yli as the vision of my beloved had strengthened me, the
Hutuktu knitted his brow and answered:

"No! The vision would not please the Prince. His fate is black.
Yesterday I thrice sought his fortune on the burned shoulder blades and
with the entrails of sheep and each time came to the same dire result,
the same dire result! . . ."

He did not really finish speaking but covered his face with his hands
in fear. He was convinced that the lot of Chultun Beyli was black as the
night.

In an hour we were behind the low hills that hid the Narabanchi Kure
from our sight.

CHAPTER XXVIII

THE BREATH OF DEATH

We arrived at Uliassutai on the day of the return of the detachment
which had gone out to disarm the convoy of Wang Tsao-tsun. This
detachment had met Colonel Domojiroff, who ordered them not only to
disarm but to pillage the convoy and, unfortunately, Lieutenant Strigine
executed this illegal and unwarranted command. It was compromising and
ignominious to see Russian officers and soldiers wearing the Chinese
overcoats, boots and wrist watches which had been taken from the Chinese
officials and the convoy. Everyone had Chinese silver and gold also from
the loot. The Mongol wife of Wang Tsao-tsun and her brother returned
with the detachment and entered a complaint of having been robbed by
the Russians. The Chinese officials and their convoy, deprived of their
supplies, reached the Chinese border only after great distress
from hunger and cold. We foreigners were astounded that Lt.-Colonel
Michailoff received Strigine with military honors but we caught the
explanation of it later when we learned that Michailoff had been given
some of the Chinese silver and his wife the handsomely decorated saddle
of Fu Hsiang. Chultun Beyli demanded that all the weapons taken from the
Chinese and all the stolen property be turned over to him, as it must
later be returned to the Chinese authorities; but Michailoff refused.
Afterwards we foreigners cut off all contact with the Russian
detachment. The relations between the Russians and Mongols became very
strained. Several of the Russian officers protested against the acts of
Michailoff and Strigine and controversies became more and more serious.

At this time, one morning in April, an extraordinary group of armed
horsemen arrived at Uliassutai. They stayed at the house of the
Bolshevik Bourdukoff, who gave them, so we were told, a great quantity
of silver. This group explained that