Beasts, Men and Gods

dy forgotten Amyl pass road. Twenty-five years ago it carried the provisions, machinery and workers for the numerous, now abandoned, gold mines of the Amyl valley. The road now wound along the wide

eal intention and sometimes, apprehensiv

shoes on have passed here.

scovered that the tracks led off to o

ed farther," he rem

d. "It would have been more

beard and laughed. Evidently he w

lem of the Russia of today. The starving family of the watchman lived at the mine in continuing danger and privation. They told us that in this forest region were wandering about a band of Reds who were robbing anything that remained on the property of the gold mine, were working the pay dirt in the richest part of the mine and, with a little gold washed, were going

te to all three of these overlords. It was due to this that the land was not an entirely safe refuge for us. We had heard already from our militiaman about the expedition preparing to go into Urianhai and from the peasants we learned that the villages along the Little Yenisei and farther south had formed Red detachments, who were robbing and killing everyone who fell into their hands. Recently they had killed sixty-two officers attempting to pass Urianhai into Mongolia; robbed and killed a caravan of Chinese mercha

a when the daughter

room with their rifles and point

utfit escaped their penetrating gaze. Afterwards one of them, who appeared to be the local "Merin" or governor, began to inve

You do not like Bolshe

rmed with rifles and swords. Something unpleasant and cold rolled up into my throat and my heart hammered. We knew the Reds as our enemies. These men had the red stars on their Astrakhan caps and red triangles on their sleeves. They were members of the detachment that was out to look for Cossack officers. Scowling at us they took off their overcoats and sat down. We first opened the conversation, explaining the purpose of our journey in explor

ively he studied again the new arrivals and then asked: "Why di

ers laugh

eign country!" answered the Soy

vil!" cried one

p of tea the hostess was preparing for him. The conversation ceased. T

at the owner's, we shall come and take them."

a messenger while the others sat silent with bowed heads. Late in the night the officer arrived

rough the swamp where a Soyot will

nd promised on the morrow to arrange this matter with the Soyots. The officer was a coarse brute and a silly man, desiring stro

d made about fifteen kilometers, we discovered behind the bushes tw

the officer. "I shall g

f my horse. One of the horsemen was

the detachmen

us talk a little, in order that

he hand of the Soyot and

n continue our journey. No hindr

the necessary manoeuvre to bring me and my fellow traveler somewhat behind the detachment. Behind our backs remained only one soldier, very brutish in appearance and apparently very

der the red fluid mud and we just saved it and no more. Afterwards the officer's horse fell with him so that he bruised his head on a stone. My companion injured one knee against a tree. Some of the men also fell and were injured. The horses breathed heavily. Somewhere dimly and gloomily a crow cawed. Later the road became worse still. The trail followed through the same miry swamp but everywhere the road was blocked with fallen tree trunks. The horses, jumping over the trunks, would land in an unexpectedly deep hole and flounder. We and all the soldiers were covered with blood and mud and were

ldiers fell to the ground. The other soldiers grabbed their rifles and, with fear, looked about for the enemy. Four more were soon unseated and sudd

Soyots, stripping the fallen, dividing the spoils and recapturing their horses. In some forms of war

egan to ascend the mountain and soon arri

too peaceful people," I remar

me very sharp

oyots who did

ai to Mongolia. They had as their guide and negotiator a Kalmuck Lamaite. The following morning we were approaching a small settlement of Russian colonists and noticed some hors

xclaimed, laughin

ti or izubr, which the Russian colonists breed for the horns that are so valuable in the velvet for sale to Tibetan and Chi

with great fear

ss, "we thought . . ." and she b