ion. The stranger came over to the brazier and sat down.

"Let's speak Russian," he said and took a bit of meat.

The conversation began. The stranger began to find fault with the
Government of the Living Buddha in Urga.

"There they liberate Mongolia, capture Urga, defeat the Chinese army and
here in the west they give us no news of it. We are without action here
while the Chinese kill our people and steal from them. I think that
Bogdo Khan might send us envoys. How is it the Chinese can send their
envoys from Urga and Kiakhta to Kobdo, asking for assistance, and the
Mongol Government cannot do it? Why?"

"Will the Chinese send help to Urga?" I asked.

Our guest laughed hoarsely and said: "I caught all the envoys, took away
their letters and then sent them back . . . into the ground."

He laughed again and glanced around peculiarly with his blazing eyes.
Only then did I notice that his cheekbones and eyes had lines strange to
the Mongols of Central Asia. He looked more like a Tartar or a Kirghiz.
We were silent and smoked our pipes.

"How soon will the detachment of Chahars leave Uliassutai?" he asked.

We answered that we had not heard about them. Our guest explained
that from Inner Mongolia the Chinese authorities had sent out a strong
detachment, mobilized from among the most warlike tribe of Chahars,
which wander about the region just outside the Great Wall. Its chief was
a notorious hunghutze leader promoted by the Chinese Government to the
rank of captain on promising that he would bring under subjugation to
the Chinese authorities all the tribes of the districts of Kobdo and
Urianhai. When he learned whither we were going and for what purpose,
he said he could give us the most accurate news and relieve us from the
necessity of going farther.

"Besides that, it is very dangerous," he said, "because Kobdo will be
massacred and burned. I know this positively."

When he heard of our unsuccessful attempt to pass through Tibet, he
became attentive and very sympathetic in his bearing toward us and, with
evident feeling of regret, expressed himself strongly:

"Only I could have helped you in this enterprise, but not the Narabanchi
Hutuktu. With my laissez-passer you could have gone anywhere in Tibet. I
am Tushegoun Lama."

Tushegoun Lama! How many extraordinary tales I had heard about him.
He is a Russian Kalmuck, who because of his propaganda work for the
independence of the Kalmuck people made the acquain