rom o n e end of the world to the other ! Allow not this
v e ry esh o f J en g hiz Khan to perish !

A t this m o ment she noticed a whit e mouse sitti ng

o n a rock nearby
t j umped to her knees and said :
I a m sent to help y o u Go o n ca hn ly and do no t
fear T he pursuers o f you and your son to whom is
des tined a l i fe of glory have come to the last bourn e o f
their lives

T a S i n Lo d i d no t se e how o ne small mouse could

hold in check three hundred men T he mouse j umped
b ack to the ground and again spoke :
I am the demon of Tarbagatai J ag a sstai I a m
mi ghty and beloved o f the G ods but becau se you doubted
the powers of the miracle speaking mouse from this day
the J ag a sstai w i ll be dangerou s for the good and bad
a l ike

The Khan s w i dow and so n were s aved but J ag asstai

has ever remained merciless During the j ourney over
th i s pass o n e must always be o n one s gu ard The demon
o f the m ounta i n i s ever ready to lead the t raveler to

destruc ti on
A ll the tops o f the r i dges o f the T arbagatai are th i ckly
d o tte d with the o b o o f rocks and branches In one place
there was even erected a tower o f stones as an altar to
propitiate the Gods for the doubts o f Ta S in Lo E v i
When w e began o ur
d e n tly the de m on expected us
ascen t o f the m ain ridge he bl e w i nto o ur faces with a
sharp cold wind whistled and roared and afterwards
began casting ov er us whole blocks o f snow t orn o ff
W e could n o t distinguish anything
the dr i fts abo v e

th

MEN AND G O D S

and

ar

T HE

DEM O N

I
T
A
I
G
S
S
A
J

OF

:2 9

ro un d us sca rc e ly see i ng the ca m el immediately i n front

Suddenly I felt a shock and looked about me N othing
unusual was visible I was seated com fortably between
two leather saddle bags lled wi th m eat and bread but
I could not se e the head o f my camel He had
disappeared It seemed that he had slipped and fallen
to the bottom o f a shallow ravine while the bags which
were slung across his back wit hout straps had caught o n
a rock and stopped with mysel f there in the snow This
time the demon of J a g a ssta i only played a j oke but o n e
t hat did not satisfy him He began to show more and
more anger With furious gusts o f w ind he almost
dragged us and our b a gs from the camels and nearly
knocked over o ur humped steeds blinded us with fro z en
snow and prevented us from breathing Through long
hours we dragged slowly on in the deep snow O ften fall
in g over the edge o f the rocks
At last w e entered a
small valley where the wind whistled and roared with
a thousand voices It had grown dark The Mongol
wandered around searching for the trail and nally came
back to us ourishing his arms and saying :

We have lost the road We must spend the night

here It is very bad because we shall have no wood fo r

o ur stove and the cold will grow worse

With great dif culties and with frozen hands we man
aged to S et up our tent in the wind placing in it the now
useless stove We covered the tent with snow dug deep
long ditches in the dri fts and forced o uf camels to lie

down in them by shouting the D z uk ! D z uk command

to kneel Then we brought o ur packs into the tent
My companion rebelled against the though t o f spe n d
i ng a cold night with a s t ove hard by
a

BEAS TS

: 30

M EN

GO D S

AN D

I a m g o i ng o ut to loo k for rewood sa id he very

d ecisively ; and at that took up the a x and started
He
returned after an hour with a big section o f a telegraph
pole

You j e n g hiz Khans said he rubbi ng h i s frozen

hands take your axes and go up there to the left on

t he mountain and you will nd the t elegraph po les that
h ave been cut down I made acquaintance with the O ld

a
a
t
a
i
ss
and
he
show
d
me
the
poles
e
J g
ust
a
little
way
from
us
h
line
the
Russian
tele
e
o
f
t
J
graphs passed that which had connected Irkutsk with
Uliassutai be fore the days o f the Bolsheviki and which
t he Chinese had comm anded the Mongols to cut down
and take the wire These poles are n o w the salvation o f
t ravelers crossing the pa ss Thus we spent the night in a
warm tent supped well from hot meat soup with verm i
celli all in the very center o f the dom i nion o f the angered
i
a
arly
the
next
morn
i
ng
we
found
the
road
s
s
t
a
a
E
J g
n o t more than two o r three h undred paces from o ur ten t
and continued our hard trip over the ridge o f Tarbagata i
A t the head o f the Adair River valley w e noticed a ock
o f the Mongolian crows with carmine beaks circling
among the rocks We approached the place and dis
covered the recently fallen bodies O f a horse and rider
What had happened to them was di f cult to guess They
lay close together ; the br i dle w a s wound around the right
wrist o f the man ; no trace o f kni fe or bulle t was found
It was impossi ble to make o ut the fea t ures o f the man
His overcoat w a s Mongolian but his trousers and under
j acket were n o t o f the Mongolian pattern We asked
ourselves what had happened to h i m
Our Mongol bowe d h i s head in anxi ety and sa id i n
,

BEAS TS

1 32

the m ount a i n side

M EN

GO D S

AN D

I took up my glasses and be gan t o o b

serve t hem The part o f the herd that remained be hind
were common sheep ; the large section that had drawn
o ff over the plain were Mongolian antelopes ( az e lle:
g
t
o
a
u
t
r
s
u
) while the few that had taken to the mountain
g
were the big horned sheep ( o r/
is arg a li )
All this com
pany had been grazing together with the do m estic S heep
o n the pla i ns of the Adair which attracted the m with its
good grass and clear water In many places the river
w a s not frozen and in some places I saw great clouds
o f steam over the surface O f the O pen water
In the
m eantime som e o f the antelopes and the mountain she e p
began looking a t us

N ow t hey will soon begin to cross o ur trail laughed

the Mongol ; very funny beasts S o m e ti mes the ante

lopes course fo r mi les in their endeavor to outrun an d
cross in front o f o ur horses and then when they have

done so go loping quietly o ff

I had already seen thi s strategy o f the antelopes and
I decided t o make use o f it for the purpose o f the hunt
W e organi z ed o ur chase i n the following manner We
let one Mongol with the pack camel proceed a s we had
been traveling and the other three o f us spread out like
a fan headed toward the herd o n the right o f o ur true
course The herd stopped and l o oked about pu zz led for
their etiquette required that they should cros s the path
o f all four of these r iders at once
Confus i on began
T hey counted about three thousand heads All th i s ar m y
began to run from o n e side to another but wi thout fo rm
ing any distinct groups Whole squadrons O f them ran
be fore us and then noticing another rider c ame coursing
back and m ade anew the sam e m anoeuvre One group
.

THE DEM O N

JA G I S S T A I

OF

33

o f about f ty head rushed i n t w o ro w s to w ar d my po i nt

When the y wer e about a hundred and fty pace s away
I shouted an d r e d They st opped a t once and began
to whirl round in o n e spot running into o n e another and
even j umping over one another Their panic cost them
dear for I had t i me t o shoot four ti mes to bring down
two beauti f ul heads My fr i end was even m ore fo rt u
nate than I for he shot only once into the herd as it
rushed past him in parallel l i nes and dropped tw o with
the sam e bullet
Meanwhile the ar g a li had gone farther up the moun
tai nsid e and taken stand there in a row like so many
soldiers turning to gaze at us E ven at this distance
I could clearly distingui sh their muscular bodies with
thei r ma j estic heads and stalwart horns Picking up o ur
prey w e o vertook the Mongol w ho had gone on ahead
and continued o ur way In many places w e ca me across
the carcasses o f sheep with necks torn and the esh of
the sides eaten O ff

It is the work of wolves said the Mongol

They

are always hereabout in large numbers

We came across several mor e herds o f an t elope which
ran along quietly enough until they had made a co m fort
able distance ahead O f us and then with tremendous leaps
and b o unds crossed o u r bow s like the proverbial chicken
o n the road
Then a fter a couple of hundred paces at
this s peed they stoppe d and began to graze quite calmly
O nce I turned my c amel back and the whole herd imme
d iate ly took up the challenge again coursed along parallel
w i th me until they ha d made sufcient d i stance for their
i deas of safety and then once more rushed across tlie
r oad ahead o f m e as though it were paved w i th red ho t
.

BEAS TS

34

MEN

AND GO D S

stones on ly to assume the i r pre vi ous calmness and graz e

back on the same side o f the trail fro m which our column
had rst star t ed them O n another occasion I did this
three times with a particular herd and laughed long and
heartily at their stupid customs
We passed a ver y unpleas ant night i n th i s valley We
stopped on the shore of the fro z en stream in a spo t where
w e found shelter from the wind under the lee o f a high
shore In our stove we did have a re and in o ur kettle
boiling water Also o ur tent w as warm and co z y We
w ere quietly resting with pleasant thoughts of supper to
soothe us when suddenly a howling and laughter as
though from some inferno burst upon u s fro m j ust o ut
side the tent while from the other side o f the valley
came the long and dole ful howls in answer

Wolves calmly explained the Mongol who took m y

revolver and went out O f the tent He did not return
fo r some time but at last w e heard a shot and shortly
a fter he entered

I scared them a little said he

They had congre
gated o n the shore of the Adair around the bo dy of a

camel

And they have no t touched our camels ? we asked

We shall make a bonre behind our t ent ; then they

w i ll not bother us
A fter o ur suppe r we turned in but I lay awake fo r a
long time listening to the crackle of the wood in the re
the de e p sighing breaths o f the camels and the distant
howling o f the packs o f wolves ; but nally even with
all these noises fell asleep How long I had been asleep
I did not know when suddenly I was awak ened by a
s t rong blow i n the s i de I was ly i ng at the very edge
,

CHA PT E R XXI
T HE

N E ST OF D E AT H

UR ca m els w ere trudging to a slow but steady m ea s

ure o n t oward the north We were making twenty
ve t o th i rty miles a day as w e approac hed a smal l
m onastery that lay to the left of o ur route
t wa s i n
t he form o f a square o f large buildings surrounded by
a high fence O f thick poles E a ch side had an opening
in the middle leading to the four e ntrances of the temple
in the center o f the square The temple w as built w i th
the red lacquered colum ns and the Chinese style roofs
and dominated the surroun ding lo w dwelling s o f the
L amas On the opposite side o f the road lay what ap
r
u
to
be
a
Chinese
fortress
which
was
in
reality
a
e
d
b
e
t
p
a trading compound or d ug un which the Chinese always
build in th e form o f a fortres s with double walls a fe w
feet apar t with i n whic h they place their houses and shops
and usually have twenty o r thirty traders fully armed for
any emergency In case of need these d ug zm s can be
used as blockhouses and are capable o f withstanding long
sieges Between the d ug un and the monastery and nearer
to the road I made o ut the camp o f some no m ads
Their
horses and cattle were nowhere to be seen E vidently
the Mongols had stopped here for some time and had left
their cat tle in t he m ountains Over several yur tas waved

'

1 36

THE NE S T

OF

DEATH

m ulti colo re d t r i an gul ar ags a S ign of

37

the

p re se nce o f
disease N ear so me yur tas high poles were stuck i nto
the ground with Mongol caps at their tops which ind i
The pack s o f
c at e d that the host o f the y m ta had died
dogs wandering over the plain showed that the dea d
b odies lay somewhere near either in the rav i nes o r a l ong
the banks of the river
A s we approached the cam p w e heard fro m a dist ance
the frantic beating o f drums the mournful sounds o f the
ute and shrill m ad shouting O ur Mongol went for
ward to i nvestigate for us and reported that several Mon
golian families had come here to the monastery to seek
aid fro m the Hutuktu Jahan sti who w as famed for his
miracles o f healing The people were stricken with
leprosy and black smallpox and had come from long dis
tances only to nd that the Hutuktu was not at the mon
aste r y but had gone to the Living B uddha in Urga
Con
sequently they ha d been forced to invite the witch doctors
The people were dying one after another Just the day
before they had cast on the plain the twenty seventh m an
Meanwhile as we talked the witch doctor came o ut
o f o ne O f the yu r tas
He was an old man with a catarac t
o n one eye and with a face deeply scarred by smallpox
He was dressed in tatters with var i ous colored bits o f
cloth hanging down from his waist He carried a drum
and a ute We could se e froth on his blue lips and
m adness i n h i s eyes S uddenly he began to whirl round
and dance with a thousand prancings o f h i s long legs and
writhi ngs of his arms and shoulders still beating the
drum and pl aying the ute or crying and ra gi ng at inter
v als ever accelerating his movements until at last with
l
a
l
i
d
face
and
blo
o
dsho
t
e
y
es
he
fe
ll
o
the
snow
where
n
p
-

BEAS TS

: 33

MEN

GO DS

AND

he con ti nu e d to w r ithe an d g i ve o ut h i s i nc o herent cr i es

In th i s m anner the doctor treated his pati e nts frighten
i ng w i th his madness the bad devils that carry disease
Another w i tch doctor gave his p atients d i rty muddy
w ater wh i ch I learned was the water fr om the bath o f
the very person o f the L i ving Buddha who had washed

i n it hi s d iv i ne body born fro m the sacred ower o f

the l otus

Om ! Om ! bo th w itches conti nuously screa m ed

While the doctors fought with the devils the i ll people
were left to them selves They lay i n hi gh fe v er unde r
the heaps o f sheepsk i ns and overcoats were delirious
r aved and threw t hemselves about
By the braz i ers
squatt ed a d ults and ch i ldren who were still well in dif
fe r e n tly chatting dr i nking t ea and smokin g
In all the
u
r
t
as
I
the
di
seased
and
the
dead
and
such
mi
se
y
s
a
w
r
y
and physical horrors as cannot be described

And I thought : Oh Great J e ng hiz Khan ! Why d i d

o
wit
h
your
keen
underst
nd
i
ng
the
whole
situatio
u
a
f
o
n
y
o f As i a and E urope you w ho devoted all your life t o the
glory o f the name o f the Mongols why d i d yo u no t g i ve
to your o wn people who preserve the i r O ld m oral i ty
honesty and p e ace ful customs the enlightenm ent tha t
w oul d have saved the m fro m such death ? Your bones
in the m ausoleu m a t K arak oru m be i ng des t royed by t he
c en t ur i es th a t pass over the m m ust cry o ut against the
r ap i d d i sappearance o f y our formerly grea t people who

w ere feared by half the c i vilized world !

Such thoughts lled m y bra i n when I saw th i s cam p
o f the dead tomorrow and when I heard the groans shout
ings and raving o f dying men women and children
S om e wher e i n the d i s tance the dogs were howling mourn
.

CHAPT E R XXII

A MO N G

T HE

MUR D E R E RS

approached the telegraph station w e were me t

Sby a blonde young man who w as in charge of the
O fce Kanine by name With some little confusion he
offered us a place in his house for the night When we
entered the room a tall lanky man rose from the table
and indec i sively walked toward us look i ng very atten
t iv e ly at us the w
hile

Guests
T hey are going to
e xplained K an i ne
Khathyl P rivate persons strangers foreigner s

A h drawled the stranger in a quie t comprehending

tone
Wh i le w e were un ty i ng o ur girdles an d wi th d i fculty
gett i ng o ut of o ur great Mongolian coats t he ta ll man
As
w a s animatedly whispering so m ething to o ur host
w e approached the table to sit down and res t I over

heard him say : We are forced to postpone i t and saw

Kanine simply nod in answer
S everal o ther people were seated a t the table am ong
the m the assistant o f Kanine a tall blonde man with a
white face who talked like a Gatling gun about every
thing imaginable He w a s half crazy an d hi s sem i
m adness expressed i tsel f when any loud talking shout i n g
o r sudden sharp report led him t o repea t the w ords o f
the o ne to who m h e w as t alk i n g a t the tim e o r to relate
we

AM O N G THE MURDERERS

in

41

m echan i cal hurr i e d m anner s t or i e s of w ha t was

happening around him j ust at this particular j uncture
The wi fe O f K anine a pal e young exhausted looking
wom an wi th frighten ed eyes and a face distorted by fear
w as also there and near her a young girl of fteen with
cropped ha i r and dress e d like a m an as well as the two
s m all sons o f Kanine We made acquaintance with all
o f them
T he tal l stranger call e d himself G o r ok o ff a
Russ i an colonist from S am g alta i and presented the s hort
a

haired girl as his sister K an in e s wi fe looked at us with

plainly discernible fear and said noth ing evidently dis
pleased over o ur being there However we had no choice
and consequently bega n dri nking tea an d eat i ng o ur bread
and cold mea t
Kanine told us that ever s i nce the t elegraph l i ne had
been destroyed all his family and relatives had felt very
keenly the poverty and hardship that naturally followed
T he Bolsheviki did not send him any salary from Irkutsk
so that he w a s compelled to shi ft for himself as best
h e could They cut and cured hay for sale to the Rus
sian colon i sts handled private messages and merchandise
fro m Khathyl to Uliassutai and S am g altai bought and
sold cattle hunted and in this manner managed to exist
G o r o ko ff announced that his commercial a ffairs compelled
hi m to go to Khathyl and that he and his sister would be
glad to j oin o ur caravan He had a most unprepossessing
angry looking face with colorless eyes that always
avoided those O f the person with whom he was speaking
During the conversation w e asked Kanine i f there were
Russian colonists near by to which he answered with
knitted brow and a lo o k o f disgust o n his face :

Ther e is o ne ri c h o ld man B o b ro ff who lives a ve rs t

BEAS TS

42

ME N AND

GO

DS

wa y f rom our s ta ti on ; b ut I wou ld no t a dvi se yo u t o

vi sit him H e is a m iserly inhospitable O ld fello w who

does no t l i ke guests
D ur i ng these words o f her husband Madame K anine
dropped her eyes and contracted her shoulders i n some
thing rese m bl i ng a shudder
G o ro k o ff an d his sister
smoked along indifferently I very clearly remarked all
this as well as the hostile tone o f K anine the confusion
o f his w i fe and the articial i ndi fference o f G o r o k o f
f;
and I de t ermined t o se e the o ld coloni st given such a
bad name by K an i ne In Uliassu ta i I knew two B o b ro ff s
I sa i d t o K anine that I had been asked to hand a letter
personally to B o b r o ff and after n i shi ng m y tea put on
my overcoat and wen t o ut
The house o f B o b ro ff stood i n a deep s i nk i n the moun
tains surrounded by a high fence over which the lo w
A light shone through
r oo fs o f the houses could be seen
the w i ndow I k nocked at the gate A fur i ous barking
o f dogs answered me an d thr o ug h the crack s of the fenc e
I m ad e o ut four h uge black Mongol dogs show i ng the i r
teeth and growl i ng as they rushed t oward the gate Inside

the court so m eone opened the door and cal l ed o ut : Who

i s there ?
I answered that I was t ravel i ng through from U lia s
sut a i The dogs were rs t caught and chained and I w a s
t hen admi tted by a m an who looked me over very ca r e
fully and i nquir i ngly from head t o foo t A revolve r
handle s tuck out o f his poc ke t Sa t ised w i th his ob se r
vat io n s and learning that I knew h i s relat i ves he warmly
welcomed m e to the house and presented me to h i s w i fe
a dign i ed O ld wom an and to hi s beaut i ful little adopte d
daughter a gi r l o f ve y ears
She ha d been f ound
a

BEAS TS

: 44

M EN

GO D S

AN D

such a sh ot a r id er and a gh t er as d oes not ex i s t

in all Mongolia I a m very sorry that yo u will not make
the ac quaintance of my boy He has gone o ff to the

herds an d will re turn only tomorrow evening

W e took m ost cordial leave o f each other and I p ro m
ised to stop with hi m o n my return

Well what yarns d id B o b r o ff tell yo u about us ?

was the quest i on with wh ich K anine and G or ok o ff m et m e
w hen I came bac k to the station

Nothing about you I answered because he did no t

even want to speak w i th m e when he found o ut that I
w as sta y ing in y our house
What i s the trouble between

y o u ? I aske d o f the m e x p r ess i ng complete astonishm en t

o n m y face

It i s an old score growle d G o ro ko ff

A mal i cious o ld churl Kanine added i n agree m en t

the while the frightened suffering laden eyes o f his wi fe
a gain gave ex pression t o terri fy i ng ho rror
as i f she
m omentar i ly expected a deadly blo w G o rok o ff began t o
pack h i s luggage in preparat i on fo r the j ourney w i th us
t he followi ng m o rn i ng W e prepared o ur simple b e d s
i n an adj oining roo m and went to sleep I whispered to
my friend to keep h i s revolver handy fo r anything tha t
mi ght h appen but he only s m iled as he dragge d his r e
v olv er and h i s ax fro m h i s coat to place the m under h i s
p i llow

Th i s pe o ple at the ou t se t seemed t o m e ve ry sus

p i cious he whispered
They are cooking up so m e
thing crooked Tomorrow I shall ride behind this Goro
ko ff and shall prepare for h i m a very faith ful on e of m y

bullets a little dum du m

T he Mongols spen t th e n i ght under their tent i n the
so n ,

AM O N G

MU RDE RE RS

T HE

45

pen cour t beside the i r cam e l s because the y want ed to

be near to feed them About seven o clock w e started
My friend took up his post as rear guard to our caravan
keeping all the time behind G o r o k o ff who with his sister
both armed from tip to toe rode splendid mounts

How have yo u kept your horses in such ne condi

tion coming al l the way from S am g altai ? I i nquired a s

I looked over their ne beasts
When he answered that these belonged to his host I
r ealized t hat Kanine w a s not so poor as he made o ut ;
for any rich Mongol would have given him in exchange
fo r o n e o f t hese lovely animals enough sheep to have kept
his household in mutton fo r a whole year
S oon w e came to a large swamp surround e d by dense
brush where I was much astonished by seeing literally
hun dreds of white kur opa tka o r partridges O ut of the
water rose a ock of duck with a mad rush as we hove
i n sight W i nter cold driving wind snow an d wild
ducks ! The M ongol explained it to me thus :

This swamp alway s remains warm and never freezes

The wild ducks live here the year round and the kur opa tka

t oo nding fresh f o od in the soft warm earth

As I w a s speaking with the Mongol I notic e d over
the swamp a tongue o f reddish yellow ame
It ashed
a n d disappeared at once but later
o n the farther edge
t w o further tongues ran upward I realiz e d that here
w a s the real will o the wisp surrounded by so many thou
sands o f legends and explained so simply by chemistry
as merely a ash o f methane or swamp gas generated by
the putrefyi ng of vegetable m atter i n the warm damp
earth
o

BEAS TS

6
4

ME N AND G O D S

H ere d wel l the de m ons o f Ad a i r who are i n perpe t ual

w ar w i th those o f Muren explained the Mongol

Indeed I thought i f i n prosaic E urope in our days

the i nhabitan t s o f our vi llages bel i eve these ames to be
,

some wild sorcery then surely in the land o f mystery

they m us t be a t leas t the ev i dences o f war between the

d e m ons o f tw o neighboring r i vers !

A f t er passing this swam p we m ade out far ahead o f
us a large m onast e ry T hough this w a s some half mile
o ff t he road the G o r o k o ff s said they w ould ride over to
i t to m ake some purchases in the Chinese shops there
They quickly rode away promis i ng to overtake us shortly
but we did no t se e them aga i n for a while They slipped
away w i thout leaving any trail bu t we met them later i n
very unexpected c i rcu m stances o f fatal port ent for them
O n our part we were highly satised t hat w e were ri d
o f them so soon and
after they wer e gone I i mpa rt e d
to m y fr i end th e in form a ti on gl eane d fro m B ob r o ff the
even i ng before
,

BEAS TS

48

MEN AND G O D S

all ov er S i ber i a an d ev en dow n i nto Manchu ri a so far

as M oukden It is fat and remarkably tender and pro
duces ne caviar Another variety i n the lake i s the white
khayr us or trout which in the m igration season con
t rar y to the customs o f most sh goes down strea m i nto
the Y aga where i t so m eti mes lls the river from bank
t o bank w i th swarms of backs bre ak i ng the sur face o f
the wate r However this sh i s not caught because i t
i s in fested with wo rm s and i s un t for food E ven cat s
and dogs w i ll no t touch i t Th i s i s a very interesting
h
m
o
n
n
e
e
o
n
and
as
being
I
nvestigated
and
s
t
udied
by
w
p
P rofessor D o ro g o staisky o f the University at Irkutsk
w hen the co m ing o f the Bolshevik i i nterrupted h i s work
In K hathyl w e found a panic The Russ i an d etach
m ent o f Colonel K az ag r an d i after having t w
i ce defeated
t he Bolshevik i and well on i ts march against Irku tsk
w a s suddenly r e ndered impotent and sca tt ered through
i nternal stri fe among the O fcers The Bolshevik i took
advantage O f this situation increased their forces to o n e
thousand men and began a forward movemen t to recover
w hat they had lost while t he remnants o f Colonel Kaza
grandi s de tac hment w ere retreating o n Khathyl where
he determined t o m ak e his last stand against the Reds
The inhabitants were loading the i r m ovable property with
t hei r families i nto carts and scurrying away from the
town leaving all t he i r cattle and horses to whomsoever
should hav e the power to seize and hold the m One par ty
i ntended to hide i n the dense larch forest and the m oun
t ain rav i nes no t far away while another party m ade
southward for M uren K ure and Uliassutai T he m o m
i ng f ollowing o ur arriva l the Mongol o fcial received
word tha t the Red t roops had o utanke d C olone l K aza
.

A VO LCAN O

ON

49

grand i s m en an d were approaching Kh athyl T he Mon

gol loaded his d o cuments and his servants on eleven
camels and left his y am e n O ur Mongol guides without
ever saying a word to us secretly slipped o ff with him
and left us without camels O ur situation thus became
desperate We hastened to the colonists w ho had not
yet got away to bargain with them for camels but they
had previously in an ticipation o f trouble sent their herds
to distant Mongols and so could do nothing to help us
Then we betook ourselves to D r V G G ay a veterinarian
living in the town famous throughout Mongolia for his
battle against rinderpest He lived here with his family
and after being forced to give up his government work
became a cattle d ealer He was a most interesting person
clever and ener g etic and the o n e w ho had been appointed
under the Cz arist r gime to purchase all the meat sup
plies from Mongolia fo r the Russian Army o n the Ger
man Front He organi z ed a huge enterprise i n M o n
golia but when the Bolsheviki sei z ed power in 1 9 1 7 he
transferred his allegiance and began to work with them
T hen in May 1 9 1 8 when the Kolchak forces drove the
Bolsheviki o ut o f S iberia he was arrested and tak e n for
tri al However he was released because he w as looked
upon as the single individual t o organi z e this big Mon
golian enter prise and he handed to Admiral Kolchak all
the supplies of meat and the silver formerly received from
the S oviet commissars At this time Gay had been serv
i ng as the chie f organizer and suppl i er o f the forces of

Ka z a g ran d i

When w e went to him he at once suggested that we

t ake the only thing le ft some poor broken down horses
which would be able to carry us the sixty m i les to Muren
,

B E AS TS

0
5

MEN AN D GO D S

K ur e w here w e c o uld s e cu re c am els to re tu rn to U lias

sutai However even these were be ing kept some dis
tanc e fro m the town so that we should have to spend
t he nigh t there t he night in which the Re d troops were
expected to arr i ve Also we were much astonished to
s e e t hat Ga y w a s remaining there with hi s fam ily right
up to the t i me of the expected arrival of the Reds The
o nly others i n the t own were a few Cossacks w ho had
b e e n o r d e r e d t o stay behind to watc h the movements of the
Red troops T he night came M y friend and I were pre
pared either t o ght o r in the last event to comm i t suic i de
We stayed i n a small house near the Y aga where some
workmen were living who could not and did not feel it
necessary to leave T hey went up o n a hill from wh i ch
they could scan the whole country up to the range fro m
behind which the Red de tachment must appear Fro m
this vantage point i n the forest o n e o f the workmen came
,

'

unning in and cried o ut :

Wo e woe to us ! The Reds have ar r ived A horse

I called
m an is galloping fast through the forest road
to him but he did n o t answer me It was dark bu t I

knew the horse was a strange one

Do not babble so ! said another of the workmen

S ome Mongol rode by and you j umped to the conclu

si on that he was a Red

N o it was n o t a Mongol he replied

The horse
I heard the sound o f i ron sh o es on the road
w a s shod

W oe to us !

Well s ai d my fr i end it seems tha t this i s our

nish It is a silly way for i t all to end

He was right Just then there w a s a knock at o ur
door but i t was tha t of the Mongol bringing us three
r

BEAS TS

: 52

M EN

GO D S

AN D

wer e i n a hur ry to m ak e our repo rt We

started On the road we overtook three Cossacks who
were going o ut to br i ng back the colonists w ho were
eeing to the south We j oined them and dismounting
we all led o ur horses o v er the ice The Yaga was mad
The subterranean f orces produced underneath the ice
grea t heav i ng waves which with a sw i rling roar thre w
up and t ore loose grea t s e ctions of i ce breaking them into
s m all block s and suck i ng them under the unbroken down
strea m el d C racks ran like snakes over the surface i n
One o f the Cossacks fell i nto one
d i fferent d i recti ons
o f these bu t we had j us t time to save him
He was force d
by hi s d ucking i n such extreme cold to turn back to
Khathyl Our horses slipped about and fell several t i mes
Men and an im als f elt the presence o f death whi ch hovered
over the m and m omen tarily threatened them with de
struction A t las t w e m ade the farther bank and con
t in ue d southward down the valley glad t o have le ft t he
geologi cal and gura ti ve volcan o es behi nd us Ten miles
farther o n we came up w i th the rst party of re fugees
They had spread a b i g tent and m ade a re i nside lling
it with warmth and smoke Their camp w a s made beside
the establishm ent o f a large Ch ine se trad ing house where
the owners re fused to let the colonists come i nto thei r
even though there were chil
am ply spacious buildings
dren wom en and invali ds among the refugees We spent
but hal f an hour here T he road as w e continued w a s
easy save i n places where the snow lay deep We crossed
the fairly hi gh d i v i de between the E g in g o l and Muren
N ear the pass one very unexpected event occurred to us
We crossed the m outh o f a fa i rly wide valley whose upper
end w as covered w i th a dense wood N ear thi s wood w e

m a ti on

and

ON

A VO LCA N

53

not i ce d two h o r sem en evidently watch i ng us Their man

ner o f si tting in their saddles and the ch aracter o f their
horses told us that they were not Mongols We be gan
shouting and waving to them ; but they did not answer
Out of the wood emerged a third and stopped to look at
us We decided to interview them and whipping up o ur
hor ses gallo ped toward them W hen we were abo ut one
thousand yards from them they slipped from the i r sad
dles and opened o n us with a running re Fortunately
we rode a little apart and thus made a poor target for
them We j umped o ff o ur horses dropped prone o n
the ground and prepared to ght
However w e
did no t re because we thought it might be a mis
take o h their part thinking that w e were Reds
They shortly made O ff
Their s hots from the
E uropean ries had given us further proo f that they
were n o t Mongols We waited until they had disappeared
into the woods and then went forward to i nvestigate their
tracks which we foun d were those o f shod horses clearly
corroborating the earlier eviden ce that they were not
Mongols Who could they have been ? We n ever found
o ut ; yet what a di fferent relationship t hey migh t have
borne to our lives had their shots been t rue !
After we had passed over the div i de w e m et the Rus
sian colonist D A T e te r n iko ff from Muren Kure who
invited us to stay in his house and promised to secure
camels fo r us from the Lamas The cold was intense and
heightened by a piercing wind During the day w e froze
to the bone but at night tha w ed and warmed up nicely
by o ur tent stove After t wo days we entered the valley
o f Muren and from afar made out the square of the
Kure with its Chinese roo fs and large red temples
.

'

BEAS TS

54

MEN AND GO DS

N earby w as a s e c on d s quare the Ch i ne se an d Russ i an

settlement Two hours more brought us to the house o f
o ur hospitable companion and hi s attractive young wi fe
w ho feasted us with a wonderful luncheon of tasty dishes
We spent ve days at Muren waiting for the camels to
be engaged D uring this time many re fugees arrived from
Khathyl beca use Colonel K az ag ran d i was gradually fall
ing back upon the town Among others there were tw o
Colonels P lavak o and M ak lak o ff w ho had caused the
disrup tion of the K az ag r an d i force N o sooner had the
re fugees appeared in Muren Kure than the Mongolian
offi cials announced that the Chinese authorities had
ordered them to drive out all Russian refugees

Where can w e go now in winter with women and

children and n o homes of o ur own ? asked the distraught

r e fugees

That i s o f no moment to us answered the M ongo

l i an Offi cials
The Chinese authorities are angry and
have ordered us to drive you away We cannot help you

at all
The re fugees had to leave Muren Kure and so erected
their tents in the o pen not far away Plavak o and Mak
lako ff bought horses and started o ut fo r V an Kure Long
a fterwards I learned that b ot h had been killed by the
Chinese along the road
W e secured three camels and started o ut w i th a large
group o f Chinese merchants and Russian refugees to
m ake Uliassutai preserving the warmest recollections of
f
o ur courteous hosts T V and D A T e te r n ik o f
For
the tr i p w e had to pay for our camels the very high price
o f 33 Ian o f the silver bullion which had been supplied
us by an A m erican rm i n Uliassu ta i the equ i valent
nf 2
m u hl
m i n d s o f t h e w hit e m e t a l
,

BEAS TS

1 56

M EN

GO D S

AN D

The Li eutenant cont i nued : Kan i ne and the

Pouz iko ffs

k illed them pillaged the place and a fterwards burned the

house with their dead bodies i n it D o you w ant to
,

it ?
My frien d and I went with the Lieut enan t and looked
o ve r the ominous site
Blackened uprights stood among
charred beams and planks while crockery and iron pots
and pans were scattered all around A little to one side
un der so m e felt lay the rema i ns of the four unfortunate
i ndiv i duals The L i eutenant rst sp o ke :

I repo rted the ca se to Uliassuta i and rece i ved word

back that the relati ves o f the deceased would come with
That is
tw o o fcers w ho would investigate the a ffa i r

w hy I cannot bury the bodies

How did i t happen ? w e asked oppressed by the sad

picture

It was like th i s he began

I w a s approach i ng
T isin g o l a t night with my ten soldiers Fearing that there
m ight be Reds here w e sneaked up to the station and
looked into the windows We saw P o uz ik o ff Kanine and
the short ha i red g i rl looking over and dividing clothes
and other things and weighing lumps of silver I did
n o t at once grasp the signicance o f all this ; but feeling
the need for continued caution ordered o n e o f my soldiers
to climb the fen ce and O pen the gate We rushed into
the cour t The rst to run from the house was K an in e s
wi fe who threw up her hands and shrieked in fear :

I knew that m is fortune would come o f all this ! and

then fainted One of the men ran out o f a side door
to a shed in t he yard and there tried to get over the
fence I had not noticed him but o n e of my soldiers
caught him We were met a t the door by Kanine who
se e

CHAS TI S EMENT

A BLO O DY
and

t rembling

57

I reali z ed th at s om e th ing im
portant had taken place placed them all under arrest
ordered the men tied and placed a close guard All my
questions were met with silence save by Madame K anine
w ho cried : Pity p i ty for the children ! They are inno
cent ! as she dropped o n her knees and stretched out her
hands in supplication to us
The short haired girl
laughed out of impudent eyes and blew a pu ff o f smoke
into my face I was forced to threaten them and said :
I know that yo u have co mmitted some crime but
you do not want to con fess I f you do no t I shall shoot
the men and take the women t o Uliassutai to try them
there

I s po k e w i th d e ni te n e ss o f vo i ce and i ntent i on for

they roused m y deepest anger ! uite t o my surprise the
short haired girl rst began to speak
I want to te ll you about everything she sa i d

I o rdered ink paper and pe n brought me My soldier s

wer e the witnesses Then I prepared the protocol o f the
confession o f P o uz ik o ff s wi fe This w as her dark and
bloody tale
My husband and I are Bolshevik commissars and
w e have been sent to nd o ut how many White offi cers
are hidden in Mongolia But the o ld fellow B o b r o ff
knew us We wanted to go away but Kanine kept us
telling u s tha t B o b ro ff w a s rich and that he had for a
long time wanted to kill him and pillage his place We
agreed to j oin him We decoye d the young B o b ro ff to
come and play cards wit h u s When he was going home
my husband stole along behind and shot him After
wards w e all went to B o b r o ff s place I cli mbed upon
the fence and threw some poisone d m eat to the dogs who
w as

wh ite

BEAS TS

58

AND G O D S

M EN

were d ead i n a fe w mi nut es T hen we all cl imbed ov e r

T he rst person t o emerge from the house was B o b r o ff s
w i fe P o uz iko ff who was hidden behind the door killed
her with his ax The O ld fellow we killed with a blow
o f the ax as he slept
The little gi rl ran o ut into the
room as she heard the noise and Kanine shot her i n the
head with buckshot A fterwards we looted the house and
burned it even destroying the horses and cattle Later
all would have been completely burned so that no trace s
remained but you suddenly arrived and these stupid fel
lows at once betrayed us

It was a dastardly a ffair cont i nued the Lieutenant

T he hair raised o n m y
as we returned to the station
head as I listened to the calm description o f this young
woman hardly more than a girl O nly then did I fully
reali z e what deprav i ty B olshevism had brought into the
world crushing out faith fear o f G od and conscience
O nly then did I understand that all honest people must
ght without compromise against th i s most dangerous

enemy o f mankind so long as life and strength endure

As we walked I noticed at the side of the road a black
spot It attracted and xed my attention

What is that ? I asked pointing to the spot

It i s the murderer P o uz ik o ff whom I shot answere d

the Li eutenant
I would have Sho t both Kanine and
the w i fe o f P o uz ik o ff but I was sorry for K an in e s wi fe
and children and I haven t learn ed the lesson of shooting
women N o w I shall s e nd them along with you under
the surveillance o f my soldiers to Uliassutai The same
r esult will come
for the Mongols who try them fo r the

m urder will surely kill them

Th i s is what happened at T isin g o l o n whose shores the
.

CHAPT E R XXV
H A RA S S I N

G DAY S

more w e found ourselv e s i n the whirl o f events

During o ur fortnight away a great d e al had hap
pened here The Chinese Commissioner Wang Tsao tsun
had sent eleven e nvoys to Urga but none had returned
The s i tuati on in Mongolia rem ained far from clear The
Russian de tachment had been i ncreased by the arrival o f
new colonists and secretly continued its ill egal existence
although the Chinese knew about i t through thei r o mn i
present system O f spies In the to w n no Russian o r fo r
e ig n c i t i zens le ft t heir houses and all rema i ned armed
and ready to act At night arm e d sentinels stood guard
in all their court yards It w as the Chinese w ho induced
such precautions By order o f the i r Commission er all the
Chinese m erchants with stocks o f r i es ar m ed the i r s ta ffs
and handed over any surplus guns to the o i c ials w ho
w i th these formed and equipped a force o f two hundred
cool i es in t o a S pecial garrison o f gamins Then they took
possession o f the Mongolian arsenal a n d distribute d these
additional guns amon g the Chines e vegetable far m ers in
the na g cm hus him where there was always a oating pop
u latio n o f the lowest grade o f transient Ch ine se labo rers
Thi s trash o f China now felt themse lves strong gather e d
together i n excit e d discussions and evidently were pre
paring for so m e outburs t of a ggress i on At night the
N CE

1 60

HARAS S IN G DAYS

61

c oo lies t ranspo r t ed m any box es o f c art ridges f r om the

u m and the behaviour of
Chinese shops to the nag an has /
the Chinese mob became unbearably audacious These
coolies and gamins impertinently stopped an d searched
people right on the streets and sought to provoke ghts
that would allow them t o take an ything they wanted
Through se cret news w e receiv e d fro m certain Chinese
quarters we learned that the Ch i nese were prepar i n g a
p og r o m for all the Russians and Mongols i n Uli assut a i
We fully reali zed that it w as only nec essary to re o n e
single house at the right part o f the town and the ent ire
settlement o f wooden buil di ngs would g o up in ames
The whole populati on prepared to defen d themselves in
creased the senti nels i n the compounds appointed leaders
fo r certain sect i ons o f the town organ i z ed a special re
brigade and prepared horses c art s and food for a hasty
i ght The situation became worse when news arrived
from Kobdo tha t the Chin es e t here had m ade a p og r o m
kill ing some o f the i nhabitants and burning the whole
town after a w i ld looting orgy Most o f the p eople got
away to the fores ts o n the m oun tains but it was at night
and c onsequently without warm clothes and without food
During the following days these mountains around Kobdo
heard m any cr i es o f mis fortu ne w oe and death The
severe cold and hunger kill e d o ff the women and children
o ut und e r the O pen sk y o f the Mon g oli an winter
This
news w a s soon known to the Chinese They laughed in
mockery and soon orga nized a big meeting at the n ag an
hus hum to di scuss letting the mob and ga m ins loose on
the town
A young Chinese the son of a cook o f o ne o f the
colonists revealed this news We im m ed i ately decided
.

BEAS TS

62

MEN AND G O D S

to make an invest i ga t ion A Russian of cer an d my

frien d j oined m e with this young Chine se as a guide for
a trip to the outskirts o f the tow n We feign ed simply
a stroll but were stopped by the C hinese sentinel o n the
side o f the city toward the n ag an hus hun w ith an imper
t in e n t comma nd that no o n e was all o wed to leave the
town As we spoke with him I noticed that between the
town and the nag a n hus hun Chinese guards were sta
t io n e d all along the way and that streams of C hinese were
m oving i n that direction We saw at once it was im
poss i ble t o reach the meeting from this approach so we
ch o se another route We left the city from the eastern
side and passed along by the camp o f the M ongolians
w ho had been reduced to beggary by the Chinese imposi
tions There also they were evidently anxio usly awaiting
the turn o f events for in spite o f the lateness of the hour
none had gone to sleep We slipped o ut o n the i ce and
worked around by the river t o the nag cm hus hun As we
passed free o f the city we began to sneak cautiously along
taking advantage o f every bit of cover We were armed
w i th revolvers and hand grenades and knew that a small
d etachment had been prepared in the town to come to o ur
a i d i f w e should be in danger First the yo ung Chinese
stole forward with my frien d following him like a
shadow constantly reminding him that he would strangle
him like a mouse i f he made one move to betray us I
fea r the young guide did n o t greatly en j oy the trip with
m y gigantic frien d puffing all to o loudly w i th the unusual
exertions At last the fences o f n ag a n hus lm n were in
sight and nothing between us and them save the ope n
plain where our group would have been easily spotted ;
s o that we decided to crawl up o n e by o n e save that the
.

BEAS TS

64

MEN AND G O D S

cr im e when they drowned three thousand

Chinese i n 1 9 00 Y o u remain here while I go to the
Commissioner and talk with him
He j umped down from the well and quickly made his
w ay to the gate toward the town
At o nce I saw the man
w ho was lying wi th his head under the fence draw back
o ut of hi s hole ta ke his white horse from the ditch and
then run over t o untie the other horse and lead th e m
both back to o ur side which was away from the city He
le ft the second horse th e re and hid himsel f around the
us hm z
corner o f the h/
The spokesman went o ut o f the
gate and seeing his horse over o n the other side o f the
enclosure slung his rie across his back and started for
his mount
He had gone about half way when the
stranger behind the corner of the fence suddenly galloped
o ut and in a ash literally swung the man clear from the
ground up across the pommel of his saddle where we saw
him tie the mouth o f the semi strangled C hinese with a
cloth and dash o ff with him toward the west away from
the to w n

Who do you suppose he is ? I asked o f my friend

w ho answered up at once :
It must be T ushe g o un
Lama
His whole appearance did strongly remind me o f this
mysterious Lam a aven ger and his manner o f addressing
himsel f to his enemy was a strict replica o f that of T u she
goun Late in the night we learned that some time after
their orator had gone to seek the Commissioner s coop
e r at i o n in the i r venture his head had been ung over the
fence i nto the m idst o f the waiting audience an d that
eight gamins had disapp e ared on thei r way from the
hm hun to the t own without leaving trace or trail
This

ve sc he n sk

HARA SS IN G DAYS

65

ev en t t err o r i ze d the Chines e m o b and cal m e d t he i r he at ed

S pirits
The next day we r ece ived very unexpected aid A
young Mongol gallope d in from Urga his overcoat torn
his hair all dishevelled and fallen to his shoulders and a
revolver prominent beneath his gi rdle Proceeding di
r e c tly to the market where the M ongols are always gath
e red without leaving his saddle he cried o ut :

Urga i s captured by our Mongols and Chia ng Chi m

Baron U ngern ! Bogd o H utuktu is on ce more o u r Khan !
Mongols kill the Chinese and pillage their shops ! Ou r

patience i s exhausted !
Through the crowd rose the roar o f excitement The
rider was surrounded with a m o b of insistent questioners
T he old Mongol S ait Chultun Beyli who ha d been dis
missed by the Chinese w a s at once informed o f this news
a n d asked to have the messenger brought to him
A fter
questioning the man he arrested him for inciting the
people to riot but he re fused to turn him ove r t o
the Chinese authorities I was personally with the S ait
at the time and heard his decis i on 1 n the matter When
the Chine se Co m mi ssioner Wang Tsao tsun threatened
the S ait for disobedience to hi s authority the O ld man
s imply ngered his rosary and said :

I believe the story o f this Mongol i n its every word

and I apprehend that you and I shall soo n have to reverse

our relationship
I felt that Wang Tsao tsun als o accepted the correct
ness of the Mongol s story because he did n o t i ns i st fur
ther From this moment the Chinese disappeared from
the streets of Uliassutai as though they never had been
and synchro nously the patrols of the Russian o ffi cers and
.

BEAS TS

66

MEN AND GO D S

of our foreign colony took the i r places The pani c a m ong

the Chinese w a s heightened by the receipt o f a letter con
taining the news that the Mongols and Alta i Tartars
under the leadership o f the Tartar o i c e r K aig o r o d o ff
pursued the Chinese w ho were making o ff w i th their
booty from the sack o f Kobdo and over took and an n ihi
lated them o n the borders o f S inkiang Another part of
the letter told how General B ak itc h and the six thousand
men who had been interned with h im by the Chinese
authorities o n the River Amyl had received arms and
started to j oin with Atam an A n n e nk o ff who had been
i nterned in Kuldj a with the ultimate intention o f linking
up with Baron Ungern This rumour proved to be wrong
because neither B ak itc h nor A n n e nk o ff entertained this
i ntention because A n n e nk o ff had been transported by the
Chinese into the Depths O f Turkestan However the
news produced veritable stupefaction among the Chinese
Just at this time there arrived at the house o f the
Bolshevis t Russian colonist B o ur d uk o ff three Bolshev ik
agents from Irkutsk named S altik o ff Fre i mann and
Novak w ho started an agitation a m ong the Chinese au
tho r iti e s to get them to disarm the Russian ofcers and
hand them over t o the Reds They persuaded the Chi
nese Chamber o f Commerce to petition the Irkutsk Sov i et
to send a detachment o f Reds to Uliassutai fo r the pro
t e c t io n o f th e Chinese against the White detachments
F reimann brought with him communistic pamphle t s i n
Mongolian and instructions to begin the reconstruct i on
of the telegraph line to Irkutsk B o urd uko ff also received
some m essages fro m the Bolshev i k i This quartette de
v e lO pe d the i r policy very success f ully and soon saw
W an g Tsao tsun fall i n w i th the i r sche m es Once m ore
.

BEAS TS

68

MEN AND GO D S

brigade s of caval ry mo b ili z i n g the M o n gol s b y the o rd e r

o f the L i v i ng Buddha and the Russians by order o f Baron
Unge rn A few hours later i t beca m e known that i n the
large monaster y o f D z ain the Ch inese soldiers had ki lled
the R uss i an Capta in Barsky and as a r e su1t some of the
troops o f K az a g r an di atta ck ed and swept the Chinese o ut
o f the plac e
At the taking o f V an Kure the Russi ans
arr es ted a Korean Communist w ho w a s o n his way fro m
Mo scow wi th gold and propaganda to work in Korea and
Am erica Colone l K a z ag ran d i sent thi s K ore an wi th his
freight o f gold to Baron Ungern A fter receiving this
news th e chie f o f the Russ i an detachmen t in Ul i assuta i
arrested all th e Bolshevik i agents and passed j udgm ent
upon them and upon the m urderers o f the B o b r o ffs
K an ine Madame P o uz ik o ff and Freimann were shot
Regardi ng S altik o ff and N ovak some doubt sprang up
and m oreover S altik o ff escaped and hid w hile N ovak
under advice from Lieutenant Colonel M ic hailo ff left for
the west T h e chie f of the Rus sian detachment g aVe out
orders for the mobili z ation of the Russian colonists and
openly took Uliassutai under h is protection with the ta cit
a greement o f the Mongolian authori ties
The Mongol
S ait Chultun Beyli convened a c o uncil of the neighbor
ing Mongolian Princes the soul o f which w a s the noted
Mongoli an patr i ot H un Jap Lam a The Princes quickly
formulated the i r d emands upon the Chinese for the com
l
e
t
S
evacuation
the
territory
to
the
ait
Chul
e
t
o
f
u
b
e
c
s
p
tun Beyli Out of it grew parleys threats and friction
between the various Ch i nese and Mongolian e lements
Wang T sao tsun proposed his scheme o f settlement
w h i ch some o f the M on golian P rinces accepted ; but Jap
L am a a t the dec i sive m o me nt threw the Ch i nese d ocu m en t
,

HARAS S IN G

DAYS

t o th e ground drew his kn i fe and swore th a t

69

w o uld
die by his own hand rather than set it as a s e al upo n th i s
,

he

treacherous agreement As a result the Chinese pro

sals were re j ected and the a nta g onists began to
r
o
e
p
p
pare themselves fo r the struggle All the armed Mongols
were summoned from J assaktu Khan S ain N o io n Khan
and the dominion O f J ahan tsi Lama The Chinese au
tho ritie s placed their four machine guns and prepared to
defend the fortress Continuous deliberations were held
by both the Chinese an d M ongols
Finally our o ld
ac quaintance T z e r e n came to me as o n e of the un co n
cerned foreigners and handed t o me the j oint requests o f
Wang Tsao tsun and Chultun Bey l i t o try to paci fy the
t wo elements and to work o ut a fai r agreement betwe e n
them S imil ar requests were han d ed to the representative
O f an Am e rican rm The following evening we held
the rst m eeting o f the arbitrators and the Chinese and
Mongolian representatives
It was passionate and
stormy so that w e forei g ners lost all hope o f the success
o f o u r mission
However at m idnight when the speakers
were tired we secured agreement o n t wo points : the
Mon gols announced tha t they did not want t o make war
an d tha t they d esired t o settle this matter in such a way
as to reta in the friendship o f the g reat Chinese people ;
while the Chinese Com m issioner acknowledged that China
had v iolated the treaties by which full i nde pendence h ad
been legally granted to Mongolia
These two points fo rmed for us the groundwork o f
the next meeting and gave us the starting po ints for
urging reconciliati o n The deliber ations continued for
three days and nally turn ed so that we fore i gners could
propose o ur suggesti ons for an agreement Its chief pro
.

BEAS TS

7o

MEN AND

GO

DS

v i s i ons were tha t the Ch inese author iti es shoul d surren d e r

administrative powers return th e arms to the Mongol i ans
d isarm the two hundred gamins and leave the country ;
and that the Mongols on their side should give free and
honorable passage of their country to the Commissioner
with his armed guard of eighty men T his Chi nese
Mongolian Treaty o f Uliassutai was signed and sealed by
the Chi nese Commissioners Wang Tsao tsun and Fu
H siang by both Mongolian S a its by Hun Jap Lama and
o ther Princes
as well a s by the Russian and Chinese
P residents o f the Chambers o f Commerce and by us
foreign arbitrators The Chinese O f cials and convoy
be gan at once to pack up their belongi ngs and prepare for
departure The Chinese merchants remained in U lias
sutai because Sait C hultun Beyli now having full au
The day of
tho r ity and power guaranteed the i r safety
depart ure for the expedition o f Wang Tsao tsun arrived
The camels with thei r packs already lled the ya m e n
court yard and the m en only awaited the arri val o f their
horses from the plains Suddenly the news spread ever y
where that the herd o f horses had been stolen during the
night and run o ff toward the south O f two soldiers that
had been sent o ut to follow the tracks o f the herd only o n e
came back w i th the news that the other had been k i ll e d
A stonishmen t spread over the whole town while among
the Chinese i t turned to O pen panic It perc e ptibly in
creased when some Mongols fro m a distant o ur to n to the
east came in and announced that in var i ous places along
the post road t o Urga they had discovered the bod i es of
sixteen o f the soldiers whom Wang Tsao tsun had sent
o ut with letters for Urga
The myste ry o f these events
will soon be expl a i ned
,

BEAS TS

: 72

M EN

GO D S

AN D

a w ay s dr un k ; and th at the pr o t es ts o f the H utukt u

were answered with j e ers and scolding T h e m essengers
ave
ve
r
y
indenite
in
for
m
ation
reg
rding
t
he
streng
t
h
a
g
o f the deta ch m ent some plac i ng i t at about thirty wh i le
o thers stated that D o m o jir o ff said he had e ight hundred
i n al l We could no t understand i t at all and soon the
messengers ceased coming All the letters o f the Sait re
m ained unanswered an d the envoys did not return There
seem e d to be no doubt tha t the men had been kill e d o r
captured
P rince Chultun Bey li de t ermined to go himself He
took with hi m the Russ i an and Chinese Presidents o f the
Cha m b ers o f Co mm erce and tw o Mongolian O fcers
Three days elapsed wi thout r e ceivin g any news from hi m
what eve r The Mongols beg an to get worried Then
the Chines e Co m m i ssioner and Hun Jap Lam a addressed
a requ e st to the foreigner group to send some o n e to
N ar ab an chi in order to t r y to resolve the controversy
there and to persuade D o m o jir o ff to recognize the t reaty

and not per m it the great insult o f violation o f a cove

nant between the two great peoples Our group a sked
me once more to accomplish this mission pr o b o no pu b lic o
I had a ssign ed me as inte rpreter a ne young Russian
coloni st the nephew o f the murdered B o b ro ff a splendid
rider as well as a cool brave man Lt Colonel M ic hailo ff
gave m e one o f his o fcers to accompany me S upplied
with an express te a m for the post horses and guides we
traveled rapidly over the way which w as now familiar to
me t o nd my o ld fr i end Jelib D jam sr ap H uk tuktu o f
N a r ab an chi
A lthough there was deep snow i n some
places w e made fro m one hundred to o ne hundred and
f t een m iles per day
was

C HAPTE R
T HE

X XV I

BAN D O F W HITE HU N G H U T Z E S

arrived at N ar aba n chi late at night o n the th i rd

day o ut A s we were approaching w e noticed
se v eral rid e rs w ho as soon as they had se e n us galloped
quickly back to the monastery For some time we looked
for the camp o f the Russian detachment without nding
it The Mongols led us i n to the m onastery w here the
Hutuk tu imm e diately received me I n his ym ta sat
Chultun Beyli There he presented m e with ha ty les and

said to m e : T he ver y G o d has sent yo u here to us in t his

di f cult moment
t seems D o m o jir o ff had arrested both the Presidents
O f the Chambers of Commerce and had threatened to
shoo t P r ince Chultun Both Domo j ir o ff an d Hun Boldon
had no documents legalizing their activities Chultun
Beyli w as preparing to ght w ith them
I asked them t o tak e me to D o m o jir o ff Through the
dar k I sa w four b i g yur tas and two Mongol sen tinels with

Russ i an ries We entered the Russian N oy o n s tent

A very strange p i cture was presented to our eyes In the
mi ddle o f the yur ta the brazier w a s burning In the usual
place fo r the altar stood a throne o n w hich the tall thin
grey haired Colonel D o m o jir o ff was seated H e was only
i n hi s undergarments and stockings was evidently a little
drunk an d was telling stories Around the bra z ier lay
E

73
.

BEAS TS

74

M EN

AND

GO

DS

twelve y oun g m en i n var i ous p i c t uresque poses My

O f cer compan i on re ported to D o m o jir o ff abou t the events
in Ul i assutai and during the conv ersation I ask ed Domo
j iro ff where h i s detachment was encamped He laughed

and answered w i th a sweep o f his han d : This is my

d etachment
I po i nted out to hi m that the form o f his
orders t o u s i n Uliassutai had led us to b elieve that he
m ust have a large company with him Then I informed
him that Lt Colonel M icha ilo ff was preparing to cross
swords with the Bolshevik force approaching U liassuta i

What ? he excla i med with fear an d c o n fusion the

Reds ?
We spent the n i ght in h i s y ur ta and when I was ready
t o lie down m y ofcer whispered to me :

Be sure to keep your revolver handy to whi ch I

laughed and sa i d :

But we are in the cent er o f a White detachment an d

therefore i n pe rfect safety !

Uh huh l answered my o i c e r and nished the r e

spo use w i th o n e eye closed
The next day I i nv i ted D o m o jiro ff to walk with m e
over the plain when I talked very frankly with him abou t
what had been happening He and Hun Boldon had
rece i ved orders from Baron Ungern si m ply to get i nto
touch with G eneral B ak itc h but instead they began pil
laging Ch inese rms along the route and he had made up
his mind t o become a great conqueror O n the w ay he
had run across some of the Ofcers who deserted Colonel
K az a g r a n di and for m ed his present band I succeeded i n
persuading D o m o jir o ff to arrange matte r s peace fully
with Chultun B eyli and not to violate the t reaty He
immedi ately wen t ahead to the monastery A s I returned
.

BEAS TS

6
7

M EN

AN D

GO D S

en t ered m y y ur ta and o ff ered his apolo gi e s I p e r s uaded

him to parley with Chultun Beyli and not to o ff end the
free Mongol people with his activities Tha t v ery night
all was arranged Hun Boldon dismissed hi s Mongols
and le ft for Kobdo while D o m o jir o ff w i th h i s band
sta rted for J assak tu Khan to a rrange for the m obilization
o f the M ongols there
With the consent o f Chultun Beyli
he wrote to Wang Tsa o t sun a dem an d to disarm his
guard as all o f the Ch i nese troops i n Ur g a h ad been so
treated ; but th i s letter arrived after W an g ha d bought
camels to replace t he stolen horses and was o n h i s w ay
to the border Later Lt Colonel M ichailo ff sen t a det ach
m ent of fty men under the command o f Li eut enan t
S t ri gi ne t o overhaul Wang and rece i ve the i r arm s
.

CHAPTE R XXVII
MYST E RY IN A S M A LL T E M PL E
RI N CE CHULT UN B E YLI and I were ready to
leave the N arab anchi Kure While the Hutuktu w a s
hold in g service for the Sait in the Temple o f Blessing I
w andered around through the narrow alleyways between
the walls o f the houses of the various grades o f Lama
G e lo ng s G e tuls Chai a j e and Ra b dj am pa ; o f s ch o ols
Where the lea rned doc tors o f theolo gy o r M ar a m b a
taught together with the d oct o rs o f medicine o r T o La m a ;
o f the res iden ces fo r students called B a n d i ; o f stores
archives and libraries When I returned to the yur ta o f
the H utuktu he w a s i ns i de He presented me with a
larg e ha ty k and proposed a walk around the monastery
His face wore a preoccupied expression from which I
gathered that he had something he wished t o discus s with
As w e went o ut of the yur ta the liberated President
me
o f the Russian Chamber o f Commerce and a Russ i an
o fcer j oin e d us The Hutuktu led us to a sm all building
j ust ba ck o f a bright yellow stone wall

In that building once stopped the D ala i Lama and

Bogd o Khan an d we always paint the buildings yellow

where these holy persons have lived E nter !

The interior O f the building w as arranged with splen
dor On the ground oo r w a s the dining room furnished
w i th ri chl y car v ed, hea vy blackwood Chinese t ables an d

77

B E AS T S

8
7

M EN

AND

GO

DS

ca b i ne t s ll e d with p o rce l ai n s and br o nze A bov e were

two rooms the rst a bed room hung with heavy yellow
si lk curtains ; a large Chinese lantern richly se t w ith col
ored stones h ung by a thin bronze chain fro m the carv ed
wooden ceiling bea m Here stood a large square bed c o v
ered with silken pillows m attresses and blankets The
fra m e work o f the bed was also o f the Chinese blackwood
a n d carr i ed especially on the posts that held the roof l ike
ca nopy nely executed carv i ngs with the ch i e f mot ive the
conventiona l dragon devouring the sun B y the s i de
stood a ches t o f drawers completely covered with carv ings
sett i ng forth relig i ous pictures Four comfortable easy
chairs completed the furniture save for the low oriental
throne which stood o n a dais at the end of the room

D o you se e this throne ? said the Hutuktu to m e

One night in winter several horsemen rode into t he

m onastery and demanded that all the G e lo ng : and G e tuls
with the Hutuktu and K anp o at the i r head should congre
gate in this room Then o n e o f the strangers m oun t ed
the throne where he t ook O ff his b as hly k o r cap like head
cover i ng A ll o f the Lam as fell to the i r knees as they
recogni z ed the man who had been long ago described i n
the sacred b ulls o f D ala i Lama Tashi Lam a and Bogdo
Khan He w a s the m an to whom the whole world be longs
and who has penetrated i nto all the myster i es o f Nature
H e pro nounced a short Tibetan prayer blessed all his
hearers and afterwards made predictions for the com i n g
hal f century T his w a s thirty years ago and i n the in
ter im all h i s prophecies are be i ng fullled D ur i ng his
prayers before tha t small shrine i n the nex t room t hi s
d oor O pened o f i ts o wn accord the candles and lights
be fore the altar l igh t e d them selves and the sacre d braz i ers
.

BEAS TS

8o

MEN AN D GO D S

hea d and beckoned m e t o him w ith a sligh t m ov e m ent

o f his hand

Look at the dark S pace beh i nd the st a tu e of Bu ddha

and he will S how your beloved to you

Readily obey i ng his deep voiced com m an d I began t o
look i nto the da rk niche behind the gure o f the Buddha
Soo n o ut o f the darkness began t o appear streams of
s m oke o r t ransparent thr e ads They oat e d i n the air
becoming more and more dense and increasing i n numb e r
until gradually they formed the bodies o f several pe rsons
and the outlines o f various O b j ects I saw a room that
was strange to me with my fam ily there surrounded by
some w hom I knew and others whom I did not I recog
E very line of her
n iz e d even the dress my wi fe wore
dear face was clearly visib le Gradually the vision b e
came t oo dark dissipated itself into the streams o f smoke
and transparent threads and disa ppeared Behind the
golden Buddha was nothing but the darkness
The
Hutuktu arose took m y ko ty le from the shoulder o f the
Buddha and handed it to m e with these words :

Fortune i s always with you and w ith y our fa mi ly

God s goodness will not forsake you

We left the building o f this unknown K ing o f the
World where he had prayed for all mankind and had
predicted the fate o f peoples and states I was greatly
astonished to nd that my companions had also seen my
vision and to hear them describe to me in minute detail the
appearance and the clothes o f the persons whom I had
!
seen i n the dark n i che beh i nd the head o f Buddha
hi s

g
v th vi d of th
im p iv vi i I k d th m t m k
i g wh t th y w Thi th y di d d
t i my p
i
m i ht ha

d in arily

d vit
a

r e ss

s co n ce r n n

st a t e m e n s

s on,

as

o sse ss o n

sa

en c e

e e

an

e rs o n

t his

e xt ra o r

r o t o co ls o r

n ow

ha v

a f

the se

MYS TERY IN A

S MALL

TEMPLE

81

The Mongol o i c e r also t old m e tha t Chult un B ey l i had

the day be fore asked the Hutuktu to reveal to him his fate
in this important j uncture o f his life and in this crisis o f
his country but the Hutuktu o nly waved his hand in an
expression O f fear and refused When I asked t he
H utuk tu fo r the reason o f his refusal suggesting to hi m
that it might calm and help Chultun Beyli as the vision o f
my beloved had strengthened m e the H utuktu kn i tte d his
b row and answered :

N O ! The vision would no t please the Prince Hi s

fat e is black Yesterday I thrice sought his fortune o n
the burned shoulder blades and with the entrails o f sheep
and each t im e came t o the sa m e d i re result the sa m e d i re
res ult !
He d id no t really n i sh speak i ng bu t cover e d h i s face
with his hands in fear He was convinced that the lo t of
Chultun Beyli w a s black a s the night
In an hour w e were behind the lo w h i lls tha t h i d the
N a rab anchi K ure fro m o ur sight
.

'

C HA PT E R XX VI I I
T HE

BR E ATH

O F

D E AT H

arr i ved at Uliassuta i o n the day o f the re t u rn o f

the detachment which had gone o ut to disa rm the
convoy of Wang Tsao tsun Thi s detachment had m et
Colonel D o m o jir o ff w ho ordered them not only to dis
ar m but to pillage the convoy and unfor t unately Lieu
tenant S trigine executed this i llegal and unwarranted
com mand It was compro mi s i ng and ig n o m i m o u s to se e
Russ i an ofcers and soldiers wearing the Ch inese over
coats boots and wri st watches which had be e n taken from
the Chinese o ic ials and the convoy E veryone had
Chinese silver and gold als o from the loo t The Mongol
w i fe o f Wan g Tsao tsun and her brother returned w ith
the detachment and entered a complaint o f having be e n
robbe d by the Russians The Chinese O f cials and the i r
convoy deprived o f the i r supplies reached the Chinese
border only a fter great distress from hunger and cold
We foreigners were astounded that Lt C olonel M ic hailo ff
received Strigine w i th m ilitary honors bu t we caught the
explana tion o f it lat er when w e learned that M ichailo ff
had bee n gi ven so m e o f th e Ch i nese s i lver and h i s wi fe
the handso m ely decorated saddle o f Fu H s i an g Chultun
Beyli de m and e d that all the weapons taken fr o m the
Ch i nese and all the stolen property be turned over to him
as it m ust l at e r be re t urne d to t he Ch inese au thor i t i es ;
E

1 82

BEAS TS

84

MEN AND GO D S

wha t th e y sh o uld do wi th th i s gr o up wh i ch spli t

the

t a c hm e n t

de

into two distinct parties Lt Colonel M ichailo ff

with several ofcers j oined themselves to Po le tika s group
j ust as Colonel D o m o jiro ff arrived with h i s detachmen t
He began to get i n touch w i th both fact ions and to fee l
o ut the politics o f the situation nally appo int ing P o le tik a
to the post o f Commandant o f Uliassuta i and sending t o
Baron Ungern a full report of the events i n the town In
this documen t he devoted much space t o me accusing m e
o f standing i n the w ay o f the execution o f h i s orders
His o fcers watched me conti nuously F ro m d i fferen t
quarters I received warnings to take great care T his
band and its leader openly demanded to k now what right
this for e igner had t o interfere i n the a ffairs o f Mongolia
o n e o f D o m o jir o ff s o fcers directly g i ving me the chal
lenge in a meeting in the attempt to provoke a contro
I qu i etly answered h i m :
v e r sy

And o n what basi s do the Russ i an re fugees i nterfere

they who have rights neither at home nor abroad
The o fcer made no verbal reply but in his eyes burne d
a denite answer M y huge friend w ho sat beside me
noticed this strode over toward him and towering over
him stretched his arms and hands as though j ust waking

from sleep and remarked : I m looking for a little box

i ng exerci se
O n o n e occas i on D o m o jir o ff s m en would have suc
c e e d e d in taking m e i f I had not been saved by the watch
fulness o f our foreign group I had gone to the fortress
to negotiate with the M ongol Sa it for the departure o f
the foreigners fro m Uliassutai Chultun Beyli detained
me fo r a long time so that I was forced t o return abou t
My hors e w as walk i ng Hal f a
n ine i n the evenin g
-

'

T HE

mil e fro m

BREATH

DEATH

OF

85

town thre e m en spr ang up o ut o f the d i tch

and ran at m e I whipped up my horse but noticed se v
eral m ore m en coming o ut o f the other ditch as though
t o head me o ff They howev er made for the other group
a n d captu red the m and I heard the voice o f a foreigner
calling m e back There I found three o f D o m o jir o ff s
o f cers surrounded by the Polish so l diers and other for
e igners under the leaders hip o f my o ld trusted agronome
w ho was occupied w i th tying the hands o f the o fcers
behind their backs so strongly that the bones cracked
E nding his work and still smoking his perpetual pipe he

announced in a serious and important manner : I th i nk

it best to throw them in to the river

Laughing at his seriousness and the fear o f D omo
i
r
o
ff
h
ofcers
I
asked
th
m
they
had
started
to
w
s
e
j
y
attack me They dropped their eyes and were silent It
w a s an eloquent silence and we per fectly understood what
they had proposed to do T hey had revolvers hidden in
their pockets

Fine ! I s aid All i s perfectly clear I shall release

you but you must report to your sender that he will n o t
welcome you back the next time Your W ea pons I shal l

hand to the Commandant o f Uliassutai

My friend using his former terri fying care began to

untie them re peating over and over : And I would have

fed you to the shes i n the river ! Then w e all returned

t o the town leaving them to go their way
D om o jir o ff continued to send envoys to Baron Ungern
at Urga with requests for plenary powers and money and
with re port s about M ic hailo ff C hultun Beyli P o le tik a
Philipo ff and myself With Asiatic cunning he was then
m ainta i ning good r elati ons with al l those fo r w ho m he
the

BEAS TS

86

w as p re p ari ng d e ath

MEN AND GO D S

h an d s of the sev e r e warr io r

Baron Ungern who was receiving only one sided reports
about all the happenings i n Ul i assutai O ur whole colony
w a s greatly agitated
The ofcers split into di fferent par
ties ; the soldiers collected in groups a nd discussed the
events of the day criticis i ng their chiefs and under t he
i nuence o f some o f D o m ojir o ff s men began m a ki ng
such statements as :

We have now seven C olonels who all want t o be i n

command and are all quarreling among themselves They
all ought to be pegged down and given good sound thrash
i ngs The o n e who could take the grea t est number o f

blows ought to be chosen as our chie f

It was an ominous j oke that prov ed the d e m oral i zat i on
o f the Russian detachment

I t see m s m y friend frequently observ ed that w e

shall soon have the pleasure of seeing a Council o f S o l
diers here in Uliassutai God and the D evil ! One thing
here is very unfortunate there are no forest s near i nto
which good Christi a n men may dive and ge t away from
all these cursed S oviets It s bare fr i ghtf ully ba re this

wretched M ongolia with no place for us to h i de

Really this possibility o f the Sov i e t w as approach i ng
O n one occas i on the sold i ers captured the arsena l conta i n
ing the weapons surrendered by the Chinese and carried
them o ff to the i r barracks D runkenness gambling and
ghting increase d W e foreigners care fully watch i ng
events and in fear o f a catastrophe nally decided to leave
Uliassuta i that caldron o f passions controversies and
d enunciations We heard that the group o f Po le tika was
also preparing to get out a few days later W e fore i gn ers
separated i n to two parti es o ne t ravel ing by the o ld ca ra
at

the

BEAS TS

88

ME N AND G O D S

terrible blood y Baron

No o ne can dec i de h i s o wn f ate
I did not think myself in the wrong and the feeling o f fear
had long since ceased to occupy a place l n my m e nag e
O n the way a Mongol rider who overhauled us brought
the news o f the death of o u r acquaintances at Zain S habi
He spent the night with me in the y ur ta at the o ur ton and
related to m e the following legend o f death

It was a long time ago when the Mongolians ruled

over China The Prince o f U liassuta i Belti s V an w as
m ad He executed any o n e he wished without trial and
no o n e dared to pass through h i s town All the other
Princes and rich Mongols surrounded Uliassutai where
Beltis raged cut o ff communication o n every road and
allowed none to pass in o r out Famine developed in the
t own They consumed all the oxen sheep and horses and
nally Beltis V an determined to make a dash with his
soldiers through to the west to the lan d o f one of his
tribes the O le ts He and his men all perished in the
ght T he Princes following the advice of the Hutuktu
Buyantu buried the dead on the slope s of the mountains
surrounding Uliassutai They buried them with incanta
tions and e xo r c isin g s in order that Death by Violence
might be kept from a further visitation to the i r land
The tombs were covered with heavy stones and the
Hutuk tu predicted that the bad demon of Death by V io
lence would only leave the earth when the blood o f a man
should be spilled upon the covering stone S uch a legend
lived among us N ow it is fullled The Russians shot
there three Bolshevik i and the Chinese two Mongols The
evil spiri t o f Be l ti s V an broke loose from beneath the
heavy stone and now mows down the people w i th his
scythe The noble Chultun B eyli has per i shed ; the Rus
.

BREATH

T HE

OF

DEATH

: 89

sian N oy on M ic ha ilo ff also has fallen ; and death has

owe d out from U liassutai all over o ur boundless plains
?
Who shall be able to stem it now
Who shall tie the
ferocious hands ? An evil time has fallen upon the Gods
and the G ood S pirits The E vil Demons have made war
?
upon the Good S pirits Wha t can m an now do
O nly
per i sh only per i sh
.

P a rt I I I
TH E S T RA I N I N G H E A R T O F A S I A

CHA PTE R XXIX

O N T HE

R O AD

O F

GR E AT C O N ! UE RORS

great c o nqueror J e n g hiz Khan , the son o f sad

stern severe Mongolia according to an o ld Mon

golian legend m ounted to the top o f K arasu Togol and

with his eyes o f an eagle looked to the west and the east
In the west he saw whole seas o f human blo o d over which
oated a bloody fo g that blankete d all the horizon There
he could not discern his fate But the gods ordered hi m
t o proceed to the west leading with him all his warriors
and Mongolian tribes To the east he saw wealthy towns
shining temples crowds of happy people garden s and
elds o f rich earth all o f which pleased the great Mongol
H e said to his sons : There in the wes t I shall be re and
sword destroyer avenging Fate ; i n the east I shall come
as the merci ful great builder bringing happiness t o the
people and to the land
Thus runs the legend I found muc h o f truth in it I
had passed over much o f his road to the west and alway s
identied i t by the old tombs and the i mpert i nent monu
HE

1 93

BEAS TS

94

MEN

AN D

GO DS

m ents of s tone t o the m e rc il ess conqueror I saw also a

part o f the eas t ern road o f the hero over wh i ch he
t raveled t o China Once when we were making a t rip ou t
T he
o f Uliassu t a i we s t opped the night in D j irgalant u
o ld host o f the o ur to n knowing m e from my prev i ous
trip to N a r ab an c hi welcomed us very kindly and regaled
us with stories dur i ng o ur even i ng meal Among other
.

things he led us o ut of the y ur ta and pointed o ut a moun

tain peak brightly lighted by the full moon and recount e d
to us the story o f o n e o f the sons o f J e n g hiz a fterwards
E mperor o f China Indo China and Mongolia w ho had
been attracted by the beauti ful scenery and grazing lands
o f D j irgalantu and ha d founded here a town
T his w a s
soon left without inhabitants fo r the Mongol i s a nomad
who canno t l i ve i n articial cities The plain i s his house
and the world his town For a time this town witnesse d
battles between the Chinese and the troops of J e n g hiz
Khan but a fterwards it w a s forgotten At present there
r ema i ns only a half ruined tower from which in the early
d ays the heavy rocks were hurled down upon the heads
o f the enemy
and the dilapidated gate o f Kublai the
grandson o f J e n g hi z Khan Against the greenish sky
d renched w i th the rays o f the moon stood o ut the j agged
line o f the mount ains and the black silhouette o f the tower
with its loopholes through which the alternate scudd ing
clouds and light ashed
When o ur party le ft Uliassutai we t raveled o n le i
s urely making thirty v e to fty miles a day until we
were w i thin sixty miles of Zain Shabi where I took leave
o f the others t o go south to this place in order to keep my
engage m ent with Colonel K az ag r an d i The sun had just
r i sen as m y s i ngle Mon g o l gu i de and I w i thout an y pac k
,

BEAS TS

96

M EN

AN D

GO D S

words o f a Tibe ta n prayer At t he bo tt o m o f th i s mo un

tain was a cemetery fo r the Lamas that is piles of bones
a n d a pack O f dogs
At last the monastery lay right below
u s a common square surrounded with wooden fences
In the middle rose a large temple quite di fferent from all
those o f western Mongolia not i n the C hinese but in the
T ibetan style o f architecture a W hite building with per
n
i
l
c
e
d
u
ar
wal
l
s
and
regular
rows
O
f
w
i
ndows
in
black
p
frames w i th a r oo f o f black tiles and with a most unusual
dam p course la i d between the stone walls and the roof
timbers and made o f bundles o f twigs from a Tibetan t ree
which never rots Another small quadrangle lay a little to
the east and contained Russian buildings connected w i th
the monastery by telephon e

That is the house o f the Liv i ng God of Zain the

Mongol explained pointing to this smaller quadrangle

He likes Russian customs and manners

To the north on a conical shaped hill rose a tower that
r ecalled the Babylonian z i k kur a t
It was the temple where
the anc i ent books and manuscripts were k ept and the
broken ornaments and ob j e cts used in the religi ous cere
m onies together with the robes o f decease d H utuktus pre
served A sheer cli ff rose behind this museum which it
w a s impossible for o n e to climb O n the face o f this were
carved images o f the Lamaite gods scattered about with
o ut any spec ial order
They were from o n e to t wo and a
half metres high At n i ght the monks lighted lamps
be fore them so that o n e could see these i mages of the
gods and goddesses from far away
W e en ter ed the trading settlement The street s were
d eserted and from the windows only women and children
looked o ut I stopped w ith a Russ i an r m whose other
.

T HE

ON

RO AD

OF

GREAT

CO

N ! U ERO R S

97

branches I ha d k nown throughou t the coun t ry Much to

my astonishmen t they welcomed me as an acquaintance
It appeared that the H utuktu o f N ar ab an c hi had sen t
w ord to all the monasteries that whenever I s hould come
they must all render me aid inasmuch as I had saved the
N a rab an c hi Monastery and by the clear signs of the
divinations I was an incarnate Buddha beloved o f the
Gods This letter o f this kindly disposed Hutuktu helped
me very much perhaps I should even say more t hat it
saved m e from death The hospitality o f my hosts
proved o f great and much needed assistance to me because
my in j ured leg had swelled and w a s aching severely
When I took o ff my boot I found my foot all covered
with blood and my o ld wound r e opened by the blow
A fe lche r w as called to assist m e with treatment and
bandaging so that I w a s able to walk again three days
later
I did not nd Colonel K az ag r an d i at Zain S habi Afte r
destroying the Chinese gamins w ho had killed the local
Co mmandant he had returned via V an Kure The n e w
Commandment handed me the letter o f K az ag ran d i w ho
very cordially asked me to visit him after I had rested in
Zain A Mongolian document was enclosed in the letter
gi ving me the right to receive horses and carts from herd

to herd by means of the ur g a which I shall later de

scribe and which O pened fo r me an entirely new vista o f
Mongolian li fe and country that I should otherwise neve r
have seen The m aking o f this j ourney o f over two hun
dred miles w as a very disagreeable tas k for me ; but evi
d e ntly K a z ag r an d i whom I ha d never m et had serious
reasons f or wi sh i ng th i s m ee ti ng
At one o c l oc k the day after my arr i v al I was vis i ted by
.

BEAS TS

98

M EN

GO D S

AN D

the loca l Very God Cheg hen Pan dita Hutukt u A

more strange and extraordinary appearance o f a god I
could no t i m agine He was a short thin young man o f
twenty o r twenty two years with quick nervous move
m ents and with an expressive face lighted and d ominated
like the countenances of all the Mongol gods by large
frightened eyes He w a s dressed in a blue silk Russian
uni for m with yellow epaulets with the sacred sign of
Pandita Hutuktu in blue silk trousers and high boots all
surmounted by a white Astrakh an cap with a yellow
pointed top At his girdle a revolver and sword were
slung I did not know quite what to think of t his dis
guised god He took a cup O f tea from the host and
began to talk with a mixture O f Mongolian and Russian

N ot far from my Kure is located the ancient mon

a ste ry o f E rdeni Dzu erected o n the site O f the ruins o f
Karakorum the ancient capital o f J e n g hiz Khan and
a fterwards frequently visited by Kublai Kahn for sanc
tua r y and rest after his labo rs as E mperor o f C hina
India Persia Afghanistan Mongolia and hal f O f E urope
Now only ruins and tombs remain to mark this former
Garden o f B e ati c Days The pious monks of Baroun
Kure found in the underground chambers o f the ruins
manuscripts that were much O lder than E rdeni D z u itsel f
In these my Maramba M e e tchik Atak found the predic
tion that the Hutuktu O f Zain who should carry the title
should be but twenty o n e years o f age be
o f Pandita
born in the heart o f the lands O f J e n g hiz Khan and have
on his chest the natural sign o f the swast i ka such
Hutuktu would be honored by the people in the days o f
a great war and trouble would begin the ght with the
servants o f Red evil and would conquer them and bring
,

BEAS TS

z oo

MEN AND G O D S

probabl y re st s i n e t erna l peace on the t op o f so m e sacred

mountain sent thither by the sol i c i tude o f his e xtrao r
d in a r y court physician
The martial spirit of Pandita
Hutuktu w a s very unwelcome to the Council of Lamas
who protested agains t the adventuresomeness o f this

Liv i ng God
P andita liked w i ne and cards O n e day when he w as
i n the co m pany of Russians and dressed in a E uropean
suit some Lamas came running to announce that divine

service had begun and that the Living G o d m ust take

hi s place o n the altar to be prayed to but he had gone o ut
fro m his abode and was playing cards ! Without any c o n
f usion Pandita drew his red mantle o f the Hutuktu over
his E uropean coat and long grey trousers and allowed the

shocked Lamas t o carry the i r G o d away in his palan

quin
Besides the surgeon po i soner I me t at the H utuktu s a
lad o f thirteen years whose youthfulness red robe and
cropped hair led me to suppose he was a B a ndi o r student
se r vant in the hom e o f the Hutuktu ; but i t turned o ut
otherwise This boy was the rst H ubilg cm also an in
carnate Buddha an art ful telle r O f fortunes and the suc
cessor of Pandita Hutuktu He w a s drunk all the time
and a great card player always making side spli tting
j okes that greatly o ffen ded the Lamas
That same evening I made the acquaintance of the sec
o n d H u b i lg cm w ho called on me the real administrator
o f Zain S habi which i s an independent dominion sub j ect
directly to the Liv i ng Buddha T his H ub ilg an w a s a
serious and ascetic man o f thirty tw o well educated an d
deeply learned in Mongol lore He knew Russian an d
read much in tha t lan gua g e being interested chiey in the
,

T HE

ON

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G REAT

OF

CO

N ! UERO RS

201

li fe and stor i es o f other pe oples He ha d a h i gh r espect

for the creat i ve geni us o f the Amer i can people and said to
me :

When yo u go to America ask the Am ericans to co m e

to us and lead us out from the darkness that surrounds us
The C hinese and Russians w i ll lead us to destruction and

only the Americans can save us

It I S a de e p satisfaction fo r m e t o carry o ut the reques t
H wb ilg cm and t o urge his
o f this i nuential Mongol
appeal to the Amer i can people Will you not save this
h onest uncorrupted but dark dece i ved and oppressed
P They should n o t be allowed to er i sh fo r with i n
l
e
O
e
p p
p
their souls they carry a great store of strong moral
forces Make of them a cultured people believing in the
verity of humankind ; teach them to use the wealth o f
their land ; and the ancient people O f J e n g hiz Khan will
ever be your faithful friends
When I had sufciently recovered the Hutuktu invited
me t o t ravel with him to E rdeni D z u to which I will i ngly
agreed O n the following morning a ligh t and com fort
able carriage was brought for me O ur t r i p lasted ve
days during which we visited E rdeni Dzu Karakorum
Hoto Z a id am and Hara Balgasun All these are the
ruins o f monasteries and cities erected by J e n g hiz Khan
and his successors U g ad ai Khan and Kublai in the thir
t e e n th cen t ury
N o w only the re m nants o f walls and
towers remain some large tombs and whole books of
legends and stories

Look at these tombs l said the Hutuktu to me

Here the son o f Khan Uyuk was buried This young

pr i nce w as br i bed by the Chinese to kill his father but
was frustrated i n h i s attempt by h i s o wn sister who killed
.

BEAS TS

2 02

MEN AND G O D S

h im i n her w atch f u l ca r e o f her o ld f ather the E m pero r

and Khan There i s the t omb o f T sin illa the beloved
S pouse o f Khan Mangu She lef t the capital O f China to
go to Khara B o lg a sun where she fell in love with the
brave shepherd D am cha r e n who overtoo k the wind o n
his steed and w ho captured wild yaks and horses with his
bare hands The enraged Khan ordered his unfaithful
w i fe strangled but a fterwards bur i ed her with i mperial
honors and frequentl y came to her tomb to weep fo r his

lost love

And what happened to D a m char e n ? I i nquir e d

The Hutuktu himsel f did n o t know ; but his o ld servan t
the real archive O f legends answ e red :

W ith the aid o f f erocious Chahar br i gands he f ough t

w i th China for a long ti m e It is however unknown ho w

he died
Among the ru ins the m onks pray at certa i n x ed t i me s
and they also search fo r sacred books and ob j ects con
c e ale d o r bur i ed in the d bris
Recentl y they found here
two Chinese r i es and two gold rings and b i g bundles of
o ld manuscripts tied w i th leather thongs

Why d i d this reg i on attract the power ful emperors

a n d Khans w ho ruled fro m the Pac i c t o the A dr i atic ?

I asked myself Certainly not these mountains and val
leys covered with larch and birch n o t these vast sands
r eceding lakes and barren rocks
It seems that I found
the answer
The great empe rors re m e mber i ng the v i s i on of J e n g hiz
Khan sought here new revelations and predictions of his
m iraculous ma j est i c destiny surrounded by the d i vine
honors O be i sance and hate Where could they come into
touch wi th the gods the good and bad spirits ? Onl y
,

BEAS TS

2 04

MEN AND GO DS

regi on i s the southern edge o f the coal depos i ts wh i ch are

the source o f carbonic acid and swamp gases
N ot far from the ru i ns l n the lands o f Hun D o ptchin
Dj am tso there is a small lake which sometimes burns with
a red ame terri fying the Mongols and h e rds o f horses
N aturally thi s lake i s r i ch with legends Here a meteor
formerly fell and sank far i nto the earth In t he hole th i s
lake appeared N ow it seems the i nhabitants o f the sub
terranean passages semi man and semi demon are labor

ing to extract this stone o f the sky from its deep bed
and it is setting the water o n re as i t rises and falls back
in spite o f their eve ry eff or t I did not se e the lake mysel f
but a Russian colonist told me that it may be petroleum
o n the lake that i s red either fro m the campres o f the
shepherds or by the bla zi ng rays o f the sun
At any rate all this makes it very easy to understand the
attractions for the great Mongol potentates The strong
est impression w a s pr o duced upon me by Karakorum the
place where the cruel and w i se J en g hiz Khan lived and
la i d his gigantic plans fo r overrunning all the west with
blood and fo r coveri ng the east with a glory neve r before
seen Two K a r ak o r um s were erected by J e n g hiz Khan
o n e here near T a t sa Gol o n the Caravan Road and the
other in Pamir where the sad warr i ors buried the greatest
o f human conquerors i n the mausoleum built by ve hun
dred captives who were sacriced to the spirit o f the de
ceased when the i r work w a s done
The warlike Pandita Hutuktu prayed on the ru i n s
where the shade s of these potentates who had ruled half
the world wander e d and his soul longed for the chimer
i cal exploits and fo r the glory O f J e n g hiz and Tamerlane
On the return j ourney we were invited not far from
.

T HE

ON

RO AD

G RE AT C O N ! UERO RS

OF

2 05

Za i n to visit a very r i ch Mongol by the way H e had

already prepared the y ur tas suitable fo r Princes orna
m e n t e d with rich carpets and silk draperies The H utuktu
accepted We arranged ourselves on the soft pillows in
the y m tas as the Hutuktu blessed the Mongol touching
his head with his holy hand and received the ha tyks
T he host then had a whole sheep brought in to us boiled
i n a huge vessel The Hutuktu carved O ff o n e hind leg
and o ffered it to me while he reserved the other for him
self After this he gave a large piece o f meat to the
smallest so n o f the host which was the sign that Pandita
Hutuktu invited all to begin the feast In a trice the
sheep was entirely carved o r torn up and in the hands o f
the banqueters When the Hutuktu had thrown down by
the bra z ier the white bones without a trace O f meat le ft
O n them the host on hi s knees withdrew from the re a
piece o f s heepskin and ceremoniously o ffered it on both
Pandita began to clean o ff the
his hands to the Hutuktu
w ool and ashes with his kni fe and cutting it into thin
strips fell to eating this really tasty course It is the c o v
ering from j ust above the breast bon e and is called in Mon

golian tar ac h o r arrow

When a sheep is skinned this
small section i s cut o ut and placed o n the hot coals where
i t is broiled very slowly Thus pre pared i t i s considered
the most dainty bit O f the whole animal and is always pre
sented to the guest of honor It is not permissible to
divide it such is the strength of the custom and ceremony
After dinner our host proposed a hunt fo r bighorns
a large herd o f whic h was known to graze in the moun
tains within less than a mile from the y m tas Horses
with rich saddles and bridles were led up All the elab
orat e harness of the H utuk tu s m ount was ornamented
.

'

BEAS TS

2 06

MEN AND G O D S

with re d an d ye ll ow b i ts o f clo th as a m ark o f h i s rank

About fty Mongol riders galloped behind us When we

le f t o ur horses w e w ere placed behind the rocks roughly
three hundred paces apart and the Mongols began the
enc i rcl i ng move m ent around the mountain After about
hal f an hour I noticed way up among the rocks something
ash and soon m ade out a ne b i ghorn j umping w ith tre
m e n d o us spr i ngs fro m rock t o rock and behind him a
herd o f so m e twenty o d d head leaping like lightning over
the ground I w as vex ed beyond words when it appeared
that the Mongols had m ade a m ess o f i t and pushed the
herd out to the s i de before hav i ng completed their circle
Bu t happil y I was m istaken Behind a rock right ahead
o f the her d a M ongol s prang up and waved his hands
Only the bi g leader w as no t frightened and kept right o n
past the unarmed Mongol while all the rest of the herd
swung suddenly round and rushed right down upon me
I O pened re and dropped two o f them The Hutuktu
also brought down one as well as a musk antelope that
came unexpectedly from behind a rock hard by The
largest pair o f horns weighed about thi rty pounds but
they were fro m a y oung sheep
The day following o ur return to Za i n Shab i as I was
f eeling quite recovered I dec i ded to go on to Van Kure
At my leave taking from the Hutuktu I rece i ved a large
ha ty k fro m hi m together with warmest expressions o f
thank s for the present I had given hi m on the rst day o f
o ur acquaintance

It is a ne med i c i ne ! he excla i med

A ft er our t rip
I felt quite exhaus t ed but I took your m edicine and am

now quite re j uvenated Many many thanks !

The poor chap had swallowed my osmir i d i u m To be
.

CHA PTE R XX X
ARR E S T E D
B OUT t welve miles from Zain we saw f ro m a r i dge
a snakelike line o f r i ders crossing the valley which
detachment w e met half an hour later o n the shore o f a
deep swampy stream The group consisted o f Mongols
Buriats and Tibetan s armed with Russian r i es At the
head of the column were t w o men o n e o f whom in a huge
black Astrakhan and black felt cape with r ed Caucasian
cowl on his shoulders blocked my road and in a coarse

harsh voice d e manded o f me : Who are you where are

you from and where are you going ?

I gave also a laconic answer They then said that they
were a detachment o f troops from Baron Ungern under

the command o f Captain Van d alo ff

I am Captain Bez

ro d n o ff military j udge
His i nsolent s tupid face
S uddenly he laughed loudly
did not please me and bowing t o the o i c e r s I ordered
my riders to move

Oh no ! he remonstrated as he blocked the roa d

again
I cannot allow you to go farther I want to have
a long and serious conversation with you and you will

have to come back to Zain for it

I protested and called attention to the letter o f Colonel
K az a g ran d i only t o hear B e z r o d n o ff answer with cold
ness :
,

ARRE S TE D !

2 09

This le tt er i s a m atter o f Colonel K az ag rand i s and t o

br i ng yo u back to Zain and talk with yo u is my affa i r

N ow give m e your weapon

But I could not yield to this demand even though
death were threatened

Listen I said
Tell me frankly Is yours re ally a
detachment ghting against the Bolsheviki o r is i t a Red

contingent ?

No I assure yo u ! replied the Buriat ofcer Van

We have already been ghting

d alo ff approaching me

the Bolsheviki for three years

Then I cannot hand yo u my weapon I calmly replied

I brought it from S oviet S iberia have had many ghts

with this faith ful weapon and now I am to be disarmed by

White O fcers ! It i s an o ffence that I cannot allow

With these words I threw my rie and my Mauser into
the stream The ofcers were confused B e z r o d n o ff
tu rn ed red with anger

I freed you and myself fro m humiliation I ex

plained
B e z r o d n o ff in silence turned his horse the whole de
t a c hm e n t o f three hundred men passed immediately
before me and only the last two riders stopped ordered
my Mongols to turn my cart round and then fell i n
behind my little group So I was arrested ! One o f the
horsemen behind me w a s a Russian and he told me that
B e z r o d n o ff carried with him many death decrees
I was
sure that mine was amon g them
S tupid very stupid ! What was the use of ghting
one s way through Red detachments o f being fro z en and
hungry o f almost perishing in Tibet only to die from a
bullet o f o n e o f B e z r o dno ff s Mongols ? Fo r such a pleas

"

B E AS TS

z ro

MEN AND GO D S

ure i t was n ot wo rth wh il e to t rav el so long and so far !

In every S iber i an Cheka I could have had th i s end so

j oyfully accorded m e
When we arrived a t Za i n Shab i my luggage w as exam
in e d and B e z r o d n o ff began to question me i n m inutest
deta i l about the events i n Ul i assutai We talked about
three hours dur i ng which I tried t o de fend all the ofcers
o f Uliassu ta i m aintain i ng that o n e must no t trust only
the reports o f D o m o jiro ff When our conversation w a s
n i shed the Captain stood up and off ered his apologies
for detaining me in m y j ourney A fterwards he pre
sented me a ne Mauser w ith s i lv er m ounti n g s on the
handle and said :

Your p ride greatly pleased m e I beg yo u t o receive

th i s weapon as a m e m e nt o of m e
The follow i ng morning I se t o ut anew f ro m Zain
Shab i hav i ng i n m y pocke t the laiss ez p asser o f B e z rod
n o ff for h i s ou t pos t s
.

BEAS TS

2 1 2

MEN AND G O D S

horses are caugh t an d sa d dle d an d the new o wners sub

stituted for those of the last herd A ll th e Mongols so
e ffected by the right of urg a try to n ish their task as
rapidly as possible and gallop like m ad fo r the neares t
herd in your general direction o f travel to turn over their
t ask to their neighbor A n y traveler hav i ng this right o f
urg a can catch horses himsel f and i f there are n o owners
can force the former ones to carry o n and leave the ani
mals in the next herd he requisitions But this happens
very rarely because the Mongol never likes to seek o ut his
animals i n another s herd as i t alway s gives so m any
chances for controversy
It was from this custom accord i ng to o n e explanat ion
that the town o f Urga took its name among o utsiders
By the Mongols themselves it i s always re ferred t o as

Ta Kure
The Great Monastery
The reason the
Buriats and Russians w ho were the rst to trade i nto this
region called i t Urga was because it was the principal
destination of all the trading expeditions which crossed
the plains by this o ld method o r right o f travel A se c ond

explanation is that the town lies in a loop whose sides

are formed by three mountain ridges along o n e of which
the River Tola runs like the pole or stick o f the f am i liar
urg a of the pla i ns
Thanks to this un i que t i cke t o f urg a I crossed qu i te
untraveled sect i ons o f Mongol i a for about two hundred
miles It gave me the welcome oppo rtunity to observe the
fauna of this part o f the country I saw many huge herds
o f Mongolian antelopes running from ve to six thou
sand many groups o f bighorns w ap i ti and ka b ar g a an
t e lo pe s
S ome times small herds o f wild horses and w i ld
asses ashed as a vis i on o n the hor i zon
.

T RAVE LIN G B Y

U RGA

2 1

In o n e place I observed a big colony of mar m o t s All

over an area o f several square miles their mounds were
scattered with the holes leading down to t heir runways
below the dwellings of the marmot In and o ut among
these mounds the greyish yellow or brown animals ran in
all si z es up to half that o f an average dog They ran
heavily and the skin o n their fat bodies moved as though
it were too big fo r them The marmots are splendid
prospectors always digging deep ditches throwing o ut
In many places I saw
o n the surface all the stones
mounds the marmots had made from copper ore and far
ther north some from minerals containing wolfram and
vanadium Whenever the marmot is at the entrance of
his hole he sits up straight on his hind legs and looks like
a bit of wood a small stump or a stone As soon as he
pies a rider in the distance he watches him with great
curiosity and begins whistling s harply T his curiosity o f
the marmots is taken advantage of by the hunters who
sneak up to their holes ourishing streamers o f cloth o n
The whole attention of the small
the tips o f long poles
animals is concentrated o n this small ag and only the
bullet that takes his life explains to him the reason fo r
this previously unknown obj ect
I saw a very exciting picture as I passed through a
marmot colony near the O rkhon River There were
thousands of holes here so that my Mongols had to use
all their skill to keep the horses from breaking their legs
in t hem I noticed an eagle circling high overhead All
o f a sudden he droppe d like a stone to the t o p o f a mound
where he sat motionless as a rock The marmot in a few
minutes ran out o f his hole to a neighbor s doorway The
eagle calmly j umped down from the top and with o n e
.

2 1

BEAS TS

MEN AND G O D S

w i ng c l o se d the en t rance to the h ol e T he rod ent he ar d

the noise turned back and rushed to the attack try i ng to
brea k through t o hi s hole where he had evidently left h i s
f amily T he s t ruggle began The eagle fought with o ne
free w i n g o n e le g and h i s bea k but did no t w i thdraw the
bar to the entrance T he m ar m o t j u m ped at the rapac i ous
b i rd w i th grea t boldness but soon fell fro m a blow o n the
head Only then the eagle w i thdrew h i s w i ng approached
the m ar m ot n i shed hi m o ff and w i th d i fculty li fted him
in h i s talons t o carry h im a w ay t o the m oun t ains for a
tasty luncheon
In the m ore barren pl aces wi th onl y occas i onal spear s
o f g rass in the plain another species o f rodent lives called
i m o ur an abou t the s i ze o f a squ i rrel T h ey have a coa t
the same color as the prair i e and runn i ng abou t i t like
snakes they collect the seeds that are blown across by the
wind and carry the m down into the i r dim i nutive homes
The {m o ur an has a t ruly fai th ful friend the yellow lar k
o f the prairie wi th a brown back and head
When he sees
the {m our an runnin g across the plain he settles o n his
back aps h i s wings i n balance and rides well this swiftly
galloping m ount w ho gaily ourishes his long shaggy
tail The lark during his ride skilfully and qu i ckly catches
the parasites l i ving o n the body of his friend giving evi
d ence o f his en j oyment of his work with a short agreeable

song The Mongols call the {m o ur cm the steed of the

gay lark
The lark warns the i m o m cm o f the approach
o f eagles an d hawks with three sharp whistles the moment
he sees the aerial brigand and takes re fuge hi m sel f behind
a stone o r in a small ditch A fter this signal no im o um n
w i ll stick his head out o f his hole until the danger i s past
.

2 1

BEAS TS

MEN AND G O D S

w al low T h e se b i rd s are v e ry tam e or f earl e ss allo w ing

m en to co m e w i thin t en o r fteen pace s o f them ; but
w hen they do break they go high and y long distances
w i thout lighting whistling all the time quite like swallows
Their general m arkings are light grey and yellow though
s

the male s have pretty chocolate spots o n the backs and

wi ngs while their legs and fee t are heavily feathered
My opportunity t o make these observations came fro m
travelin g through un frequented regions by the urg a
which however had i ts counterbalancing disadvanta ges
The Mongols carried m e directly and swi ftly toward my
destination receiving with great satis faction the presents
But after having
o f Chinese dollars which I gave them
m ade about ve thousand miles o n my Cossack saddle
that now lay behind me on the cart all covered with dust
like common merchandise I rebel led against being
wracked and t orn by the rough riding o f the cart as it
w a s swung heedlessly over stones hillocks and ditche s by
the wild horses with their equally wild r i ders bounding
and cracking a n d holding together only through its
tenacity o f purpo se i n demonstrating the cos i ness and at
t ra c tiv e n e ss o f a g ood Mongol equipage ! All my bones
be gan to ache Finally I groaned at eve ry lunge and at
last I su ff ered a very sharp attack o f is chi as o r sciat i ca in
m y wounded leg A t night I could neither sleep lie down
nor sit w i th com for t and spent the whole night pac i ng up
an d down the pla i n listening t o the loud snoring o f the
inhabitants o f the ym ta A t times I had to ght the tw o
huge black dogs which attacked me The follow i ng day
I could endure the wracking only until noon and was then
forced to give up an d lie down The pain was unbear
able I could not move my leg nor my back and nally
,

'

TRAVE LIN G BY

f e ll i n t o a h i gh fever

URGA

2 1

W e were fo rced to s to p and res t

I swallowed all my stock of a spl r m and quinine but with

o ut relief
Before me was a sleepless night ab out which
I could not think without weakening fear We had
stopped in the y ur ta for gu ests by the side o f a smal l
monastery My Mongols invited the La ma doctor to
v isit me who gave me two very bitter powders and as
sured m e I should be able to continue in the morning
I soon felt a stimulated palpitat i on of the heart after
which the pain became even sharper Again I spent the
night without any sleep but when the sun arose the pain
ceased instantly and after an hour I ordered them to
saddle me a horse as I was afra i d t o continue further
in the cart
While the Mongol s wer e catching the horses there
came to my tent Colonel N N Philipo ff who told me
that he denied all the accusat i ons that he and h i s brothe r
a n d P o le tik a were Bolsheviki and that B e z r o d n o ff allowed
him to go to V an Kure to meet Baron Ungern who was
expected there O nly P hilipo ff did no t know tha t his
Mongol guide w a s armed with a bomb and that another
Mongol had been sent on ahead with a letter to Baron
Ungern He did not know that P o le tik a and his brothers
were s hot at the same time in Zain S habi Philipo ff was
i n a hurry and wanted to reach Van Kure that day I
left an hour after hi m
.

CHAPT E R XXXII

AN

F O RT U N E T E LLE R

O LD

R O M this point we began travelin g along the o ur ton

road In this region the Mongols had very poor
and exhausted horses because they were forced conti nu
o u sl
to
supply
mounts
to
the
numerous
envoys
o
f
Dai
y
chin Van and o f Colonel K a z ag r an di We were com
ll
e
e
d
h
u
t
to
spend
the
nig
t
at
the
last
r
o
on before Van
p
Kure where a stout o ld Mongol and his son kept the
station A fter o ur supper he t ook the shoulder blade
O f the sheep which had been care fully scraped clean
o f all the esh
and looking at me placed th is bone in
the coals with some incantations and said :

I want to tell your for tune All my predictions come

true
When the bone had been blackened he drew it o ut
blew o ff the ashes and began to scrutini z e the surface
very closely and to look through it into the re He
continued his examination fo r a long time and then
with fear in his face placed the bone back in the coals

What did y o u see ? I asked laughing

Be silent ! he wh i spered
I made out horrible

signs
He aga i n took o ut the bone and began examin i ng it
all over all the t ime whispering prayers and making
strange movements In a very solemn qu i et vo i c e he
began his predictions

2 18

BEAS TS

2 2o

MEN AND GO D S

They had j us t tha t day ar r i ve d for a conference w i th

Baron Ungern
A f te r luncheon Colonel K az ag r an di invited me to his
r
u
t
and
began
discussing
events
in
wester
Mongolia
a
n
y
where the situation had become very ten se

You
D O you know D r Gay ? K az a g r a n d i asked me
know he helped m e to form my detachment but Urga

accuses him o f being the agen t of the S oviets

I made all the defences I could for Gay H e had
helped me and had been exonerated by Kolchak

Yes yes and I j ustied G ay i n such a manner said

the Colonel but Re z ukhin w ho has j ust arrived today

has brought letters o f Gay s to the Bolsheviki which were
seized in transit By order of Baron Ungern Gay and
h i s family have today been sent to the headquarters o f
Re z uk hin and I fear that they w i ll not reach this destina

ti on

Why ? I asked

They will be executed o n the road ! answered Colone l

.

K az a g r a n d i

What are we to do ? I responded

Gay cannot be

a Bolshevik because he is too well educated and too

clever for i t

I don t k now ; I don t know ! murmured the Colonel

with a desponden t gesture

Try to speak w i th
.

Re z ukhin

I d e cided t o proceed a t once t o Re z ukhin bu t j ust the n

Colonel Philipo ff entered and began talking about the
errors being made in the training o f the soldiers When
I had donned my coa t another man came in He was a
small sized o i c e r wi th an o ld green Cossack cap with
a visor a torn grey Mongol ov e rcoa t and w i th his right
.

AN

O LD

FO RTUNE TE LLER

22 1

han d i n a blac k sling ti ed around h i s neck It w as Gen

eral Re z ukhin to w hom I was at once introduced During
the conversation the G eneral very politely and very skil
fully inquired about the lives O f Philipo ff and mysel f
during the last three years j oking and laughing with
discretion and modesty When he soon took his leave I
availed myself o f th e chan ce and went o ut with h i m
He listened very attentively and politely to m e an d
afterwards in his quiet voice said :

Dr G ay is the agent of the S oviets disguised as a

White in order the better to se e hear and know every
thin g We are surrounded by o ur enemies The Rus
sian people are demorali z ed and will undertake any
treachery for money S uch is Gay Anyway what is
?
h
the use o f discussing him furt er
He and his family
are no longer alive Today my men cut them to pieces

ve kilometres from here

In consternation and fear I looked at the face of this
small dapper m an with such so ft voice and courteous
manners In his eyes I r e ad such hate and tenacity that
I understood at once the trembling respect o f all the
of cers whom I had seen in his presence Afterwards
in U rga I learned mo re o f this G eneral Re z ukhin distin
i
h
by
hi
s
absolute
bravery
and
boundless
cruelty
s
e
u
d
g
He was the watchdog o f Baron Ungern ready to throw
himself into the re and to spring at the throat of any
o n e his master might indicate

O nly four days t hen had elapsed be fore my acquaint

ances died by a long kni fe so that one part o f the

prediction ha d been thus fullled And now I have to
await Death s threat to me T he delay w a s not long
O nly t wo days later the Ch i e f o f the Asia t ic D ivision
.

Rn r n n

von

S te rnb e r

CHA P T E R XXXIII

D E ATH FROM

WHIT E MA N W ILL

STAN D B E HIN D YOU

T HE

terr i ble general the Baron arrived quite un

expectedly unnoticed by the outposts o f Colonel
K a z ag r a n d i
A fter a talk with K az ag ran d i the Baron
invited Colonel N N Philipo ff and me into his presence
Colonel K az ag r an d i brought the word to me I wanted
to go at once but w as deta i ned about half an hour by the
Colonel w ho then sped m e with the words :

N o w God help you ! Go !

It w a s a strange parting message not reassuring and
quite enigmatical I too k m y Mauser and also hid in
the cuff of my coat m y cyanide o f potassium The Baron
w a s quartered in the yu r ta o f the military doctor
When
I entered the court Captain V e se lo ff sky came up to me
He had a Cossack sword and a revolver without its
holster beneath his gi rdle
He went into the ya r n: to
eport my arrival

Come in he said as he emerged fro m the ten t

At the entrance my eyes were struck with the sight o f
a pool o f blood that had not yet had time to drain down
into the ground an ominous greeting that seemed to
carry the very voice o f o n e j ust gone be fore me I
knocked

Come in ! w as the answer i n a h i gh t enor As I

HE

2 22

22

BEAS TS

MEN AND G O D S

era l Re z ukhin I bowed t o h i m and rece iv ed h i s silent

acknowledgment After that I swung my glance back
t o the Baron who sat with bowed head and closed eyes
fro m t ime to t i me rubbing his brow and m umbling to
himsel f
Suddenly he stood up and sharpl y sai d looking past
and over me :

Go o ut ! There i s no need o f m ore

I swung round and saw Captain V e se lo ff sk y w i th his
white cold face I had not heard him enter He did a

formal about face and passed o ut of the door

D eath from the white man has stood behind me

I thought ; but has i t quite le ft me ?

The Baron stood thinking for some t im e and then
began to speak in j umbled unnished phrases

Y o u must understand there

I ask your pardon
a re so m an y t raitors ! Honest men have di sappeared
I cannot trus t anybody A ll names are false and as
sum ed ; documents are counterfeited E yes and words
deceive
A ll is demoralized insulted by Bolshevism
I j ust ordered Colonel Philipo ff cut down he who called
himself the representativ e o f the Russian Wh i te Organi
In the lining o f his garmen ts were found two
z a t io n
secret Bolshevik codes
When my o ffi cer ourished
his sword over him he e x claimed : Why do yo u k ill m e
T av ar is c he ?
I cannot trust anybody
He w a s silent and I also held my peace

I beg your pardon ! he began anew

I o ffended
but
I
am
not
simply
a
man
I
am
a
leader
great
o
u
o
f
;
y
forces and have in my head so much care sorrow and

woe !
In h i s vo i ce I f elt the re w as m ingled despa i r and sin
.

'

I ,

DEATH FRO M

WHITE

T HE

H e f rank ly pu t o ut h i s h an d

c e rity

M AN

to m e

22

Aga i n

silence At last I answere d :

What do you order me to do n o w fo r I have neither

counterfeit nor real doc uments ? But many of your o f
cers know me and in U rga I can nd many who will tes
ti fy that I could be neither agitator nor

N 0 ne e d no need ! interrupt e d the Baron

All i s
clear all i s understo o d ! I w a s in your soul and I know
all
It is t he truth which Hutuktu N ar ab an chi has

written about you What can I do for you ?

I explained ho w my friend and I had escaped fro m
S ov iet Russia i n the e ffort to reach o ur nat i ve land and
how a group o f Polish soldiers had j oined us in the hope
o f gett ing back to Poland ; and I asked that help be given
us to reach the nearest port

With pleasure with pleasure

I w i ll help yo u

all he answered excitedly

I shall drive you to Urga
in my motor car Tomorrow we shall start and there in

Urga w e shall talk about further arrangements

Taking my leave I went out o f the y ur ta O n arriving
at my quarters I found Colonel K az ag ra n d i i n great
anxiety walking up and down m y roo m

Thanks be to G o d ! he exclaimed and cros sed him

self
Hi s jo y wa s very touching but at the same t im e I
thought tha t the Colonel could have taken much more
active measures for the salvation o f his guest i f he had
been so minded The agitation of this day had ti red me
and m ade me feel years old e r When I looked in the
mirror I w as certain there were m ore white hairs on m y
head At night I could not sleep for the ashing thoughts
o f the young ne face o f Colonel Philipo ff the pool o f
.

22

BEAS T S

MEN AND G O D S

blood the c o l d ey e s of Capt a i n V e se lo ffsky the s o un d

o f Baron U n g e r n s voice with its tones o f despa i r and
woe until nally I sank into a heavy stupor I was
awakened by Baron Ungern who came to ask pardon that
he could not take me i n his motor car because he w a s
obliged to take Daichin V an with him But he in formed
me t hat he had left instructions to give me his o wn white
camel and two Cossacks as se r vants I had no time to
th ank him before he rushed out o f my roo m
Sleep then entirely deserted me so I dressed and began

smoking pipe after pipe o f tobacco as I thought : H o w

much easier t o ght the B o lshe v ik i o n the swamps o f
S e yb i and to cross the snowy peaks o f Ulan Taiga where
the bad demons kill all the travelers they can ! There
everything was s i mple and comprehensible but here i t

is all a mad nightmare a dark and foreboding storm !

I felt some tragedy so m e horror i n every m ovement o f
Baron Unge rn beh i nd whom paced th i s s i lent white
faced V e se lo ffsky and D eath
,

22

BEAS TS

MEN AND GO D S

came ver y att ent iv e to m e and sou g ht t o dis t ra ct m e with

stories They told me about their very severe struggles
with the Bolsheviki in T r an sb aik a lia and Mongo lia about
the battle with the Chinese near U rga about nding com
m un i stic passports o n several Chinese sol d iers from M os
cow about the bravery o f Baron U ngern and how he
would sit at the ca mpre smoking and drinking tea right
o n the battle line without ever being t o uched by a bullet
At one ght seventy four bullets entered his overcoat
saddle and the boxes by his side and again lef t him un
touched Thi s is one o f the reasons for his great in u
ence ove r the Mongols They related ho w be fore the
battle he had made a reconnaissance in Urga with only
one Cossack and o n hi s way back ha d kille d a Chinese
mm;
o fcer and two soldiers with his bamboo stick or tats /
how he had no outt save one change of linen and one
extra pair of boots ; how he was al w ays cal m and j ovial
in battle and severe and morose in the rare days o f peace ;
and how he was eve ryw here his soldiers were ghting
I told them in turn o f my escape from S iberia and
wi th chatting thus the day slipped by very quickly O ur
camels trotted all the time so that instead o f the ordinary
eighteen to twenty miles per day we made nearly fty
My mount was the fastest o f them all He was a huge
white animal with a splendid thick mane and had been
presented to Baron U ngern by some Prince o f Inner
Mongolia with two black sables ti e d on the bridle He
w a s a calm strong bold giant o f the desert o n whose
back I felt mysel f as though perched on the tower of a
building Beyond the O rkhon River we came across the
rst dead body o f a Chinese soldier which lay face up
an d arms outstretched right in the middle o f the roa d
.

HO RR O R

T HE

Wh e n

OF

WA R !

22

cr o ssed the Bur gu t Moun t a i ns we en ter e d

the Tola River valley farther up which Urga is located
The road was strewn with the overcoats shirts boots
caps and kettles which the Chinese had thrown away in
their ight ; and marked by many o f their dead Further
o n the road crossed a m orass where o n either side lay
great mounds o f the dead bodies o f men horses and
camels with broken carts and military d bris o f every
sort Here the Tibetans o f Baron U ngern had cut up
t he escaping Chinese baggage transport ; and it w a s a

strange and gloomy contrast to se e the piles o f dead

besides the e ff ervescing awakening li fe o f spring In
every p o ol wild ducks o f di fferent kinds oated about ;
i n the high grass the cranes performed thei r weird dance
o f courts hip ; o n the lakes great ocks o f swans and ge e se
were swimming ; through the swampy places like spots
of light moved the brilliantly colored pairs o f the Mon

golian sacred bird the tur p a n or Lama goose ; o n the

higher dry places o cks o f wild turkey gamboled and
fought as they fed ; ocks o f the s alg a partridge whistled
by ; while o n the mountain side not far away the wolves
lay basking and turning in the la z y warmth o f the sun
whining and o ccasionally barking like playful dogs
Nature kn ows only life Death is for her but an ep i
sode whose traces she rubs o ut with sand and snow or
ornaments with luxuriant greenery and brightly colored
bushes and owers What matters it to Nature i f a
mother at Che foo or on the banks o f the Yangtse offers
her bo wl of r i ce with burning incense at some shrine and
prays for the return o f her son that ha s fallen unknown
fo r all time on the plains along the Tola where hi s bones
will dry beneath the rays o f N ature s diss i pati ng re
we had

BEAS T S

a3 o

AN D

M EN

GO D S

and be sca tt ered by her w i nds over the s ands of the

p rairie ? It is splendid this indi ff erence o f N ature to
death and her greediness for life !
On the fourth day w e m ade the shores o f the T ol a
w ell after nightfall We could not nd the regular ford
and I forced my ca m el to enter the strea m i n the atte m p t
to m ake a crossing w i thout guidance Very fort unately
I found a shallow though somewhat m i ry place and we
got over all r i ght This i s something to be thank ful for
i n fording a river with a camel ; because when your
mount nds the water too deep coming up around his
neck he does n o t strike o ut and swim like a horse w ill do
but j ust rolls over o n his side and oats which i s vastly
i nconvenient fo r h i s rider D own by the r i ver we pegged
o ur tent
Fi fteen m iles further on w e crossed a battleeld where
the third great battle for the independence o f Mongolia
had been fought Here the tr o ops o f Baron Ungern
clashed with six thousand Ch i nese m oving down fro m
K iakhta to the aid o f Urga
The Ch i nese were com
H
l
l
ow
e
t
e
de
feated
and
four
thousand
prisoners
taken
p
y
ever these surrendered Chin ese tried to escape during the
Baron U ngern sent the Transbaikal Cossacks and
n ight
T ibetans in pursuit o f them and it was their work which
There were still about
w e sa w o n this eld of death
fteen hundred unbur i ed and as many more i nterred
according to the statements o f our Cossacks who had
partic i pat e d i n th i s battle The k i lled showed terrible
sword wounds ; everywhere equipment and other dbr i s
w ere sca ttered about The Mongols wi th the i r herds
m oved away from the ne i ghborhood and the i r place was
t ak en by the wolves wh i ch h i d beh i nd every stone and
,

C HA PT E R XXXV

C I TY O F L IVI N G
BU DDHA S AND

IN

T HE

GO D S

OF

MONKS

last be fore our eyes the abode o f the Liv i ng

TBuddha ! A t the foo t o f Bogdo O I behind white
walls rose a whi t e Tibetan building covered w i th green
ish blue tiles tha t glittered under the sunshine
It w as
r i chly se t among groves o f tr e es dotted here and there
wi th the fantastic roofs o f shrines and s m all palaces while
further fro m the m ountain i t w a s connected by a lon g
w ooden bridge across the T ola with the city o f monks
sacred and revered throughout all the E ast as T a Kure
o r Urga
Here besides the L i ving Buddha live whole
throngs o f secondary miracle workers prophets so r
c e r e r s and w onderful d octors
A ll these people have
d i vine or i g i n and are honored as liv i ng gods At the
le ft o n the high plateau s tands an o ld monastery with a

huge dark red tower w hich i s known as the Temple

Lamas City conta i n i ng a gigant i c bronze gi lded statue

o f Buddha si tt ing o n the golden ower o f the lotus ; tens
o f smaller t emples shrines 0 1
9 0 open altars towers for
a strology and the grey ci ty of the Lamas consisting o f
single stor i ed houses and yur tas where about
m onks o f all ages an d ranks dwell ; schools sacred
archives and libraries the houses o f Band i and the inns
fo r the honored guests from China Ti be t and the lan ds
o f the Bur i a t and Ka lm u ck

2 32

IN

C ITY O F

T HE

LIVIN G G O D S

D own b e low the m ona st e r y

2 33

f o rei gn se ttlem ent

w here the Russian foreign and richest Chinese merchants
live and where the multi colored and crowded oriental
bazaar carries forward its bustling life A kilometre
away the greyish enclosure o f Maimachen surrounds the
remaining Chinese trading establishments while farther
o n one sees a long row o f Russian priva t e houses a hos
pital church prison and last of all the awkward four
storied red br i ck bu i lding tha t was form erly the Russ i an
C onsulate
We were already with i n a shor t d i stance of the m on
when I noticed several Mongol soldiers in the
a ste ry
mouth o f a ravine nearby dragging back and concealing
i n the ravine three dead bodies

What are they doing ? I asked

T he Cossacks only smiled without answer i ng Sud
d en ly they str a ig hte n e d up with a S harp salute
Out of
t he ravine came a small stocky Mongolian pony with a
short man i n the saddle A s he passed us I noticed the
epaulets o f a colonel and the green cap with a visor H e
examined me with cold colorless eyes from under dense
brows A s he went o n ahead he took o ff his cap an d
My eyes
w i ped the perspirat i on from his bald head
were st ruck by the strange undulating line of his skul l

It was the m an w i th the head like a saddle against

whom I had been warned by the O ld fortune teller a t the
last a w ton outside Van Kure !

Who is this o f cer ? I inquired

A lthough he was already qu i te a d i stance i n front of

us the Cossacks whispered : Colonel S e pa ilo ff Com

m andant o f Urga City

Colonel S e pai lo ff the d ar k est per so n o n the canvas
is the

BEAS TS

34

M EN

AND G O D S

Mon gol i an event s ! F orm erly a m ech an i c i an a ft er

wards a gendarme he had gained quick promotion under
t he Cz ar s rgime He w a s always nervously j erking and
wriggling hi s body and talking ceaselessly making most
unattractive sounds in his throat and sputtering with
saliva all over his lips his whole face o fte n contracted
w ith spasms He was mad and Baron Ungern twice ap
pointed a commission o f surgeons to examine him and
ordered him to rest in the ho pe he could rid the man o f
his evil genius Undoubtedly S e pailo ff was a sadist I
heard a fterwards that he himsel f executed the condemned
people j oking and singing as he did his work D ark
terri fying tales were current about hi m i n Urga He
was a bloodhound fastening his victims with the j aws
o f death
All the glory o f the cruelty of Baron Ungern
belonged to S e pa ilo ff Afterwards Baron Ungern once
told me in Urga that this S e pailo ff annoyed him and that
Baron
S e pa ilo ff could kill him j ust as well as others
Ungern feared S e pa ilo ff not as a man but dominated by
h i s o wn superstition becaus e S e pailo ff had found i n
T r an sb a ika lia a witch doctor w ho predicted the death o f
the Baron i f he dismissed S e pa ilo ff S e pa ilo ff knew no
pardon for Bolshev i k nor for any one connected with
the Bolshevik i in any way The reason for his venge ful
spirit was that the Bols heviki had tortured him in prison
and after his escape had killed all his fam i ly He was
now taking his revenge
I put up with a Russian rm and was at once visited
by my associates from U liassut ai w ho greeted m e with
great j oy because they had been much exercised about
the events i n Van Kure and Zain S habi When I had
bathed and spruced up I wen t o ut with them on the
of

BEAS TS

2 36

MEN AND G O D S

wandered abou t in thei r yellow an d red robes w it h capes

p i cturesquely thrown over their shoulders and caps o f
m any forms some like yellow mushrooms others like the
red Phrygian bonnets or o ld Greek helmets in red They
m ingled with the crowd chatting serenely and counting
t heir rosaries telling fortunes for those who would hear
but chiey searching out the rich Mongols whom the y
could cure o r exploit by fortune telling predictions o r
other mysteries of a city o f
Lamas S imultane
o u sly religious and political espionage was being carried
Just a t this time many Mongols were arriving from
o ut
Inner Mongolia an d they were continuously surrounded
by an invisible but numerous network o f watching La mas
Over the buildings around oated the Russian Chinese
and Mongolian national ags with a single o n e of the
S tars and S tripes above a small shO p in the market ; while
over the nearby tents and y ur tas streamed the ribbons
the squares the circles and tri an gles o f the pr i nces and
private persons a fflicted o r dying from smallpox and
leprosy All were mingled and mixed in o n e bri ght m ass
strongly lighted by the sun O ccasionally o n e saw the
soldiers o f Baron Ungern rushing about in long blue
coats ; Mongols and Tibetans in red coats with yellow
epaulets bearing the swastika o f J e n g hiz Khan and the
i nitials o f the Living Buddha ; and Chinese soldiers fro m
the i r detachment i n the Mongolian army A fter the de
feat o f the Chinese army two thousand o f these braves
petitioned the Living Buddha to enlist them in his legions
swearin g fealty and faith to him They were accepted
and formed into two regiments bearing the o ld Chinese
s i lver dragons o n their caps and shoulders
As w e crossed this m arket fro m around a corner came
,

IN

T HE

LIVING GO D S

C ITY O F

37

a b ig motor car w i th the roar o f a s i r e n The re was

Baron Ungern i n the yellow silk Mongolian coat with a
blue girdle He was going very fast but recogni z ed m e
at once stopping and getti ng o ut to invite me to go with
him to his y m ta The Baron lived in a small simply
arranged yu r ta set up i n the courtyard of a Chinese
ha ng
He had h i s headquarters in two other yur tas
n earby while h i s se r vants occupied o n e o f the Chinese
a
u
i
n
t
a
h
m
o
When
I
reminded
his
promise
to
help
f
f g
m e to reach the Open ports the General looked at me
with his bright eyes and spoke in French :

My work here i s coming to an end In nine days I

shall begin the war with the Bolsheviki and shall go into
the Transbaikal I beg that you will spend this time
here For many years I have lived without civili z ed
society I am alone with my thoughts and I would like
to have you know them speaking with me not a s the
bloody mad Baron a s my enemies call me nor as the
severe grandfather which my o fcers and soldiers call
me but as an ordinary m an who has sought much and

has su ffered even more

The Baron reected fo r so m e m inutes and then con
.

'

t in ue d :

thought about the furt her t rip o f your group

and I shall arrange everything fo r you but I a sk yo u

to remain here these nine days

What was I to do ? I agreed The Baron shook my
hand warmly and ordered tea
I

have

CHAPTE R XXX V I
A S O N OF

C RUS AD E RS AND P R I VATE E RS

me abou t yoursel f and your tr i p he urged

In response I related all that I thought would
i nterest him and he appeared quite exc i ted over my tale

N ow I shall tell yo u about mysel f who and what I

My name i s surround e d with suc h hate and fear
am !
that no o n e can j udge what is the truth and what i s false ,
what i s history and wha t m yth S ome t ime you will
wri te abou t it remembering your trip through Mongolia
an d your so j ourn at the y ur ta o f the bloody General
He shut his eyes smoking as he spoke and tumbling
o ut his sentences without nishing the m as though some
o n e would prevent him from phrasing them

T he family o f Ungern von S ternberg is an o ld fam

i ly a mi xture o f Germans with Hungarian s Huns from
the time o f Attila My warlike ancestors took part in all
the E uro pean struggles They participated in the Cru
sade s and o n e Ungern was killed under the walls of
Jerusalem ghting under Richard Coeur de Lion E ven
t he tragic Crusade o f the Children was marked by the
When the
d eath o f Ralph Ungern eleven years o ld
boldest warr i ors o f the country were despatched to the
eastern border o f the German E mpire against the S lavs
in the twel fth century my ancestor Arthur was among
them Baron H a l sa Ungern Sternberg H ere these bo r
E LL

2 38

BEAS TS

4o

MEN AND GO D S

sacks I hav e spent all m y l i fe i n w ar o r i n the study

and learning o f Budd hism My grandf a ther brought
Buddhism to us from India and my father and I ac
In T r a n sb aik alia I tried to form
c e pte d and professed it
the order o f Military Buddhists fo r an uncompromising

ght against the depravity o f revolution

He fell into silence and began dr i nking cup a ft e r cup
o f tea as strong and black as co ff ee

D epravity o f revolution !
Has anyone e v er thought
o f it besides the French philosopher
Bergson and the

m ost learned Tashi Lama in Tibet ?

The grandson o f the privateer quoti ng sc i en ti c theo
ries works the names O f scientists and writers the Holy
Bible and Buddhist books mixing together French Ger
m an Russian and E nglish continued :

In the Buddhistic and ancient Chr i stian books we

read stern predictions about the time when the w a r b e
t ween the good and evil spirits m ust begi n Then there
must come the unknown Curse which will conquer the
world blot o ut culture kill morality and destroy all the
people Its weapon i s revolution D uring every revo
lutio n the prev i ously experienced intellect creator will
be replaced by the new rough force o f the destroyer He
w ill place and hold i n the rs t rank the lower inst i ncts
and des i res Man will be farther re m o ved from the
divine and the spiritual The Great War proved that
human i ty mus t progres s upward toward higher i deals ;
but then appeared that Curse which was seen and felt
by Chr i st the Apostle John Buddha the rs t Chr i stian
m artyrs D ante Leonard o da Vinci Goethe and D o
sto y e v sk y
I t appeared turned b a c k the wheel of prog
ress and blocked our road t o the Di v i n i ty Revolut i on is
.

SO N

O F C RUS ADERS

41

urope m aki ng the t rea ty with

Moscow deceived itself an d the other parts of the world
The Great S pirit put at the threshold of o ur lives Karm a
He will reckon
w ho knows neither anger nor pardon
the account whose total will be fam ine destruction the
death o f culture o f glory o f honor and o f spirit the
death o f states and the death o f peoples I se e already

this horror this dark mad destruction of humanity

The door o f the y ur ta suddenly swung open and an
ad j utant snapped i nto a position o f attention an d salute

Why do y o u enter a room by force ? the General

exclaim e d in anger

Your E xcellency o ur outpost 0 n the border has

caught a Bolshev i k reconnaissance party and brough t

them here
The Baron arose Hi s e y es sparkled and h i s face con
t racted w i th spasms

Bring them in front o f m y yur ta ! he ordered

A ll w a s forgotten the inspired speech the pe ne tr at
i ng voice all were sunk in the austere order of the
sev ere commander The Baron put o n his cap caught up
the bam boo tas hm which he always carried with him and
rushed from the y ur ta I followed him o ut There
in front of the yur ta stood six Red soldiers surrounde d
by the Cossacks
The Baron stopped and glared sharpl y a t the m for
several minutes In his face o n e could see the strong
play o f his thoughts A fterwards he turned away fro m
them sat down o n the doorstep o f the Chinese house
and fo r a l ong t i me w as buried in thought Then he
rose walked over to them and with an evident show o f
dec i s i veness i n h i s m ovements touched all the prisoners

an

in f ectio u s di sease and

'

B E AS T S

2 42

ME N AN D GO D S

shou ld er with h i s tasha r and sa i d : Yo u t o the

le ft an d yo u to the r i ght ! as he divided the squad i nto

t wo se cti ons four o n the r i gh t and two o n the left

c Om
S e a rch those t wo ! They m us t be co mm i ssars
m an d ed the Baron and turn i ng to the other four asked :

?
A re yo u peasan t s m obilized by the Bolshev i k i

J ust so Yo u r E x cellency cr i ed the frightened sol

di ers

G o t o the C om m andan t an d tell h im tha t I have

or d ere d y ou to be enlisted i n m y troops
On the two t o the le ft they found passport s o f Co m
The
m issa r s o f the Communist Political Department
General kn i tt ed his brows and slowl y pronounce d the
follow i ng :

Beat the m t o death w i th st i cks l

He turned and entered the y ur ta Af ter th i s our c o n
v ersat i on d id n o t ow read i ly and so I le ft the Baron
to himsel f
A ft er d i nner i n the Russ i an r m where I was stay i ng
some of U n g e rn s o f cers came in We were chatting
animatedly when suddenly w e heard the horn o f an
automob i le wh i ch i nstantly threw the o i c e r s into
silence

The Genera l i s pass i ng somewhere near o n e o f

the m rem arked i n a stran gely altered voice
Our i nterrup t ed conversati on was soon resum ed bu t
not for long T he clerk o f the rm cam e runn i ng i nt o

the room and e x cla im ed : The Baron l

H e entered the door but stopped on the threshol d
The lam p s ha d no t y e t be en lighted and i t was gett i ng
dar k inside bu t the Baron i nstan tl y recogn i zed us all
approache d and k i ssed the hand o f the host e ss g ree ted
on

the

B E AS TS

2 44

M EN

AN D

t ure o f Urg a t o gether with

,

GO D S

t e leph o ne sys tem and

H e also ordered h i s m en to clean and
a

wireless station
disinfect the city which had probably not felt the broom
since the days o f J e n g hiz Khan He arranged an auto
bus traf c between di fferent parts o f the city ; built
bridges over the Tola and O rkhon ; published a news
paper ; arranged a veterinary laboratory and hospitals ;
r e O pened the schools ; pr otect e d commerce
mercilessly
hangi ng Russian an d Mongol i an sold i ers fo r pilla gi ng
Chinese rm s
In o n e o f these cases his Commandan t arrested two
Cossacks and a Mongol soldier who had stolen brandy
from o n e o f the Chinese shops and brought them be fore
h im He i mmediately bundled them all into his car
drove o ff to the shop delivered the brandy back to the
propr i etor and as promptly ordered the Mongol to hang
o n e o f the Russians to the big gate o f the compound

Wi th thi s o n e swung he commanded : Now hang the

other ! and thi s had only j ust be en acco m plished when

he t urn ed to the Command ant and ordered him to hang
the Mongol beside the other t wo That seemed expedi
t i ous and j ust enough until the Chinese prop rietor came
i n dire distress to the Baron and plead with him :

General Baron ! General Baron ! Please take those

men down from m y gateway for no o n e w i ll enter m y

Shop !
A f ter the commercial quarter was ashed past our
eyes w e entered the Russi an settlement across a small
river Several Russian soldiers and four ve r y spruc e
lo o k i ng Mongol ian women stood o n the bridge as we
passed T he sold i ers snapped to salute like i mmobile
statues an d x ed the i r eyes o n the severe face of thei r
.

SO N

OF

CRUS ADERS

45

Co mm and er The wom en rs t be gan t o run and shi f t

about and then i nfected by the discipline and order of
events swung thei r hands up to salute and stood as im
mobile as their northern swains The Baron looked a t
me and laughed :

Y o u se e the d i sc i pline ! E ven the Mongol i an women

salute me
S oon we were o ut on the plain wi th the car go i ng like
an arrow wi th the w i nd whistling and tossing the folds
But Baron Ungern sitting with
o f o ur coats and caps

closed eyes repeated : Faster ! Faster ! F o r a long

time we were both silen t

And yesterday I beat my adj utant fo r rushin g i n t o

my yur ta and interrupting my story he said

Y o u can n ish it now

I an swered

And are yo u not bored by it ? Well there i sn t much

left and this happe ns to be the most interesting I was
telling yo u that I wanted to found an order of military
Buddhists i n Russia F o r what ? F o r the protection o f
the processes o f evolution o f humanity and for the strug
gle agains t revolution because I am certain that e vo lu
tion leads to the Divinity and revol ution to bestiality
But I worked i n Russia ! In Russia where the peasants
are rough untutored wild and constantly angry hati ng
everybody and everything without understanding w hy
They are susp i c i ous and m aterialistic having no sacred
i deals Russian i ntelligents l i ve among imaginary ideals
without realities They have a strong capaci ty fo r cr i t
Also
ic ising eve rything but they lac k creat i ve power
they have no will power only the capacity fo r t alki ng
and talking With the peas ants they canno t like any
thing o r anybody T he i r love and feel i ngs are imaginary
.

BEAS TS

2 46

MEN AND G O D S

The i r th o ugh t s and sent im ent s pass w ithou t t race like

futile words My co m panions there fore soon began
to v i olate the regulations o f the Order Then I intro
d uc e d the condition o f celibacy the en ti re negation of
.

woman o f the co m forts o f life o f supe ruitie s accord

i ng to the teach i ngs o f the Yellow F a i th ; and i n order
that the Russian migh t be able to l i ve down h i s phys i ca l
nature I i ntroduced the limitless use o f alcohol hasheesh
and opiu m N o w fo r a lcohol I hang m y o fcers and
s oldiers ; then w e drank t o the
white fever delirium
tremens I could no t organize the O rder but I gathered
round m e and developed three hundred m en wholly bold
and entirely ferocious Afterward they were heroes
i n the w ar with Ge rmany and la t er i n the ght aga i nst

the Bolsheviki but now only a fe w remain

The w i reless E xcellency ! reported the chau ff eur

Turn i n there ! ordered the General

On the top o f a at hill stood the big powerful radio
station which had been partially destroyed by the r e
t reating Chinese bu t reconstructed by the engineers of
Baron Ungern T he General peru sed the telegrams and
handed them to m e They were from Moscow Chita
Vladivostok and Peking O n a separate yellow sheet
w ere the code mes sages which the Baron slipped into h i s
pocket as he said to me :

They are from m y agents who are stat i oned i n Chita

Irku t sk Harb i n and V ladivostok They are all Jews
very ski lled and very bold men friends o f mine all I
have also o ne Jewish o fcer Vulfo v itch who commands
m y ri ght an k He i s as ferocious as S atan but clever

and brave
N ow we shall y into space
O nce m ore we rushed away sinking into the dar kness
,

"

BEAS T S

2 48

AND G O D S

M EN

pulle d up w i th a j erk T he Genera l ju m pe d

o ut an d called me to f ollow
We started walk i ng over
the prairi e and the Baron kept bend i ng down all the ti m e
as though he were looking for something on the ground

Ah ! he murmured at last He has gone away

I l ooked at hi m i n amazemen t

A rich Mongol formerly h ad his yur ta here H e was

the outtter for the Russian m erchant N o sko ff N o s
k o ff was a feroc i ous man as shown by the name the
Mongols gave him
He used to have his
Mongol debtors beaten o r impr i soned through the in
st r um e n ta lity o f the Chinese authorit i es
He ruined this
Mongol w ho lost eve rything and escaped to a place thirty
mi les away ; but N o sko ff found him ther e took all that
he had le ft o f cattle and horses and left the Mongol and
his family to d i e o f hunger When I captured Urga
t his Mongo l appeared and brought with him thirty other
Mongol families s i m i larly ruined by N o sko ff They
demanded h i s death
So I hung S atan
Anew the m otor car w a s rushing along sweep i ng a
great c i rcle o n the prair i e and anew Baron Ungern with
his sharp nervous voice carr i ed h i s thoughts round the
whole circum ference of A sian l i f e

Russ i a turned tra i tor to France E ngland and Amer

i ca signed the B rest Litovsk Treaty and ushered in a
reign of chaos
We then deci ded t o m obilize A sia
against Ge rmany
Our envoys penetrated Mongolia
Tibet Turkestan and Ch i na At th i s time the Bolsheviki
began to kill all the Russian o fcers and we were forced
to open c i vil war aga i nst the m gi ving up o ur P an
Asiatic plans ; but w e hope later to awake all Asia and
with their help to bring peace and God back to earth I
T he

e ar

SO N

OF

CRUS ADERS

49

w an t t o f eel that I have he l ped th i s i dea b y the l i bera

tion o f Mongolia
He became S ilent and thought for a mo m en t

But some of my associates in the movement do no t

like me because o f my atrocities and sever i ty he r e

marked i n a sad voice

They cannot underst and as
ye t that w e are not ghting a political party but a sec t
o f murderer s of all contemporary S piri tual culture
Why
do the Italians execute the Black Hand gang ? Why
are the Americans electrocut i ng anarchistic bomb throw
ers ? and I a m n o t allowed to rid the world o f those who
would kill the soul o f the people ? I a Teuton descend
ant o f crusaders and pr i vateers I recogni z e only death

for m urderers !
Return ! he commanded the chau f
feur
An hour and a half later w e saw the electric lights
o f Urga
.

C HA P T E R XXXVII
CAM P O F MAR TY RS

T HE
EA R

the entrance to the town a motor car stood

be fore a small house

What does that m ean ? exclaimed the Baron

Go

over there !
Our car drew up beside the other The house door
opened sharply several o i c e r s rushed o ut and tr i ed t o
h i de

Stand 1 co m manded the General

G o back ins i de
T hey obeyed and he entered after them leaning o n h i s
tas hur
As the door rem ained open I could see and
hear everything

Woe to them ! whi spered the chau ffeur

Our o f
c e r s knew that the Baron had gone out o f the town w ith
me which means always a long j ourney and m ust have
decided to have a good ti m e He w i ll order the m beaten

to death w ith sticks

I could se e the end o f the table covered w i th bottles
and t inned things A t the side tw o youn g women were
seated w ho spr ang up at the appearance o f the Ge neral
I could hear the hoarse voice o f Baron Ungern pro
n o un c ing sharp short stern phrases

Your nati ve land i s perishing

The shame o f it
i s upon all yo u Russians
and you cannot under
s t and i t
nor f eel i t
You need w i ne and
,

2 5

BEAS TS

52

M EN

AN D

GO D S

direc t ed h im to telephone the Co mm andan t t o release

these gentlemen
The following day I spent w i th my f r i ends walki ng
a gre a t deal about the streets and watching their busy
li fe T he great energy o f the Baron de m anded constant
nervous activity from himself and every o n e round him
He was everywhere seeing everything but never inter
fe r in g w i th the work o f his subordinate adm i n i stra t ors
E very o n e was a t work
In the evening I w a s i nv i ted by the Chie f o f Sta ff t o
his quarters where I m et m any i ntelligent o i ce r s I
related aga i n the story o f my trip and w e were all chat
ting along animatedly when suddenly Colonel S e pailo ff
entered singi ng to h im self All the others at once b e
came s i lent and one by o n e und e r var i ous pretex ts they
S lipped out He handed o ur host so m e papers and tum
ing to us sa i d :

I shall send you fo r supper a splend i d sh p i e and

so m e hot tomato soup

As he left m y host clasped his head i n despe ra ti on
and said :

With such scum o f the earth are w e now forced after

this revolution to work !

A few minutes later a sold i er fro m S e pailo ff brough t
us a tureen full o f soup and the sh p i e As the soldier
bent over the table to set the dishes down the Ch i e f
motioned me with his eyes and slipped to m e the words :

Notice his face

When the man went out my host sa t attentivel y listen
i ng until the sounds o f the man s steps ceased

He is S e pailo ff s executioner who hangs and s t rangles

the unfort unate conde m ned ones

.

CAM P O F

T HE

MARTYRS

53

Then t o m y a m aze m e nt he began t o pour ou t the

soup on the ground beside the brazier and going o ut o f
the y ur ta threw the pie over the fence

It is S e pailo ff s feast and though it may be very

tasty it may also be poison In S e pa ilo ff s house i t is

dangerous to eat or drink anything

Distinctly oppressed by these doings I returned to my
house My host was not yet asleep and m et me with a
frightened look My fri e nds were als o there

Has nothing
G o d be thanked ! they all exclaimed

happened to you ?

?
What is the matter
I asked

Yo u se e
began the host after your departure a
soldier came from S e pailo ff and too k your luggage say
ing that you had sent him for it ; but we knew w hat it
meant that they would rst search it and after
wards
I at once understood the danger
S e pa ilo ff could
place anything he wanted in my luggage and afterwards
accuse me My old friend the agronome and I started
at once for S e pailo ff s where I le ft him at the door
while I went in and was met by the same soldier who
had brought the supper to us S e pailo ff received me im
mediately In answer to my protest he s aid that it was
a mistake and asking me to wait for a moment went
o ut
I waited ve ten f t een minutes but nobody came
I knocked o n the door but no one answered m e Then
I decided to go to Baron Ungern and started for the
exit The door w a s loc ked Then I t ried the other
door and found that also locked I had been trapped !
I wanted at once to whistle to my f riend but j ust then
not i ced a telepho ne o n the wall and called up Baron
,

BEAS TS

54

Ungern

In a few mi nut es he appeared t oge th e r with

S e pailo ff

GO D S

AN D

M EN

What is this ? he asked S e pailo ff i n a severe

threatening voice ; and without wait i ng fo r an answer
struck him a blow with his tas hur that sent hi m to the
oo r
We went o ut and the General ordered my luggage pro
d uce d
Then he brought me to his o w n yur ta

Live here now he said

I am v e ry glad o f th i s

accident he remark ed w i th a smile fo r now I can say

a ll that I want to
This drew from me the quest i on :

May I describe all that I have heard and seen here ?

He thought a moment before replying : Give me your

notebook
I handed him the album with my sketches o f the t rip

and he wrote therein : After my death Baron Ungern

But I am older than yo u and I S hall die be fore yo u

I rem arked
H e S hut his eyes bowed h i s head and wh i spered :

O h no ! O n e hundred thirty days yet and i t i s

nished ; then
N irvan a ! H o w wearied I am with so r

row w o e and hate !

We were silent for a long time I felt that I had now
a mortal enemy i n Colonel S e pailo ff and that I should
get o ut of Urga at the earliest possible m oment It was
tw o o clock at night
Suddenly Baron Ungern stood up

Let us go to the great good Buddha he said with

a countenance held in deep thought and w i th eyes a am e
hi s whole face contracted by a mournful b itt er smile He
ordered the car brought
Thus lived this ca m p o f m artyrs re fugees pursued by
,

'

CHA PTE R XXX V III

B E FO RE

T HE

FAC E

O F

BUD D H A

we came to the monastery we left the autom ob i le

Sand dipped into the labyrinth of narrow alleyways
unt i l at last w e were before the greates t temple o f Urga
with the Tibetan walls and windows and its pretentious
Chinese roo f A single lantern burned at the entrance
The heavy gate with the bron z e and iron tr i mmings w a s
shut When the General struck the big brass gong hang
i ng by the gate frightened monks began running up from

all directions and seeing the General Baron fell to the

earth i n fear o f raising their heads

Get up sa i d the Baron and let us i nto the T emple !

T he i nside w a s like that o f all La ma temples the same
multi colored ags with the prayers symbolic signs and
the images o f holy saints ; the big bands o f silk cloth
hangi ng fro m the ceiling ; the images o f the gods and
goddesse s On both sides o f the approach to the altar
were the lo w red benches for the Lamas and choi r On
the altar small lamps threw their rays on the gold and
silver vessels and candlesticks Behind i t hung a heav y
yellow s i lk curtain wi th T ibetan i nscr i ptions T he La mas
drew the curtain aside Out o f the dim ligh t from the
icker i ng lamps gradually appeared the grea t gilded
s tatue o f Buddha seated in the Golden Lotus The face
o f the g o d w a s i nd i fferent and calm wi th o n l y a sof t

2 56

BEF O RE

FAC E

T HE

B UDD HA

OF

57

gle am o f ligh t an im a ting it On eithe r s i d e he was

guarded by m any thousands o f lesser Buddhas brought
by the faithful as o fferings in prayer The Baron struck
the gong to a ttract Grea t Buddha s attention to his
prayer and threw a handful of coins into the large bronze
bo wl And then this scion o f crusaders who had read
all the philosophers o f the West closed his eyes placed
his hands together before his face and prayed I noticed
a black rosary o n his left wrist He prayed about ten
m inutes A fterwards he led me to the other end o f t he
m onastery and during o ur passage said to m e :

I do not like this temple It is n ew erected by the

Lamas when the Living Buddha became blind I do not
nd on the face o f the golden Buddha either tears hopes
distress o r thanks o f the people They have not yet had
time to leave these traces o n the face o f the god We

shall go now to the old S hrine o f Prophecies

This was a small building blackened with age and r e
sembling a tower with a plain round roof The doors
stood open At both sides o f the door were prayer wheels
ready to b e spun ; over it a slab o f copper with the signs
Inside two monks w ho were intoning
o f the zodiac
the sacred s utr as did not li ft thei r eyes as w e entered
The General approached them and said :

Cast the dice for the number o f my days !

The priests brought two bowls with many d i ce therei n
and rolled them o ut on their low table The Baron looked
and reckoned w i th them the sum be fore he spoke :

One hundred thirty ! Aga i n o n e hundred thi rty !

Approaching the altar carryi ng an ancient stone statue
he aga i n
o f Bud dha brought all the w ay from India
prayed A s day dawne d w e wandered ou t through the
.

BEAS TS

58

M EN

AN D

GO DS

m onas t e ry vi s i ted al l the t e m pl es an d shr i nes the m useum

of the med i cal school the astrological tower and then the
,

court where the B andi and young Lamas have their daily
m orn i ng wrestling exercises In other places the La mas
were practising with the b o w and arrow Some o f the
higher Lamas feasted us with hot mutton tea and wild
onions After we returned to the y ur ta I tried to sleep
but in vain Too many di fferent questions were troubling

me
Where a m I ? In what epoch am I living ? I
knew not but I dimly felt the unseen touch o f some grea t
i dea some enormous plan some indescr i bable hum an woe
A fter o u r noon m eal the General said he wanted to
i ntroduce me to the L i ving Buddha I t i s so di f cult
to secure audience with the Liv i ng Buddha tha t I w as
v e ry glad to have this opportunity o ff ered me O ur auto
soon drew up at the gate o f the red and white striped
wall surrounding the palace o f the g o d Two hundred
Lamas i n yellow and red robes rus hed to gree t the arr i v

i ng Chiang Chi m General with the low toned respect

ful whisper Khan ! God o f War ! As a regiment o f

for m al ushers they led us to a spacious great hall soft e ne d
by its semi darkness Heav y carved doors opened to the
i nterior parts of the palace In the depths o f the hall
stood a dai s with the throne covered w i th yellow silk
cushions The back o f the throne w as red inside a gold
fra m ing ; a t e i ther side stoo d y ellow silk screens set i n
h i ghly orna m ented frames o f black Chinese wood ; while
against the wall s at either s i de of the throne stood glass
cases lled with varied obj ects fro m China Japan India
a n d Russ i a I n o t ice d also a m ong them a pa i r o f exqu i site
Marqu i s and Marquises i n the n e porcelain o f Sevres
Be fore the thron e s to od a l on g low table a t wh i ch e i gh t
.

BEAS TS

6o

MEN AND GO D S

F ro m the f ront ent rance stretche d a lon g re d rope whos e

outer end was thrown over the wall beside the gate
Crowds o f pilgr i ms crawling up o n the i r knees touch this
end o f the rope outside the gate and hand the monk a
silken ha ty k o r a bit o f silver This touching o f the rope
whose inner e n d i s i n the hand o f the Bogd o establishe s
d i rect communication with the holy incarnated L i ving
God A current o f blessing i s supposed t o ow through
this cable o f camel s wool and horse ha i r Any Mongol
w ho has touched the mystic rope receives and wears
about his neck a red band as the S ign of his accomplishe d
pilgrimage
I had heard very much about the Bogdo Khan be fore
this opportunity to see him I had heard o f his love o f
alcohol which had brought o n blindness about h i s lean
i ng toward exterior western culture and abou t his wi fe
d r i nking deep with him and receiving in his name numer
o us delegations and envoys
In the room which the Bogdo used as his pr i vate study
where two Lama secretaries watched day and n ight over
the chest that contained his great seals there w a s the
severest simplicity On a low plain Chinese lacquered
table lay his writing implements a case of seals gi ve n
by the Chinese Government and by the Dalai Lama an d
w rapped i n a cloth o f yellow silk N earby was a lo w
easy chair a bronze bra z ier with an i ron stovepi pe lead
ing up from it ; on the walls were the signs o f the swas
tika Tibetan and Mongolian i nscript i ons ; behind the easy
chair a small altar with a gol d en statue o f Buddha
be fore which two tallow la m ps were burn i ng ; the oor
w as covered w i th a th i ck yellow carpet
When we ent ered onl y the two La m a secretar i es wer e
.

BEFO RE T HE FACE

OF

B UDDHA

261

there fo r the Livi ng Bu d dha w as i n the smal l pr iva te

shrine in an ad j oining chamber where no one is allowed
to enter save the Bogdo Khan himself and o n e Lama
K anp o G e lo ng w ho cares fo r the temple arrangements
and assists the Living Buddha during his prayers of sol i
tude The S ecretary told us that the Bogdo had been
greatly excited this morning At noon he had entered
his shrine For a long t ime the voice o f the head of the
Yellow Faith w as heard in earnest prayer and after hi s
another unkn own voice came clearly forth In the shrine
had taken place a conversation between the Buddha on
earth and the Buddha o f heaven thus the Lamas phrased
i t to us

Le t us wa i t a little
the Baron proposed
Perhaps

he w i ll soon come o ut
A S w e waited the Gener al began telling me about
h
a
h
n
i
a
n
t
t
s
Lama
saying
that
when
i
s
calm
he
is
a
s
i
a
J
J
an ordinary man but when he is dis turbed and thinks very
deeply a nimbus appears about his head
A fter hal f an hour the Lama secretaries suddenly
showed signs of deep fear and began listening closely by
the entrance to the shrine S hortly they fell o n their
faces o n the ground The door slowly o pened and there
entered the E mperor o f Mongolia the Living Buddha
His Holiness Bogdo D je b tsung Damba Hutuktu Khan
o f O uter Mongolia
H e was a stout old man with a
heavy shaven face resembling those o f the Cardinals o f
Rome He wa s dressed in the yellow silken Mongolian
coat with a black binding The eye s o f the blind man
stood widely O pen Fear and amaz e ment were pictured
in them He lowered himself heav i ly into the easy cha i r

and wh i spered : Wr i te !
,

BEAS TS

26 2

MEN AND G O D S

A secre tary imm ed i at ely too k paper an d a Ch i nese

pen as the Bo gd o began to d i ctate his vision very c o m
pl i cated and far fro m clear He nished with the fo l
,

lo w ing words :

This I Bogdo Hutuktu Khan saw Speaking with the

great w i se Buddha surrounded by the go od and ev i l
S p i r i ts Wise Lamas H utuk tus K anpo s M a ram b a s and

H oly G he g he n s g i ve the answer to my vision !

A S he nished he wiped the perspiration from his head
and asked who were presen t

Khan Chiang Chilin Baron Ungern and a stranger

o n e o f the secretaries answered o n his knees
The General presen ted me to the Bogdo who bowed
his head as a S ign o f greeting They began speaking
t ogether i n low tones Through the O pen door I saw
a part o f the S hrine I made out a big table with a heap
o f books o n i t some open and others lying o n the oor
below ; a braz i er with the red charcoal in it ; a basket
conta i ning the shoulder blades and entra i l s of S heep for
telling fortunes S oon the Baron rose and bowed before
the Bogdo The Tibetan placed his hands o n the Baron s
head and whispered a prayer Then he took from his
o w n nec k a hea vy ik o n and hung i t around that o f the
Baron

Y o u w i l l no t d i e but you will be i ncarnated in the

highest for m o f being Remember that Incarnated God

Khan o f grate ful Mongolia ! I understood

o f War

that the Li v in g Buddha blessed th e Bloo dy General

before d ea th
,

D uri ng the next t wo d ays I had the oppor tun i ty to

vi s i t the Li v i ng Buddha three t im es t ogether with a friend

BEAS TS

64

AND

M EN

GO

DS

d i shes wi th nut s r ai s i ns d a t es an d cheese and se r ve d

us tea

This i s the last n i ght D j a m Bolon ! sai d Ba ron

Y o u promis e d me
Unger n

I re m ember answered the Buriat all i s ready

For a long time I listened to their reminiscences abou t
for m er battles and fr i ends who had be e n los t The clock
pointed to midni ght w hen D j a m Bolon g o t up and wen t
o ut o f the y ur ta

I wan t to have my fortune t old o nce m o re sa i d

Baron Ungern as though he were j ustifying himsel f

For the goo d o f o ur cause it is to o early for m e to

die
Dj a m B OIO n came bac k w i th a l i ttle w o m an of mi ddle
years w ho squatte d do wn eastern style before the
brazier bowed low and began to stare at Baron Ungern
H er face was whiter narrower and thinner than that o f
a Mongol wo m an Her eyes were black and sharp H e r
dress resembled that o f a gyps y woman A fterwards I
l earned tha t S he was a famous fortune teller and prophe t
among the Bur i ats the daughter o f a gypsy woman and
a Bur i at She drew a small bag ver y slowly fro m her
gi rdle too k f ro m it some small bird bones and a hand ful
o f dry grass
She began whisper i ng at intervals un inte lli
i
l
o
f
words
as
threw
occasional
hand
fuls
the
gras
s
b
h
e
s
e
g
i nto the re whi ch gradually lled the tent w i th a sof t
fragrance I fel t a distinct palpitation o f m y heart and
a swimming i n m y head A fter the fo rtune tell e r had
burned all her grass she placed the b i rd bones on the
charcoal and turn e d them o ver aga i n and aga i n w i th a
small pa i r o f bronze p i ncers As the bones blacken ed
she b egan t o ex ami ne th e m an d then suddenl y he r f ace
us

BE FO RE

T HE

FACE

B U DD HA

OF

65

t oo k on an express i on of fear and pa i n She ne rvously

t ore off the kerchie f which bound her head and contracted
wi th convuls i ons began sn apping o ut short Sharp phrases
.

I see the G o d of War

H is life runs
horribly
After i t a Shadow
black like
o ut
the night
Shadow
One hundred thi rty steps
remain
Beyond darkness
N othing
I se e
nothing
The God o f War has d i sappeared
Baron Ungern dropped his head T he woman fell over
She had fainted
o n her back wi th her arm s stretched o ut
bu t it seeme d t o m e that I not i ced once a bright pupil
of one of her eyes Show i ng fro m under the closed lashes
T wo Bur i ats carried out the l i feless form a fter which
a long silence reigned i n the yur ta o f the Buriat Pr i nce
Baron Ungern nally go t up and began to walk around
the brazier whisper i ng to himsel f
A fterwards he
st opped and began speak i ng rapidly :

I shall die ! I shall d i e !

but no matter no m a t ter
T he cause has been launched and will not d i e
I
know the r o ads th i s cause will travel T he t r ibes o f
h
i
e
n
z
Khan
s
successors
are
awakened
N
obod
y
shall
J g
exti nguish the re i n the heart o f the Mongols ! I n A s i a
there will be a grea t State fro m the P acic and Ind i an
Oceans to the shore o f the Volga T he wise relig i on o f
Buddha shall run to the north and the wes t It w i ll be
the v i ctory of t he S p i r it A conqueror and leader will
appear stronger and m ore stalwart than J e ng hiz Khan
and U g ad ai He w i ll be m ore clever and m ore m erci ful
than Sultan Baber and he w i ll keep power i n h i s hands
until the happy day when from his subterranean capital
shall e m erge the Ki ng o f the World Why why S hall
I not be i n the rs t rank s o f the w ar r i ors o f Bu d dh i s m ?
I

se e

B E AS TS

66

MEN AND G O D S

Wh y has K arm a dec id e d s o ? Bu t so it m ust be ! And

Russ i a m ust rst wash herself fro m the i nsult of rev o
lutio n pur i fy i ng herself w i th blood an d death ; and all
people accepti ng Commun is m must perish w i th their fa m

ilie s i n order that all the i r o ff spring may be rooted o ut !

The Baron ra i sed his hand above h i s head and S hook
i t as t hough he were g ivi ng hi s or d ers an d bequests t o
so m e i nvisible person
D ay w as d a wning

I n a lit tle
sa id the G e ner al
M y time has come

while I S hall leave Urga

He quickl y and rmly shook hands w i th us and sa i d :

Good bye fo r all time ! I shall die a ho rrible death

but the world has never seen such a terror and such a
se a o f blood a s it shall now se e
The door o f the yur ta slam m ed S hu t and he was gone
I never S aw h im again

I m ust go also for I a m likew i se leav i ng Urga today

I know i t ans wered the Prince the Baron has left

y ou w i th m e for so m e purp ose I w i ll g iv e yo u a fou rth
companion , the Mongol Minister o f W ar Y ou will ac
com pany hi m to y our y ur ta I t is necessary f or y ou
D j a m Bolon pronounced th i s last w i th an accent o n
I d i d not question h im about i t as I w as
e v ery word
a ccus t o m ed to the mystery o f th i s coun t r y o f the m ys
te rie s o f good and evil spirits
,

BEAS TS

68

MEN AND G O D S

the roa d cross tha t pass ahea d ? I don t kn ow the way

and must overtake an envoy w ho went there

The M inister of War answered that we would be in
K haz ahud uk that even i ng and gave S e pailo ff directions
as to the road The m otor rushed away and when it ha d
t opped the pass he ordere d o n e of the Mongols t o gallop
f orward to se e whether i t had n o t stoppe d somewhere
near the other side The Mongol whipped h i s steed and
sped away We followed slowly

?
h
What is t e matter
I asked
Please explain !
The M inister told me that D j am Bolon yesterday r e
c e ive d inform ation that S e pa ilo ff planned to overtake me
o n the way and kill me
S e pa ilo ff suspected that I had
stirred up the Baron against him D ja m B olon r e ported
the matter to the Baron who organi z ed this column for
my safety T he ret urning Mongol repo rted that the
motor car had gone on out of sight

N ow said the M inister we shall take qu i te another

route so that the Colonel will wait i n vain fo r us a t

Khaz ahud uk

We turned north a t Undur Dobo and at n i ght were i n

the camp o f a local pr in ce Here w e t ook leave of o ur
Minister r e c e lv e d splendid fresh horses and quickly co n

t in u e d o ur trip to the east leaving behind us

the man

w i th the head like a saddle against whom I had been

warned by the o ld fortune teller i n the v i cinity o f Van
Kure
After twelve d ays without further adventures w e
reached the rst railway station o n the Chinese E astern
Railway from where I traveled in unbelievable lux ury to
Peking
.

a:

><

a:

MAN WI T H A HEAD

LI KE

A S ADDLE

69

Surround ed b y the com f o r t s an d c o nv eniences o f the

splendid hotel at Peking while S hedding all the attr i but es
hunter and warrior I could not however
o f traveler
throw o ff the spell o f those n i ne days spent i n Urga

where I had daily m et Baron Ungern Incarnated G o d

The newspapers carrying accounts o f the
o f War
bloody m arch o f the Baron through T r an sb aik alia
brought the pictures ever fresh to my m ind E ven now
although m ore than seven months have elapsed I cannot
forget those nights o f madness insp iration and hate
Approximat ely o n e hun
T he predictions are fullled
d red thirty days afterwards Baron Ungern was capture d
by the Bolsheviki through the treachery of hi s o fcers and
i t i s reported was executed at the end o f September
Bar o n R F Ungern von S ternb erg
Like a bloody
storm o f avenging Karm a he spread ove r Central As i a
What did he leave behind hi m ? The severe order to his
soldiers closing w i th the words o f the Revelati ons o f
S t John :

Let no one check the revenge aga i nst the corrup te r

and S layer of the soul o f the Russian people Revolut i on
m ust be eradicated from the World Against i t the Reve
lat io n s o f St John have warned us thus : And the wo m an
w as arrayed i n purple and scarlet and decked with gold
and precious stones and pearls havm g i n her hand a
golden cup full of abominations even the unclean th i ngs
o f her
fornication and upon her forehead a name
wr i tten M Y S TERY B A B Y LO N T H E GREA T T H E M O TH E R
O F TH E H A RL O T S A N D O F T H E A B O M I N A T I O N
O F TH E
E A RT H
And I saw the woman drunk en with the blood
o f the sa i n t s
and w i th the blood o f the m ar tyrs o f
Jes us
,

BEAS TS

M EN

AN D

GO

DS

I t i s a h um an d oc um ent a d ocum en t of Russ i an and

perhaps of world tragedy
But there remained another and m ore im portant t race
In the Mongol yur tas and at the res of Buriat M o n
gol D jun g a r K irkhiz Ka lm uck and Ti betan Shepherds
still speak the l eg end born o f thi s son o f crusaders and
pr i vateers :

F rom the nor th a wh i te warr i or ca m e an d cal l ed o n

the Mongo l s t o bre ak the i r chains o f sl avery wh i ch fell
upon o ur freed soil T his white warrior was the I n c a r
n ate d J e n g hiz K han and he predicted the coming o f the
greatest o f all Mongols who w i l l spread the fair faith
o f Buddha and the glory and power o f the o ffspring o f

n g hiz
d
i
a
h
a
an
d
K
ubla
i
K
an
S
o
i
t
shall
be
e
!
U
g
J
Asia i s awakened and her sons utter bold words
I t were w ell fo r the pe ace o f the world i f they go forth
as disc i ples o f the wise creators U g ad ai and Sultan Baber

rather than under the spell of the bad de m ons o f the

d es t ructiv e T a m er lane
,

IV

P art

T H E L I VI NG B U D D HA

C HAP TE R XL
IN T H E

BLI S S FUL GAR D E N

J O YS

TH O USA N D

O F A

Mongol i a the country o f m iracles and my ster i es

lives the custodian o f all the m ysterious and unknown
the Li ving Buddha H i s Holiness D je b tsung D a mba
Hutuktu Khan o r Bogdo G he g he n P onti ff o f Ta Kure
He i s the i ncarn ation o f the never dy i ng Buddha the
representative of the unbroken m ysteriously contin ued
line of spiritual emperors ruling since 1 6 70 concealin g
in themselves the ever rening spirit o f Buddha Am itabha

j oined with Chan r a z i o r the Compassionate Spirit o f

the Mountains
In him i s everything even the S un
Myth and the fasc i nation o f the m ysterious peaks o f the
Himalayas tales o f the Indian pagoda the s t ern maj esty
o f the Mongolian Conquerors
E mperors of All Asia
and the ancient hazy legends o f the Chine se sages ; im
mersion i n the thoughts o f the Brah m ans ; the sever i ties

o f li fe of the m onks of the

V irtuous O rder ; the ven
e
g an c e of the eternally wander i ng warr iors the O le ts
w i th the i r Khans Bat ur Hun Taigi and Gu shi ; the proud

2 73

BEAS TS

74

GO D S

AN D

M EN

bequests o f J e ng hiz an d K ub la i Khan ; the c l er i cal r e

actionary psycholo gy o f the Lamas ; the my stery o f
Tibetan k i ngs begi nni ng fro m S rong Tsang G am po ; and
the m erc i lessness o f the Y ellow Sect of P a spa A ll the
haz y h i story o f A s i a o f Mongolia P am if Him alayas
Mesopota mi a P ersia and C hina surrounds the Liv i ng
G o d o f Urga
I t i s l ittle wonder th at h i s name i s ho n
ored along the Volga i n S i ber i a Arabia between the
Tigr i s and E uphrates i n Indo Ch i na and o n the shores
o f the A rc ti c Ocean
D ur i ng my stay in Urga I v i s i ted the abo d e o f the
Living Buddha severa l ti mes Spoke w i th h im and o b
served his life H is favorite learned M a ram b as gave m e
long accounts o f h im I saw him reading horoscopes I
heard h i s predictions I looked over his arch i ves o f ancient
books and t he m anuscripts conta i ning the l i ves and pre
dictions of all the Bogdo Khans The Lamas were very
fran k and open wi th m e because the letter o f the H u
tuktu o f N arab anchi w o n f or me the i r condenc e
T he personal i ty o f the L iv i ng Buddha i s double jus t
as everything i n Lama i s m i s double Clever penetrating
energet i c he at the same tim e i ndulges i n the dr unken
ness wh i ch has brought o n blindness When he beca m e
blind the L amas were thro wn i nto a s ta t e o f despera
t i on S om e o f them m a i ntained tha t Bogd o Khan m us t
be po i soned and another Incarna t e Buddha se t i n his
l
a
c
e
while
the
others
po
i
nte
d
o
u
t
the
grea
t
m
er
i
ts
o
f
;
p
the P onti ff i n the eyes o f Mongol i ans and the followers
o f the Yello w F ai th
T he y nally decided t o prop i t i ate
the gods by bu i ld i ng a grea t t emple w i th a gi ganti c statue
o f Buddha
H owever th i s did not help the B o g d o s S ight
but the who l e i nci d e nt ga v e h im the opport un i ty o f hurry
-

BEAS TS

76

M EN

GO D S

AN D

H e sh ow e d the exh i b it s an d talked o f th em for a lo n g

ti m e and ev i dently enj oy ed the telling And really it
w as wonderful ! Before m y eyes lay the bundles o f rare
furs ; white beaver black sables white blue and black
f ox and black panthers s m all beautifully carved torto i se
shell boxes conta i ning ha tyks ten o r fteen yards long
w oven from Indian S ilk as ne as the webs of the spider ;
small bags made o f golden t hread lled with pearls the
presents o f Indian Raj ahs ; precious rings with sapph i res
and rubies from China and India ; big pieces o f j ade
.

rough diamonds ; ivory tusks ornamented with gold

pearls and p recious stones ; bright clothes sewn with gol d
and S ilver thread ; walrus tusks carved in b as relie f by
the primitive artists o n the shores of the Behring Sea ;
and much more that o n e cannot recall or recount In a
separate r o om stood the cases with the statues o f Buddha
made o f gold silver bron z e ivory cor al mother o f pe arl
and from a rare colored and fragrant species o f wood

You know whe n conquerors come into a country

w here the god s are honored they break the images and
throw them down S o it w a s more than three hundred
years ago when the Kalmucks went i nto Tibet and the
same was repeated i n Peking when the E uropean tr o ops
looted the place in 1 9 00 But do you know w hy this is

done ? Take o n e o f the statu e s and examine it

I picke d up one nearest the edge a wooden Buddha
and began examining i t Inside something was loose and
rattled

Do you hear i t ? the Lama asked

These are pre
Th i s
c io u s stones and b i ts o f gold the entrails of the god
i s the reason w hy the conquerors at once break up the
Many fa m ous precious stones have
sta t ues o f the gods
,

BLI S S FUL GARDEN

T HE

IN

77

appe ared f r om the in ter i or o f the s tatu e s of the go ds in

India Babylon and China

S ome rooms were devoted to the library where man
usc r ipts and volumes o f di fferent epochs in di fferent lan
guages and with m any diverse them es ll the shelves
Some o f them are mouldering o r pulveri z ing away and
t he L amas cover thes e now with a solution which partially
solidies like a j elly to protect what remains f rom the
ravages o f the air There also w e saw tablets of clay
with the cunei form inscriptions evidently from Baby
lonia ; Chinese Indian and Tibetan books shelved beside
those of Mongolia ; tomes of the ancient pure Buddhism ;

books o f the Red Caps o r corrupt Buddhism ; books o f

the Yellow or Lamaite Buddhism ; books of traditions

legends and parables G roups o f Lamas were perusing
studying and copying these books preserving and spread
ing the ancient wisdom for their successors
O n e department is devoted to t he mysterious bo o ks o n
m agic the historical lives and works o f all the thirty o n e
Living Budd has with the bulls of the Dalai Lama o f the
Ponti ff from Tashi Lumpo o f the Hutuktu of Utai in
China of the Pandita G he g he n o f Dolo Nor in Inner
Mongolia and o f the Hundred Chinese Wise Men O nly
the Bogdo Hutuktu and Maramba T a Rim po Cha can
enter this room of mysterious lore The keys to it rest
with the seals o f the Living Buddha and the ruby ring o f
h
i
n
h
f
z
K
an
rnamented
with
the
sign
the
swastika
e
o
o
J g
in the chest in the private study of the Bogdo
The person of His Holiness is surrounded by ve
thousand Lamas They are divided into many ranks

from S imple servants to the Councillors o f God of

which latter the Government consists
Among these
.

BEAS T S

78

MEN AN D G O D S

Counc i l lor s are all the fo ur Khans o f Mon go l i a and the

ve highest P rinces
O f all the La m as there are three classes o f pecul i a r
i nterest about which the L i ving Buddha hi m self t old m e
when I visited h im with Dj am Bolon

The God sorrowfully m ourned over the de m oralized

and sumptuous l i fe led by the La m as which decreased
rap i dly the number of f ortune tellers and clai rvoyan t s
among the i r ranks saying of it :

If th e J a h a n t si and N a r a b a n c hi m ona s te ri e s had

not pres e rved their strict r gi me and rules Ta Kure would
have been l e ft without prophets and fort une tellers
Barun Abaga N ar D o r chiul J ur d o k and the o ther holy
Lamas who had the powe r o f see i ng that which is hidden
from the S ight o f the com m on people have gone with the

blessing o f the gods

This class o f Lamas i s a very impor t ant one because
every important personage v isiting the monasteries a t
U rga is shown to the La m a T z ur e n o r fortune teller w i th
o ut the knowledge o f the v i sitor for the study of his des
tiny and fate which are then communicated to the Bogdo
Hutuktu so that w i th these facts i n h i s possession the
Bogdo knows i n wha t way to treat his gu est and wha t
policy t o follow toward him The T am e m are mostl y
o ld men
skinny exhausted and severe ascetics But I
have met some w ho were young almost boys They were

the H ub ilg an incarnate gods the future H utuktus an d

G he g he n s o f the various Mongolian monaster i es

The second class i s the doctors o r Ta Lama

T he y
observ e the act i ons of plants and certain pr o ducts fro m
an i mals upon people preserve T ibetan m e dicines an d
cures and s tu d y anato m y very carefully but w i thout mak
.

B E AS TS

8o

MEN AND GO D S

B ogdo and P r i nce

Dj am Bolon translated to him my story o f the Great
War The o ld fellow w as listening very carefully but
suddenly o pen e d h i s eyes widely and began to give
attention t o so m e sounds coming i n fr om outside the
roo m
His face became reverent supplicant and
frightened

The Gods call me he wh i sper e d and slow l y m oved

i nto his pr i vate shr i ne where he prayed loudly abou t two
hours kneel i ng i mmob i le as a statue H i s prayer consists
o f conversation with the invisible gods
to whose ques
t i ons he himsel f gave the answers He came out o f the
shr i ne pale and exhausted but pleased and happy It w as
h i s personal prayer During the regular temple serv i ce

he did not participate in the prayers for then he is God

S itt i ng o n h i s throne he is carr i ed and placed o n the
altar and there prayed to by the Lamas and the people
He only receives the prayers hopes tears w o e and des
r
i
m
il
l
the
people
gaz
i
ng
into
space
w
i
th
e
o
n
o
i
m
o
b
e
f
a
t
p
y
his S harp and bri gh t bu t blind eyes At var i ous times i n
the service the L am a s rob e h i m in differen t vestments
combinations o f yellow and red and change his caps T he
serv ice always nishes at the solemn moment when the
Li ving Buddha with the tiara o n his head pronounces the
c
i

blessing
upon
the
congregation
turning
hi
s
fa
e
o
n
t
l
e
a
p
to all four cardinal po i nts o f the compass and nally
stretch i ng out his hands toward the northwest that i s to
E urope wh i ther i n the bel i ef o f the Yellow Fa ith m ust
travel the teach i ngs o f the w i se Buddha
A f te r earnest prayers o r lon g temple servi ces the Pon
t i ff see m s very deeply shak en and often calls h i s secre
O

ne

d ay we

sat

i n the r oom o f

the

IN

T HE

BLIS S FUL GARDEN

81

t aries and dictates his v i s i ons and propheci e s always very

complicated and unaccom panied by his deduct i ons

S omet i mes with the words Their souls are co m mun i

,

cating he puts o n his w hite robes and goes to pray in

his shri ne Then all the gates o f the palace are shut and
all the La m as are sunk in solemn mysti c fear ; all are
prayi ng telling the i r rosar i es and wh i sper i ng the or i son :

O m ! M am p a d m e H 2 mg ! or turning the prayer wheels

w i th thei r prayers o r e xo r c ising s ; the for t une tellers read
the i r horoscopes ; the cla i rv o yants w r it e out the i r v i sions ;
while M a ram b as search the anc i en t book s f or e xpl ana
ti ons o f the w or d s o f the Li v i ng Bu ddha
,

CHAPTE R X LI
D US T O F C E NT UR I E S

T HE

AVE yo u ever seen the dusty cob w eb s and the

H m oul d i n the cellars o f so me anc i ent castle in Italy
France o r E ngland ? T h i s i s the dust o f cen t uries P er
haps it touched the f aces hel m ets and swords o f a Ro m an
Augu stus S t L ou i s the Inqu i s it or Gali leo o r Ki ng
Richard Y our hear t i s i nvoluntarily contracted and yo u
feel a respe ct f or these w i tnesses o f elapsed ages T h i s
sa m e i mpression came to me i n Ta Kure perhaps m ore
deep more realistic Here li fe ows o n al m os t as i t
owed e i ght centuri es ago ; here man lives only i n the
past ; an d the contemporary only complicates and prevent s
the nor m al l i fe

Today i s a grea t day the Li v i ng Buddha once sa i d

to m e the day o f the v i ctory o f Buddhism over all o ther

rel i gions I t was a l o ng time ago o u th i s day Kubla i
K han cal l ed to hi m the Lam as of all religions and ordered
the m t o s ta t e to hi m how and what they bel i eved They
pra i sed the i r Gods and the i r H utuktus Di scuss i ons an d
quarrel s began On ly o ne L a m a rem a i ned s i len t At
last he moc k i ngl y s mi led and sa i d :
Grea t E m peror ! Orde r each t o prove the po w er o f
h i s God s by the per for m ance o f a mi racle an d a ft e rw ards
j ud g e and choose
,

2 82

BEAS TS

84

AN D

M EN

GO D S

a ffa i rs an d t o en ligh t en h im accor di ng t o the wi l l

The Liv i ng Buddha w a s S ilent for a ti m e whispered a

prayer and then continued :

Urga the ancient nest o f Buddhism

W ith J e n g hiz
Khan on his E uropean conquest wen t o ut the O le ts o r
Kalmucks They remained there almost four hundred
y ears living o n the plains o f Russia Then they returned
t o Mongol i a because the Yellow La m as called them to
ght against the Kings o f Tibet Lamas of the red caps
The Kalmucks helped
who were oppressing the peo ple
the Yellow Faith but they reali z ed that Lhasa was too
distant fr o ni the whole world and could not spread o ur
F aith throughout the earth Consequently the Kalmuck
Gushi Khan brought up fro m Tibet a holy Lama Undur
G he g hen w ho had v i sited the King o f the World From
that da y the Bogdo G he g he n has continuously lived in
Urga a pro t ector of the freedom o f Mongolia and o f the
Chinese E mperors o f Mongolian origin Undur G he g he n
was the rst L iving Buddha in the land o f the Mongols
H e left to us his successors the ring o f J e n g hiz Khan
whic h w a s sent by Kubla i Khan to D ala i Lama in return
fo r the m i racle shown by the Lama T urjo Gamba ; also
the top o f the skull o f a black mysterious miracle worker
f rom India using which as a bowl S tr o n g tsan King o f
Tibet drank during the t emple ceremonies one thousand
six hundred years ago ; as well as an ancient stone statue
of Buddha brought from D elhi by the founder o f the

Y ellow Faith Pa spa

The Bogdo clapped his hands and one o f the secretar i es
t ook from a red kerchief a bi g silver key w i th which he
,

DU S T

T HE

O F CENTURIE S

85

unlocked the ches t with the seals The Living Buddha

slipped his hand into the chest and drew forth a small
b o x o f carved ivory from whic h he took out and showed
to me a large gold ring se t with a m agnicent ruby carved
with the S ign of the swas tika

This ring was always worn on the right hand o f the

K hans J e n g hiz and Kublai said the Bogdo

Wh e n the secretary had closed the chest the Bogdo
ordered him to summon his favorite Maramba whom he
directed to read some page s from an ancient book lying
o n the table
The La m a began to read monotonously

When G ush i Khan the Chie f of all the O le t s or Kal

m ucks nished the war with the Red Caps in Tibet he
carried o ut with him the miraculous black stone sent to
the D ala i Lama by the King of the W orld Gush i Khan
wanted to create i n Western Mongolia the cap i tal o f the
Yellow Fa i th ; but the O le ts at that time were at war with
the Manchu E mperors for the throne o f China and su f
fe r e d o n e de feat after another
The last Khan of the
O le t s A m u r san a ran away into Russia but before his
escape sent to U rga the sacred black stone
While it
remained in U rga so that the Living Buddh a could bless
the pe o ple with i t disease and mis fortune never touched
the Mongolians and thei r cattle About o n e hundred
years ago however some o n e stole the sacred stone and
since then Buddhists have vainly sought it throughout the
whole world With its disappearance the M o ngol people
began gradually to die

E nough ! ordered Bogdo G he g he n

Our neighbors
hold u s in contem pt T hey forget that we were their
sov ere i gns but we preserve our hol y tra diti ons and w e
.

BEA S TS

86

M EN

AND G O D S

know tha t the d a y o f t r i um ph of the M ongoli an t r i bes

and the Yellow Fa i th w i ll co m e We have the Pro t ectors
o f the Fa i th the Buria t s
They are the truest guardians

of the bequests o f J e n g hiz Khan

S o spoke the Livi n g Bu d dha an d so have spok en the
anc i en t boo k s !
.

BEAS TS

88

MEN AND G O D S

p l ace d h im on the al tar and be gan t o p ray

When he returned from the shr i ne he ordered the statue
o f Buddha brought o ut
All were struck with amazement
fo r the eyes o f the God were S hut and tears were falling
from them ; fro m t he wooden bod y g reen prouts ap
r e d ; and t he Bogdo said :
e
a
p
Wo e and j oy are awai ting m e I shall becom e bl i nd
but Mongolia will be free

The prophecy i s fullled A t another t i me on a da y

when the Living Buddha was v ery m uch exc i ted he
ordered a basin o f water brought and se t before the altar
He called the L amas and began to pray S uddenly the
altar candles and lamps lighted the m selv es and the wa t er

i n the bas i n be cam e i ridescent

A fterwards the P rince described t o m e ho w the Bogd o
Khan tells fortunes with fresh blood upon whos e surface
appear words and pictures ; with the entrails o f sheep
and goats according to whose dist r i bution the Bogd o
reads the fate o f the P rinces and kn ows the i r thoughts ;
w i th stones and bones fro m which the L i v i ng Buddha
wi th g rea t accuracy reads the lo t o f all men ; and by the
stars i n accordance w i th whose po s i tions the Bogdo pre
pares a m ulets aga i nst bullets and disease

T he form er Bogdo Khans told fortunes only by the

said the Maramba

O n the
u se o f the blac k s t one
surfac e o f the stone appeared Tibetan inscripti ons which

the Bogdo read and thus learn ed t he lot of whole nations

When the Maramba spoke o f the black stone with the
Ti betan legen ds appea ri ng o n it I at once recalled that
i t was p o ss i ble In southeas t ern U r ianha i i n Ulan
Taiga I ca m e across a place where black slate was de
A ll the p i eces o f t hi s slat e were cover ed wi th
c om po si ng
G he g he n

BO O K

T HE

OF

M IRA

CLE S

89

spec i al w h it e l i chen wh i ch fo rm e d v ery com pl i ca ted

designs reminding me of a Venetian lace pattern or who le
pages o f mysterious runes When the S late was w e t
these designs disappeared ; an d then as they were dried
the patterns came o ut again
N obody has the right o r dares t o ask the Living Bu d dh a
t o t ell his fortune He predicts only when he feels the
insp i ration o r when a special delegate comes to him bear
ing a request fo r it from the D alai L am a o r the Tashi
L ama When the Russian Czar Alexander I fell under
the i nuence o f Baroness K z ud e n e r and o f her extreme
mysticism he despatched a special envoy t o the Living
Buddha to ask about his destiny The then Bogdo Khan
qu i te a young man told his fortune according t o the

black stone and predicted that the White C z ar would

nish his l i fe i n very painful wander i ngs unknown to all
and everywhere pursued In Russia tod ay there exists
a popular belief that Alexander I spent the last days o f
his life as a wanderer thr o ughout Russia and S iberi a
under the pseudonym o f Feodor K usm itch help i ng and
consoling prisoners beggars and other su ff ering people
o ften pursued and i mprisoned by the police and nally
dying at Tomsk in S iberia where even until now they
have preserved the house where he spent his last days
and have kept his grave sacred a place o f pilgrimages
and m iracles The former dynasty o f Romano ff w as
deeply interested i n the biography o f Feodor Ku sm itch
and this interest xed the O pinion that K usm itch w a s
really the C z ar Alexander I w ho had volun tar i ly t ak en
upon himsel f th i s severe penance
a

CHA PT E R X LI I I
BIR TH O F

T HE

T HE

L IVI N G BU DDHA

Li vin g Bu d d ha d oes not d i e Hi s soul so m e

ti m es pa sses i nto tha t o f a child born o n the da y
o f h i s death and sometimes transfers i tself to another
be i ng dur i ng the li fe o f the Buddha Thi s new m ortal
dwelling o f the sacred spiri t of the Buddha al m os t always
ap pears i n the yur ta o f some poo r Tibetan or Mongol
family There i s a r eason o f policy for this I f the
Buddha appear s i n the fam i ly o f a r i ch prince it could
result in the elevat i on o f a fam ily that w ould not y i eld
obedience to the clergy ( and such has happened i n the
past ) while on the other hand any poor unknown family
that becomes the heritor o f the throne of J e ng hiz Khan
acquires r iches and i s readily submissive t o the La m as
Only three or f our L i v i ng Buddhas were o f purel y Mon
golian or i gin ; the rema i nder were Tibetans
One o f the Councillors o f the L i ving Buddha La m a
Khan J a ssaktu told m e the followin g :

In the m onaster i es at Lhasa and Tash i Lumpo they

are kept constantly i nformed through letters from Urga
about the health o f the Living Buddha Whe n his human
body becomes o ld and the S pirit of Buddha str i ves to
extr i ca t e i tsel f spe c i al solemn services beg i n i n the
Tibetan t e m ples together with the telling of fortu nes by
astrol ogy T hese r i tes ind i cate the spec i a lly p i ous Lam as
HE

2 9

CHA PT E R XLIV

A PA GE I N

T HE

HI S T O RY O F T H E PR E S E NT
LI V IN G BUD DHA

HE

present Bogd o K han of O uter Mongolia is a

Tibetan He spran g from a poor family living in
t he neighborhood o f S akkia Kure in western Tibet From
earliest youth he had a stormy quite unaesthetic nature
He w as red wi th the idea of the independence and glori
c atio n o f M ongolia and the successors o f J e n g hiz Khan
T his gave him at once a grea t inuence among the La mas
Princes and Khans o f Mongolia and also with the Rus
sian Government which always tried to attract him to
their side He did not f e ar to arraign himself against
the Manchu dynasty in China and always had the help
o f Russia Tibet the Buriats and Kirghiz furnishing hi m
with money weap o ns warriors and diplomatic aid The
Chinese E mperors avoided open war w i th the L i ving
G o d because i t might arous e the protests of the Chinese
Buddhists At one time they sent to the Bogdo Khan
a skilful doctor poisoner The Living Buddha however
at once understood the meaning o f this medical attention
and know i ng the power o f Asiatic poisons decided to
m ake a j ourney thr o ugh the Mongol monasteries and
through Tibet As his substitute he left a H ub ilg an who
m ade fri ends with the Chinese doctor and inquired from
h im the purposes and de t ails of his arr iv al Very soon
.

2 92

THE PRE S ENT LIVIN G B UDDHA

2 93

the Ch i ne se d i e d fro m some unknown cause and the Liv

i ng Buddha returned to his comfortable capital
On another occasion danger threatened the Liv i ng God
I t was when Lhasa decided that the Bogdo Khan was
.

carrying o ut a policy too independent o f Tibet The

Dalai Lama began negotiations with several Khans and
Princes with the S ain N o io n Khan and J assaktu Khan
leading the movement and persuaded t hem to accelerate
the i mmigrat i on o f the S pirit of Budd ha into another
human form T hey came t o Urga where the Bogdo
Kh an m e t them with honors and re j oicings A great
feast was made fo r them and the conspirators already
felt themselves the accomplishers o f the orders of the
D alai Lama However at the end o f the feast they
had different feelings and died with them during the
night The Living Budd ha ordered the i r bodies sent with
full honors to the i r families
The Bogdo Khan knows every thought every move
m ent o f the Pr i nces and Khans the slightest conspiracy
against himself and the o ffender is usually k i ndly inv i ted
to Urga fro m where he does not return alive
The Chinese Government decided to termina t e the l i ne
o f the L i ving Buddhas
Ceasing to ght with the Ponti ff
o f Urga the Government contrived the following scheme
for acco m plishing i ts ends
Peking invited the Pandita G he g he n from D olo N o r
and the head o f the Chinese Lamaites the Hutuktu o f
Utai both o f whom do not recogn ize the supremacy o f
the Living Buddha to come to the capital They decided
after consulting the o ld Buddhistic books that the present
Bogdo Khan was to be the last L i ving Buddha because
that part of the Spi r i t o f Bu d dha which dwells in the
.

BEAS TS

94

M EN

G O DS

AN D

Bogdo Kh an s can ab id e on ly th i rty one ti m e s i n the

human b o dy Bogdo Khan is the thir ty rst Incarna t ed
Buddh a from the time o f Undur G he g hen and w i th hi m
therefore the dynasty o f the Urga Ponti ff s m ust cease
However on hearing th i s the Bogdo Kha n hi m self d id
som e research work and found in the o ld Tibetan m an u
scripts that o n e o f the Tibetan Pontiffs w as m arr i ed and
his son was a natural Incarnated Buddha S o the Bogdo
Khan marr i ed and now has a son a v ery capable and
ener g et i c young m an and thus the religi ous throne o f
h
e
i
z
n
a
Kh
n
w
i
l
l
not
l
ef
t
e
m
p
ty
T
he
d
y
nasty
O
f
e
b
J g
the Chinese e m pero rs disappeare d f r o m the stage o f
political ev ent s bu t the Living Buddha con t inues t o be a
center for the P an A s i atic i dea
The new Chinese Governm ent in 1 9 2 0 held the Livin g
Buddha under arrest i n his palace bu t at the beginnin g
o f 1 9 2 1 Baron Unge rn crossed the sacred Bogdo O I and
approached the palace from the rear T ibetan r i ders
shot the Chinese sentr i es with b o w and arrow and after
wards the Mongols penetrated i nt o the palace and stole

the i r G o d who i m mediately st i rred up all Mongol i a

and awakened the hopes o f the As i atic peoples an d tribes
In the great palace o f the Bogdo a Lama showed m e
a special casket covered with a prec i ous carpet where in
they k eep the bulls o f the Dalai and Tash i La m as the
decrees o f the Russ i an and Chinese E mp e rors and the
Treaties be t ween Mongolia Russia C h i na and Tibet In
th i s sam e casket is the copper plate bearing the m ysterious

S ign o f the K i ng o f the World an d the chron i cle o f the

l as t vi s i on of the Livi ng Bu ddha
-

BEAS TS

96

M EN

AN D

GO DS

Oh Gods ! A l l my l i fe I hav e carr i e d th i s heavy

burden and n o w when there w a s left so little to go I
have lost it Help me great good Gods !

He collected
S uddenly a tot ter i ng old man appeared
all the diamonds into the basket without trouble cleaned
the dust from them raised the burden to h i s shoulder an d
starte d o ut speakin g with the La m a :
Rest a while I have j ust carried my burden to the
goal and I am glad to help you with yours

They went o n and were soon out o f sight while the

riders began to ght They fought one whole day and
t hen the whole night and when the sun rose ove r the
plain nei ther was there either alive o r dead and no trace
o f either re m ained
This I saw Bogd o Hutuktu Khan
s peaking w i th the Great and Wise Buddha
surrounded
by the go o d and bad demons ! Wise L amas H utuk tus
Kampos M a ram b a s and Holy G he g hen s give the answer

to my vision !
This was wri tten in my presenc e o n Ma y I 7th 1 9 2 1
from the words o f the Living Buddha j ust as he came out
o f his private s hrine to his stud y
I do n o t know wha t
the Hutuktu and G he g he n s the fortune tellers sorcerers
and clairvoyants replied to him ; but does not the answer
se e m clear i f o n e reali z es the present situation i n As i a ?
Awakened Asia i s full o f enigm as but i t i s also f ull o f
answers to the questions set by the destiny o f humank i nd
This great continent o f mysterious Ponti ffs Living Gods
Ma hatmas and readers o f the terrible book o f Karma is
awakening and the ocean of hundreds o f mill i ons o f
human live s is lashed w i th m on st rous waves

P ar t V
M YS T E RY OF M YS T E RI E S

K I N G OF T H E

WOR LD

TH E

BEAS TS

3 00

AN D

M EN

GO DS

t he pl ai n s t ood xed i n a ttent i on and

ho w

t he her d s

of

sheep and cattle lay crouched close to the ground ? Did

y ou notice that the birds did not y the marmots did
The air trembled
n o t run and the dogs did not bark ?
so ftly and bore from afar the music o f a song which
enetrated
to
the
hearts
of
men
animals
and
birds
alike
p
The wind did not blow
E arth and sky ceased breathing
and the sun did not m ove At such a moment the wolf
that i s stealing up o n the sheep arrests his stealthy crawl ;
the frightened herd o f antelopes suddenl y checks its wild
course ; the kni fe o f the shepherd cutting the sheep s
throat falls from his hand ; the rapacious ermine ceases to
stalk the unsuspecting s a lg a All living beings in fear
are involuntarily thrown i nto prayer and waiting for the i r
fate S o it was j ust now Thus it ha s always been when
ever the King o f the World in his subterranean palace
prays and searches o ut the destiny o f all p e oples on the

ear th
I n th i s w i se the o ld Mongol a simple coarse shepherd
and hunter spoke to m e
Mongolia with her nude and t errible m ountains he r
limitless plains covered with the widely strewn bones o f
the forefathers gave bir th to Mystery Her people
frightened by the stormy passions of N ature or lulled by

her deathlike peace feel her myste ry Her Red and

Yellow Lamas preserv e and poeti z e her mystery The

P onti ffs o f Lhasa and Urga know and possess her
mystery
On m y j ourney i nto Cen tral Asia I ca m e t o k now for

the rst t ime about the Mystery o f Mysteries which

I can call by n o other name At the outse t I did not pay
m uch atten ti on to i t and did not attach to it such im
,

S UBTERRANEAN K IN G D O

T HE

30 1

portance as I a fte rw ards r eal i ze d belonged to it when

I had analyz e d and connoted many sporadic hazy and
often controversial bits o f evidence
T he o ld people on the shore o f the River Amyl r e
lated to me an anc i ent legend to the effect that a certain
Mongolian tribe in their escape fro m the demands o f
i
h
Khan
hid
themselves
in
a
subterranean
country
e
n
z
J g
A fterwards a Soyot from near the Lake o f Nogan Kul
S howed me the smoking gate that serves as the entrance

t o the
Kingdo m o f A g har ti
Through this gate a
hunter formerly entered into the Kingdom and a fter his
return began to relate what he had seen there The
Lamas cut o ut h i s to ngue in order to prevent him from
telling about the Mystery o f Mysteries When he arrived
at old age he came back to the entrance of this cave an d
disapp e ared into the subterranean kingdom the memory
o f which had ornamented and lig htened his nomad hear t
I received more realistic information about thi s fro m
Hutuktu J e lyb D jam sr ap in N a r ab an c hi Kure He told
m e the story o f the semi realistic arrival o f the po w e rful
King of the World from the subterranean kingdom of
his ap pearance o f his miracles and o f his prophecies ;
and only then did I be g in to understand that in that
legend hypnosis or mass vision whichever it may be
i s hidden not only mystery but a realistic and powerful
force capable o f inuencing the course o f the political
li fe o f Asia From that moment I began m aking some
investigations
The favorite Gelong Lama o f Pr i nce Chultun Beyli
and the Prince himself gave m e an account o f the sub
terranean kingdom

E veryth i ng in the w or ld
said the Gelong is con
,

BEAS TS

6
3 2

in a s t at e

M EN

AN D

GO

DS

change an d t rans iti on peo p l es

sc i ence rel ig i ons laws and custo m s How m any great
e m p i res and bri lliant cultures have per i shed ! And that
alone which remains unchanged is E vil the tool o f Bad
Spir i ts More than s i x ty thousan d years ago a H o lym an
disappeared with a whole tribe of people under the
ground an d neve r appeared aga i n on the surface o f the
earth Many people however have since v i sited this
ki ngdo m S akk ia M oun i Undur G he g he n Paspa Khan
Baber and others N o o n e k nows where this place is
One says Afghan i stan others India A ll the people there
are protected against E vil and cr i mes do no t exist within
i ts bournes Sc i ence has there developed calmly and
nothing i s thr e a t ened wi th destruct i on The subterra
nean people have reached the highes t k nowledge N o w
i t i s a large kingdo m millions o f men with the King o f
t he W orld as their ruler H e k nows all the forces o f
the world an d reads all the souls o f humankind and the
grea t boo k o f the i r dest i ny Inv i sibly he rules eight hun
dred mi llion m en o n the surface o f the earth and they

w ill acco m pl i sh h i s every order

P rince Chultun Beyl i added : Th i s ki ngdo m i s A g harti

I t ext ends throughou t all the subterranean pas sages o f
the whole world I heard a learned Lama o f Ch i na r e
l ati ng to Bogdo Khan that al l the subterranean caves o f
Am er i ca are i nhab i ted by the anc i ent people who have
d i sappeared underground T races o f the m are st i ll found
o n the surface o f the land
These subterranean people s
and spaces are go verned by rulers ow i ng allegi ance to
the K i ng o f the W orld In it th e re i s no t m uch o f the
w onderful Y ou kn ow that i n the tw o gr ea t es t ocean s
o f t he eas t an d the wes t there w e re fo rm er ly tw o con
stantly

of

6
3

BEAS TS

M EN

AN D

GO DS

able t o explode the w hole surface of our pl an et and

trans form it int deserts They can dry up the seas
p
trans form lands i nto oceans and scatter the mountains
into the sands o f the deserts By his order tr e es grasses
and bushes can be made to grow ; o ld and feeble men
can become y oung and stalwart ; and the d ead can be
resurrected In cars strange and unknown to us they
rush through the narrow cleavages i nside our planet
S ome Indian Brahmans and Tibetan D alai La mas dur
i ng their laborious struggles to the peaks o f mountains
which no o ther human feet had trod have found there
I nsc ri ptions carved on the roc ks footprints i n the snow
and the tracks o f wheels The blissful S akk ia Moun i
f ound on o n e mountain top tablets of stone ca rrying
words which he only understood in his old age and after
w ards penetrated into the Kingdom o f A g har ti from
w hich he brought back crumbs o f the sacred learning
preserved in his memory There i n palaces o f wonder ful
crystal live the invisible rulers o f all pious people the
King of the World o r B rahytm a w ho can speak with
G o d as I speak with you and his two a ssistants M ahyt
ma knowing the purpo ses o f future events and

M ahyn g a ruling the causes o f these events

The Holy P an d ita s study the world and all its forces
Sometimes the most learned among them collect together
and send envoys to tha t place wh e re the human eyes have
never penetrated This is described by the Tashi La ma
liv i ng eight hun d red and fty years a g o The highest
P a n d ita s place their hands o n their eyes and at the base
o f the brain o f younger ones and force them into a deep
S leep wash their bodies with an i nfus i on o f grass and
.

S UBTERRA

T HE

K IN G D O

NEAN

30 5

m ake the m imm une t o pa i n and harder than s t ones wrap

,

th e m in magic cloths bind them and then pray to the

G reat God The petried youths lie with eyes and ears
open and alert seeing hearing and remembering every
thing Afterwards a Goro app roac hes and fastens a
long steady gaze upon t hem V ery slowly the bodies
lift themselves from the earth and disappear The Gor o
sits and stares with xed eyes to the place whither he
has sent them Invisible threads j oin them to his wi l l
S ome o f the m course among the stars observ e the i r
events t heir unknown peoples their life and t heir laws
They listen to their talk read their books understand
their fortunes and woes their holiness and s ins their
piety and evil Some are mingled with ame and se e the
creature o f re quick and ferocious eternally ghting
melting and hammering metals in the depths of planets
boiling the water for geysers and springs melting the
rocks and pushing out molten streams over the sur face
o f the earth through the holes in the mountains
O thers
rush together with the ever elusive in n ite sim ally small
transparent creatures o f the a i r and penetrate into the
mysteries of their existence and into the purpo ses o f the i r
li fe O thers S lip into the depths of the seas and observe
the kingdom o f the wise creatures of the water w ho
transpo rt an d spread genial warmth all over the earth
ruling the winds waves and storms
In E rdeni Dzu
formerly lived Pandita Hutuktu w ho had come fro m
A g ha r ti
As he was dying he told about the time when
he lived according to the will o f the Goro o n a red sta r
in the east oated in the ice covered ocean and e w

ong the stormy res in the depths of the earth

,

BEAS TS

30 6

M EN

AND G O D S

T hese are the t ales wh i ch I hea r d i n the Mongoli an

u
r tas o f P rinces and i n the La m ait e m onaster i es
These
y
stor i es w ere all related i n a solem n tone wh i ch f orbade
challenge and doubt
Mystery
.

6
3

BEAS TS

M EN

AN D

GO D S

with G od and I f e lt the im press ive maj es ty o f th i s

m om ent
T o m y as t on i sh m en t the o ld L a m a very qu i e t ly an

It i s n o t right tha t the Buddh i st an d o ur

sw e r e d me :
Y ellow Faith should conceal i t The ackno wledgm ent
o f the existence o f the most holy and m os t powerful m an
o f the blissful k i ngdom
o f the great t e m ple o f sacred
sci e nce i s such a consolation to o ur sinful heart s an d o ur
corrupt lives tha t to conce al i t from huma nk i nd is a sin

Well listen he continued throughou t the whole

year the King o f the World gui des the work of the
P an d ita s and Goros o f A g ha r ti
Only a t t i mes he goes
to the temple cave where the embalmed body of h i s pre
decessor lies i n a black stone cofn This cav e i s always
dark but when the King o f the World enters i t the
.

walls are stripe d with re and from the lid o f the cofn
appear tongues o f ame The eldest Goro stands before
h im with covered head and face and with hands folded
across his chest This G oro never removes the cover
ing from h i s face for his head is a nude skull with living
eyes and a tongue that spea ks He i s in commun i on with
the souls o f all who have gone be fore

The K i ng o f the World prays for a long ti me and

a f terwards approaches the co ffi n and stretches out his
hand T he ames ther e on burn brighter ; the stripes of
re o n t he walls disappear and revive interlace and form
myster i ous signs from the alphabet va tcm ncm From the
coffi n transparent bands o f scarcely noticeable light begin
to ow forth Th e se are the thoughts of his predecessor
Soon the King o f the World stands surrounded by an
aur i ole o f th i s light an d ery letters wr i te and write upon
the walls the wishes and orders o f God
At this moment
.

'

WO RLD

KI N G O F T HE

T HE

the Ki ng of the W or ld i s i n cont act w ith

0
3 9

the

tho ughts

all the men w ho inuence the lot and life of all human
kind : with Kings Czars Khans warlike leaders High
Priests scientists and other strong men H e re alizes all
their thoughts and plans I f these be pleasing be fore
God the King of the World will i nvisibly help them ;
i f they are unpleasant in the sight of God the King
will bring them to destruction Thi s power i s g i ven to
A g har ti by the mysterious science o f O m with which
we begin all our prayers O m is the na m e o f an ancient
H o lym a n the rst Goro who lived three hundred thirt y
thousand years ago He was the rst m an to know God
and who taught humankind to believe hope and struggle
with E vil Then God gave hi m power o v er all forces
ruling the v i sible world

After hi s conversation with h i s predecessor the K ing

o f the World assembles the
Great Council o f God
j udges the actions and thoughts o f great m en helps them
o r destroys them
M ahy tm a and M ahy n g a nd the place
for these actions and thoughts in the causes rul i ng the
world A fterwards the King of the World enters the
great temple and pray s in solitude F i re appears o n the
altar gradually spreading to all the altars near and
through the burning ame gradually appears the face o f
G od
The King of the World reverently announces to
God the decisions and awards o f the C ouncil o f God
and receives i n turn the D ivine orders o f the Alm ighty
As he comes forth fro m the templ e the Ki ng of the

World radiates w i th D iv i ne Light

of

C H AP TE R XLVIII
R E AL I TY OR R E LIGI O U S FAN TA S Y ?

anybod y seen the King o f the W orld ? I

asked

Oh y es ! answere d the Lama

D ur i ng the sole m n
hol i days o f the anc i ent Buddhism in S iam and India the
Ki ng of the W orld appeared ve times He rode in a
S plen d i d car drawn by white elephants and ornamented
w i th gold precious stones and nest fabrics ; he w as robed
i n a white ma n tle and red tiara with strings o f diam onds
m ask i ng h i s face He blessed the people w i th a golden
The blind
a pple w i th the gure o f a Lamb above i t
r e ce i ved their sight the dumb spoke the dea f heard the
c ri ppled freely m oved and the dead arose wherever the
e y es o f the K i ng o f the World rested
He also appeare d
ve hundred and forty years ago in E rdeni D zu he w a s
l n the ancient S a kk a i Monastery and in the N a r ab an chi
Kure

One o f o ur Living Buddhas and o n e o f the T ash i

Lamas rece i ved a message from him written with uh
known signs o n golden tablets N o one could read these
The Tashi Lama enter e d the temple placed the
s i gns
go lden tablet o n his head and began to pray With this
the thoughts o f the King of the World penetrated his
bra i n and w ithou t hav i ng rea d the en i gm ati cal signs he

understo od and accom pl i shed the m essage o f the Ki ng

A S

31 0

BEAS TS

31 2

MEN AND G O D S

H e told m e tha t t or to i ses live mo re than three th ou sand

y ears without food and air and that this is the r e ason
w hy all the colu mns of the blue Temple o f Heaven were
se t o n l i ve t ortoises to prese r ve the wood from decay

S evera l times the P ontiffs o f Lhasa and Urga have

.

sent envoys to the King o f the World said the Lama

l ibrar i an but they could not nd him Only a certain

Ti betan leader a fter a battle with the O le ts found the
cave w i th the i nscription : This is the gate to A g har ti
F ro m the cave a ne appeari ng m an c am e forth pr e
sented h im with a gold tablet bearing the myster i ous signs
and said :
The K i ng o f the W orld will appear before all people
when the t i me shall have arrived fo r him to lead all the
go od people o f the world against all the bad ; but this
time has no t yet come The m ost evil a m on g mankind
have not ye t been born

Chia ng Chiin Baron Ungern en t the young Prince

P o un z ig to seek o ut the King o f the World but he r e
turned with a letter from the D alai Lama from Lhasa
W hen the Baron sent h im a second tim e he d i d not come

bac k
,

'

C HAPT E R XLI X
T HE

P RO PH E CY

O F T HE

W O RLD

KIN G

O F T HE

1 89 0

IN

Hutuktu o f N a r ab an chi related the following

to me when I visited him in his monastery in the
beginning of 1 9 2 1 :

When the King o f the World appeared before the

Lamas favored o f G od in this monastery thirty years
ago he made a prophecy for the coming hal f century
It was as follows :
More and more the people will forget the i r souls
and care about thei r bodies The greatest sin and c o r
ruption will reign on the earth People will become as
ferocious animals thirsti ng for the blood and death o f
their brothers The Crescent will grow dim and its fo l
lowers will descen d into beggary and ceaseless war Its
conquerors will be stricken by the sun but will not pro
gress upward and twice they will be visited with the
heaviest misfortune which will end in insult before the
eye o f the other peoples The crown s o f kings great
and small will fall
two three four ve six
on e
seven eight
There will be a terrible battle among
all the peoples T he seas will become red
the earth
and the bottom o f the seas will be strewn with bones
kingdo m s will be scattered
whole pe oples will die
hunger disease crimes unknown to the law never
be fore seen i n the world The enemies o f God and o f
HE

313

1
3

BEAS TS

MEN AND GO D S

the D iv i ne Spir i t i n man will come Those who take

the hand o f another shall also per i sh The forgotten and
pursued shall rise and hold the attention of the w hole
world T here will be fogs and storms Bare mountains
shall suddenly be covered with forests E arthquakes will
com e
Millions will change t he fetters o f slavery
and humiliation fo r hunger disease and death The
ancient roads will be covered with crowds wander i ng
fro m o n e place to another The greatest and most beaut i
ful c i ties shal l perish in re
o ne
tw o three
F ather shall rise against son brother aga i ns t brother and
m other aga i nst daughter
Vice cri m e and the de
struction o f body and soul shall follow
Families
shall be scattered
T ruth and love shall disappear
Fr o m ten thousand men one shall remain ; he shall be
nude and m ad and without force and the knowledge to
bu i ld hi m a house and nd his food
He will howl
as the ragi ng wol f devour dead bodies bite h i s o wn esh
and challenge God to ght
All the earth will be
emptied God will turn away fro m i t and over it there
will be only night and death Then I Shall send a people
n o w unknown w h i ch shall tear o ut the weeds o f mad
ness and vice w i th a strong hand and will lead those who
still re m ain fa i thful to the spir i t o f man in the ght
aga i nst E v i l They w i ll found a new li fe on the earth
puried by the death o f nations In the ftieth year
only three grea t k i ngdoms will appear which w i ll exist
happ i ly seventy o n e years Afterwards there will be
eighteen years o f w ar and destruct i on Then the peoples
o f A g ha rt i will come up from the i r subterranean caverns
to the sur f ace of the ear th
.

1
3

BEAS T S

M EN

AN D

GO DS

new great migra ti on o f peoples the last march of

Mongols
Karma m ay h ave opened a new page o f h i story !
And what i f the Ki ng o f the World be with them ?
But this greatest Mystery o f M yste r ie s ke e ps its o wn
deep S ilence
,

G L O S S A RY

Agr onom e Rus i n f t a in d a gr i cultura list

Am our sayn Goo d b y e
e a dm an o chi e f
Atam an
f t he Cos s cks

s a

or

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B

ur at

Se len ga

pil

d t f th l gi l h l i th B ddhi t f ith
ivili d M g l t ib livi g i t h v ll y f th

or st u

T h e m o st

Pu

en

eo o

on

ze

in T ra n sb aik alia

oo

sc

ca

e,

w lik M g li t ib livi g l g t h G t W ll
i I
M g li
f Chi
t g d
t
i
A h igh L m i t p i t b t
Ch i dj
Th
t
R v l ti
y C m m it t th
B l h ik C
Ch k
l tl
t b li hm
g i d f th p
m
t f t h B l h viki
t
i ti g v m t i R i
ti
mi
f th C m m
f th
f
G
l Chi f f ll Chi t p
Chi g Chif
Chi
i M g li
D l i L m
Th t
d high t P t iff f t h L m it
Y ll w F i t h livi g t Lh
i Ti b t
A W t M g li
t ib
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D ug
Chi
mm
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k
Li d w !
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F gt
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f
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F til A v y
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Flh A it t f d t ( g )
G l g L m it p i t h vi g t h ight t ff
i t G d
G t l T h t hi d
k i th L m it m k
T h hi gh p i t f t h Ki g f t h W ld
G
B tyk
A
bl g p i
t d
f bl
( y ll w ) ilk l th p
t h
d g t hi f L m
d g d
Al
ki d f i w th
Chah ar s

na

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z u.

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an

n ca rn a e

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,

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ee ,

e rn

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o use

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on

c en ts

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ec e o

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sur

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r es

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5 t o 50

on

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ss s a n

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er

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n e se

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ev

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nn er

r e en

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as a n

31 7

on

c es

or

or

e r sa c r

o o

so a

c o

r ese n e

co n ,

or

G LO S S ARY

31 8

an g

H un

A Ch

H un g hutz e

H
H

u shuu

sto r e s , st a

bl

e s, e t c

k
t d g

in ca r n a

Im ouran

un

er

liv

an

o-

arm a

Khayrus

Khi ghi
s

wh
U l

bb

ot

e st e rn

Kur opatk a

iig

M g li
it m k ;

in

am a

p dd k

t h e ho uses,

on

oc

s,

a.

on

t he

o f any

orm

ib
th y w

e re

gophe

r.

tr

an

t he

am a

(n o t

sho r es o f

it

T he hi he st

ra n

ddhi

m a t er

i li ti

st

of

tro ut

r ea t

a rt ri

Lk

dg

or

in

E le ut hs) ,

Russia

k; l

m on

on

t he

a so

G e lo ng s

on of

an

id

t he

ce

ea o f

hon o ra ry

at e , a

pa r

M gl

V lg

M g li

ro m

t he D le t s

t he

Rom an N em esis (J us t

an d

d f

of

za

rat e

m o naste r

m o n s)

n o wn as

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wh ch m i

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l gy

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of a

Si be r ia

lik
lp

T he

en t

c er

kind

c o n ta n n

of

ra s a n d o n

Gr e e k

en t

an t e o

an

T he B

I ti h i w

whi te

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T he

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Co ssa c

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M g li

in th e

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K p
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ly

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K lm k
a

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m er ca n t

n ese

o we st ra n

tu

utu

T he

on

livi g b t w th
d t h V lg i R
i

n at o n

B alhash

an

ee n

uss a

ri er

i pi
g ld q iv l t t b t
l v th
L m A w igh t f ilv
i p d 9 / th f p d v i d p i
f R
d b tt l f l y
A
L h
f th l gy
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M
M i T h ivil hi f f p li i v y di t i t f th S y t
h i
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m
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Om
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a

on

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a.

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a en

o a

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ce

n e

s r c

er

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rs

on :

r est

c a

am a t e

eo o

an

e o

so

oc o r o

1 Io

or

for

er o r

r o un

ar a

co un r

uss a n

an

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T he

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ea n s :

o us
a

er

e an n

s c on

G LO S S A RY

32 0

l
R d
U rg a
Th
am of t h capital of M o golia ; ( ) a ki d of M
golia la o
T h l guag of t h
S ta t of th
V t
f t h W orld
W apiti T h A m ri a lk
T h co mmo M o go li a t t o r ho us m a d of f l t
Yurt
Z h hi
A W t M o go lia w a d r i g t ri b
Th i
mo u tai fo rm d alo g th shor of a riv
Z b
g
pr g
Z ikk urat
A high tow r of Babyl o i h sty l
U am

e n

ss

in s

in

ne
a

n e

on

es

ce-

ns

en

e,

n s

e re

an

a ac

a a nn e n

e.

es

er

IN D E !

baka Tart r
A d ai r Ri v r 3
A fgha i ta
3
A

Ki gdom

A g har t i ,

0 , I 46

o f,

1 1 8,

a d r I Czar
e

A lg i a k . 4 1
e
A

89

n,

es o

n o

ro un g

n, 1

n,

or ,

ene

ar ,

e n

e z ro dn o

B ii k
s

1 43

nc e , 1

84

se

e,

se e

B ogdo

n -ra -z

78

se

e, 2

en

e t se q

ene

Che st ia k o ,

1 08

2 67

Chi M f P ki g 8
Chita 5
Chu Chi h ia g G ral 8
Ch lt m B yl
Pri
9
en

Pri
ff Cap tai

Van ,

Ki g of t h World)

(se e

rahy t m a

en o

88

n , 1 5 8 , e t se q

68 , ci

12

en e

e,

se q

Co a ks
ss c

10

B lti

126

Brahma 73
Brahmaputra Ri v r

s, 1 1

n ce , 1

Chahar 4 t q
i 73
Cha
Ch ka T h 8 34
Ch g Y i G ral

n , 2 73

66

Riv r

n, I

s, 10

on

o y ag o l

e, 1

se

se

20

02

Buddha 79 t q
Bu ddha T h Livi g (
Kh a )
Bur t H i 5 7
Buriat 8
Buya tu H utukt u 88

or, I I I

o ur d uk o ff , 1

n, 2

se

n s,

92

Bab r Sulta 6 5 3
Baga N
B ki t h G
ral 6 6 6
Balir Di t ri t f 84
Balma D o rji H
3
Barga 7
Barou Kur 9 8
Bar k y C pt ai 6 S
Baru A baga N La ma
Bat ur H u T aiga Kha
B y i Pri
35
B i K r Riv r
75
e

85

n s, 2

'

ce

e s, 2

n, 2

un , 1 1

ur sa n a ,

en ,

n,

n s,

1 0 7 , e t se q

ca

lta i R gio 83
88
A lty T a g M o u tai
A mid a S t a t u
f 59
A mitab ha Bu ddha
73
Am
Kha f th O l t
A myl Riv r 33 3 6 3 8
A
k A t am a
66
A r cti O a
3
7
n n en

n, 1 0 1

68

I 63

l o ll d Livi g Buddha
B ogdo G h g h B ogdo D j b t
u g Da mba Hut ukt u Kh a
B ogdo 01 M o u t ai 3 9 4
B oldo H
9
75 t q
7
B ol h viki 5 6 t q
B oro M o u tai 84
A

30 1 ,

se q

A le x

o b r o ff, 1 4 1

B ogdo Kh a

02

n,

n s

B la g o ve schen sk ,

47

a s,

5,

2 8 , 1 50

nce ,

10

10

I 65 ,

INDEX

2
3 2

aban 5 1
D ai hi V
D al ai La ma
D

argana

Hot i 2 59
Hoto Zai dam

an , 2 1 8

96,

77,

1 99

H ub ilg an ,

a un c

nce ,

1 0 8 , 2 6 3 , et

1 94

rku t k
s

I va n o ,

D
D

O 10

om o

J ag i ssta i
J ahan t si

79 ,

1 04

en

77

or , 2

jir off

Colo l

ne

73 , 1 8 2 , et se q
D o pt c hi n D jam tso , H un ,
1

71 ,

o ro g o st a i sk y ,

D ula Kitt 9
D
i
M o a t ry of
D
1
phi Riv r
n

s e

za

Riv r 8
m l Riv r 6
E r d i Dz u
98
E
Riv r 85
E g ing o l
E i

ro

Fu

H ian g
s

1 68

Chi

72
J e n g hiz

32 , 6 2 ,

Kh a

n,

7 . I 93
J uk o ,
12

30 5

68

n ese

M o u tai

an g yn

a vr o n sk y , I

Col o l

a dvi or
s

Kalga

ne

e se

Ka m e n e ,

86 , 9 7 ,

1 01 ,

1 19

61

Ka i 4 68
Ka po G lo g 6
Kan Pro vi f

Gu hi Kha

e t se q

73 ,

n ce o

88

91

K rul
e

r an

en

ns ,

ne

K e m chik , 6 2 ,
ss ,

n s,

2 84

n a n

83

M ou t i Pa

M u ta i
,

az a

n, 2

1 66

0, 1

01
,

1 12

1 83

o r o k o ff , I 4 I

Ham shan

H ut uktu

Karako rum 38 9 8 83
Kara u Togol 93
Karatuz 3 5 36
Karlik Tag M o u tai 87
Karma 66 69 96 3 6
di Colo l 83
K
g

2 20

e,

87

Ka r akh o r um

n s, 2 3 1

n, 1

su,

n s, 2 3 1

1 09 ,

3, 1 7
V G , 1 49 ,

G ay D r
G g yl M o u ta i
G lo g La ma 3
Gobi D rt 83
Goro T h 3 3
,

J d an o 2 6 7
J e ly b D ja m srap

n ne , 1

et

1 67

78 ,

K a ig o r sd o , 83 ,

nn , 1 66 , 1

r im a
e

2 59 ,

'

e t se q.

6,

I 55

2 90

en

0 , 1 4 7, 1 52

ss , 1 2

1 1

1 47

J ahan t si ure 1 2 7 1 39 et seq

J ap ama H un 1 68 1 70 e t se q
J assa kt u h an Lama 83 84 1 69 ,

2 04

za n,

H utukt u

L a ma 7 8
P r of 4 8

o rchi ul- ur d o k ,

Pa

se q

2 92

Li ut a t

jo nk a p a 1 0 1
jung ar 2 70
N

78 ,

2 00 , 2 0 1

H ub ugul (La k e K o so g ol)

H un tu M oun tain s 2 3 1
H ut uktu 96 et seq

se q

Djirgala tu

2 01

n,

75

n s,

am c ha re n , 2 0 2

D rkh at Ola M o u tai

D
i hi Bu ddha
59
Djam B olo Pri

124

iv r

75
1 08

1
,

1 08 , 1 2 2 ,

IN D E !

32 4

S ai n N

o ion

Mou

S akkia
S a lt ik o ff ,

ni , 1 0 1

66 ,

ak

T ising ol L

an, 1 69 , 2 93

Todji N oyo of
T 1 Ri v r 9
Tom k 89

8 3 , 3 02

0 a

1 41

S ayan M o un tain

I 45

33 , 3 8 ,

s,

S e pa

se q

S e yb i

Ri v r Battl
e

et se q

Si nkian g

S o ldja k ,

2 4, 2

cl

2 34 ,

e of

t he , 42

49 ,

o f,

s e

P ri ipality f 6 6 4
m Ka l i t h Cauc a u
nc

Li ut 76
Ki g
e

S tro n g t sa n ,

s,

1 82

S uchow Chin e se

tow

ta ma

S ut un in , A

1 83

Tib t
e

n o f,

74 ,

u e,

101,

ci

32 ,

se q

(see

T am rla T mur 3 4
Ta gri N
9
T
O l Mou t i
56
Tarbagatai M o u tai
6
Ta Ri p Cha Maramba 77
Ta hi Lam
8
9
78
77
l
o c ll d Ta hi
A
3
9
4
L u m po E r d i
Ta S i L 7 t q
T
La k 9
ne-

or, 2

an n u

o-

ns, 1 2

1,

1 1

12

a sso un

T a t sa G

T ri N
e

0 1,

se

se

0,

o un

n s, 1 0 1

nn

T z a g an

L uk

T z ere n,

1 1 0, 1

lo
s

11

12

1 6 4

5,

2 99

69

31 5

or,

Kha
65
migra t 35
U kra i
U l a kom 83
4
6
U l a T iga M o u ta i
79
Ul ia u tai 84
4 t q
U d ur D o b o
68
84 3
U dur G h g h
S t r b rg Baro
U g r
H al a 3 8
G ral Baro 83 4 8 t
n, 2 01

ss

se

22

von

en , 2

e n

ns,

10

10

n s,

02

e n

e ne

n,

10

10

se q

He in rich

2 39

P t r 39
Ralph 38
Wilh lm 39
Ta Kur )
Urga 6
4 t q (
Ug
Trav li g by
l
q
T h w or d

e e

1 54

63

n,

71

n
,

D A 1 53
T ia Sha M o u tai
Tib t 83 t q
,

2 04

T et er nik o ,
e

'

e,

or ,

en

a,

20

n a n s,

rn

1 2 4 , e t seq

U g a d ai

82

n,

34 ,

ne e

Ta K r

n, 1

Ub sa N

84

1 05

1 67

of

es

84

Gamba Lama 83
call d Pa dita Lama
Turk ta 66
Turoff Cap tai 9 7
T h g
La
5
4

e t se q.

42 ,

S trigin e
2

er ,

us e

Tuba Riv 33
T urgut Lama
e

2 03

Soyot s

1 3 , 1 0 8 , ci se q

T ur g u ts , 8 4 ,
T ur jo

89 , 9 0

S o uk ho u

12

s , 2 03

if o f Kha Ma gu

T sini lla , w

1 66

24

2 02

M o a t ry

S ha rkh e ,
S ifko va ,

T r o p o fi ,

2 33 ,

au ca u

T o up se i in th e C

101

1 05

ne

58

10

T r a n sb aika lia ,

g a Riv r 8
il
Colo l

en

S che t i n kin , 33

Se l

68

S a m g a lta i , 5 6 ,

e , 1 39 , et se q.

r a,

10
e

211

2 12

Urianha i , 30 , 33 , et

see

se

se q

se

IN D E !
Usinsky D

istrict

tai Hutukt of
Uy k Kha
U

Van

Wa g T ao tsu

50

Kur

2 93

79 ,

Cap tai 5
ig
Co a k 9 7
l ff ky Cap ta i

Ve r n

Vesse

n, 1

ora ,

ss

aga Riv r 8
aku t k Di trict 1 5 1
a gtz Riv r 84
Y i i Ri v r 3 8 t
Y
Y
Y

en se

se q

n , 2 1 9 , et se q

Vla d m iro v ka , 5 8
e , 2 65
V
n e , 1 03
Vro ub e l, T he
Vulfovitch, O f ce , 2 46

olga Riv r

n e se

1 54 , 1 6 7 , c l seq

Vasili e ,

Chi

n,

se q

1 87
e,

Com

1 2 3 , I 60 , 1 6 5 , e t

n, 2 0 1

2
3

pai t r
r

Zag anluk , 84
Zag astai
un
Z n
, I 8 7,

M o ta i
ai Shab i
00
Zub ff Cap tai
97
Z u garia W s t r
1
o

n , 1 03

e t se q.

n,

e n,

01