river Unegen, but he
found it had overflowed its banks, whereupon he did not cross it, but
sent envoys to Tsaghan Khakan of the Solongos, _i.e._, of the Solons.
"Bring me tribute, or we must fight," he said; upon which Tsaghan
Khakan was frightened, sent him a daughter of Dair Ussun, named Kulan
Goa, with a tent decorated with panther skins, and gave him the tribes
of Solongos and Bughas as a dowry, upon which he assisted Tsaghan
Khakan, so that he brought three provinces of the Solongos under his
authority.

Ssanang Setzen at this point introduces one of those quaint sagas,
which, however mythical in themselves, are true enough to the peculiar
mode of thought of the Mongols to make them very instructive. The saga
runs thus:

"During a three years' absence of her husband, Brute Judjin sent
Arghassun Churtshi, _i.e._, Arghassun the lute-player, to him. When
the latter was introduced, he spoke thus: 'Thy wife, Burte Judjin
Khatun, thy princely children, the elders and princes of thy kingdom,
all are well. The eagle builds his nest in a high tree; at times he
grows careless in the fancied security of his high-perched home; then
even a small bird will sometimes come and plunder it and eat the eggs
and young brood: so it is with the swan whose nest is in the sedges on
the lake. It, too, trusts too confidently in the dark thickets of
reeds, yet prowling water falcons will sometimes come and rob it of
eggs and young. This might happen to my revered lord himself!'

"These words aroused Temudjin from his confident air. 'Thou hast
spoken truly,' he said, and hied him on his way homeward. But when
some distance still from home he began to grow timid. 'Spouse of my
young days, chosen for me by my noble father, how dare I face thee,
home-tarrying Burte Judjin, after living with Chulan, whom I came
across in my journey? It would be shameful to seem unfriendly in the
assembly of the people. One of you nine Orloks his you to Burte Judjin
and speak for me.'

"Mukuli, of the Jelair tribe, volunteered, and when he came to her,
delivered this message: 'Besides protecting my own lands I have looked
around also elsewhere. I have not followed the counsel of the greater
and lesser lords. On the contrary, I have amused myself with the
variegated colors of a tent hung with panther skins. Distant people to
rule over, I have taken Chulan to be my wife: the Khan has sent me to
tell you this.'" His wife seems to have understood the enigmatical