here can we go now in winter with women and children and no homes of
our own?" asked the distraught refugees.

"That is of no moment to us," answered the Mongolian officials. "The
Chinese authorities are angry and have ordered us to drive you away. We
cannot help you at all."

The refugees had to leave Muren Kure and so erected their tents in the
open not far away. Plavako and Maklakoff bought horses and started out
for Van Kure. Long afterwards I learned that both had been killed by the
Chinese along the road.

We secured three camels and started out with a large group of Chinese
merchants and Russian refugees to make Uliassutai, preserving
the warmest recollections of our courteous hosts, T. V. and D. A.
Teternikoff. For the trip we had to pay for our camels the very high
price of 33 lan of the silver bullion which had been supplied us by an
American firm in Uliassutai, the equivalent roughly of 2.7 pounds of the
white metal.

CHAPTER XXIV

A BLOODY CHASTISEMENT

Before long we struck the road which we had travelled coming north and
saw again the kindly rows of chopped down telegraph poles which had once
so warmly protected us. Over the timbered hillocks north of the valley
of Tisingol we wended just as it was growing dark. We decided to stay
in Bobroff's house and our companions thought to seek the hospitality of
Kanine in the telegraph station. At the station gate we found a soldier
with a rifle, who questioned us as to who we were and whence we had come
and, being apparently satisfied, whistled out a young officer from the
house.

"Lieutenant Ivanoff," he introduced himself. "I am staying here with my
detachment of White Partisans."

He had come from near Irkutsk with his following of ten men and had
formed a connection with Lieutenant-Colonel Michailoff at Uliassutai,
who commanded him to take possession of this blockhouse.

"Enter, please," he said hospitably.

I explained to him that I wanted to stay with Bobroff, whereat he made a
despairing gesture with his hand and said:

"Don't trouble yourself. The Bobroffs are killed and their house
burned."

I could not keep back a cry of horror.

The Lieutenant continued: "Kanine and the Pouzikoffs killed them,
pillaged the place and afterwards burned the house with their dead
bodies in it. Do you want to see it?"

My friend and I went with the Lieutenant and looked over the ominous
site. Blackened uprights stood among charred beams and planks whil