asily pillage the unprotected isolated
monastery. We strongly urged Colonel Michailoff not to violate the
sealed treaty and discountenance all the foreigners and Russians who had
taken part in making it, for this would but be to imitate the Bolshevik
principle of making deceit the leading rule in all acts of state.
This touched Michailoff and he answered Domojiroff that Uliassutai was
already in his hands without a fight; that over the building of the
former Russian Consulate the tri-color flag of Russia was flying; the
gamins had been disarmed but that the other orders could not be carried
out, because their execution would violate the Chinese-Mongolian treaty
just signed in Uliassutai.

Daily several envoys traveled from Narabanchi Hutuktu to Uliassutai.
The news became more and more disquieting. The Hutuktu reported that Hun
Boldon was mobilizing the Mongolian beggars and horse stealers, arming
and training them; that the soldiers were taking the sheep of the
monastery; that the "Noyon" Domojiroff was always drunk; and that the
protests of the Hutuktu were answered with jeers and scolding. The
messengers gave very indefinite information regarding the strength of
the detachment, some placing it at about thirty while others stated that
Domojiroff said he had eight hundred in all. We could not understand
it at all and soon the messengers ceased coming. All the letters of the
Sait remained unanswered and the envoys did not return. There seemed to
be no doubt that the men had been killed or captured.

Prince Chultun Beyli determined to go himself. He took with him the
Russian and Chinese Presidents of the Chambers of Commerce and two
Mongolian officers. Three days elapsed without receiving any news
from him whatever. The Mongols began to get worried. Then the Chinese
Commissioner and Hun Jap Lama addressed a request to the foreigner
group to send some one to Narabanchi, in order to try to resolve the
controversy there and to persuade Domojiroff to recognize the treaty and
not permit the "great insult of violation" of a covenant between the two
great peoples. Our group asked me once more to accomplish this mission
pro bono publico. I had assigned me as interpreter a fine young Russian
colonist, the nephew of the murdered Bobroff, a splendid rider as well
as a cool, brave man. Lt.-Colonel Michailoff gave me one of his officers
to accompany me. Supplied with an express tzara for the post horses and
guides, we traveled rapid