little
boxing exercise."

On one occasion Domojiroff's men would have succeeded in taking me if I
had not been saved by the watchfulness of our foreign group. I had gone
to the fortress to negotiate with the Mongol Sait for the departure of
the foreigners from Uliassutai. Chultun Beyli detained me for a long
time, so that I was forced to return about nine in the evening. My horse
was walking. Half a mile from the town three men sprang up out of the
ditch and ran at me. I whipped up my horse but noticed several more men
coming out of the other ditch as though to head me off. They, however,
made for the other group and captured them and I heard the voice of a
foreigner calling me back. There I found three of Domojiroff's officers
surrounded by the Polish soldiers and other foreigners under the
leadership of my old trusted agronome, who was occupied with tying the
hands of the officers behind their backs so strongly that the bones
cracked. Ending his work and still smoking his perpetual pipe, he
announced in a serious and important manner: "I think it best to throw
them into the river."

Laughing at his seriousness and the fear of Domojiroff's officers, I
asked them why they had started to attack me. They dropped their eyes
and were silent. It was an eloquent silence and we perfectly understood
what they had proposed to do. They had revolvers hidden in their
pockets.

"Fine!" I said. "All is perfectly clear. I shall release you but you
must report to your sender that he will not welcome you back the next
time. Your weapons I shall hand to the Commandant of Uliassutai."

My friend, using his former terrifying care, began to untie them,
repeating over and over: "And I would have fed you to the fishes in the
river!" Then we all returned to the town, leaving them to go their way.

Domojiroff continued to send envoys to Baron Ungern at Urga with
requests for plenary powers and money and with reports about Michailoff,
Chultun Beyli, Poletika, Philipoff and myself. With Asiatic cunning
he was then maintaining good relations with all those for whom he was
preparing death at the hands of the severe warrior, Baron Ungern,
who was receiving only one-sided reports about all the happenings in
Uliassutai. Our whole colony was greatly agitated. The officers split
into different parties; the soldiers collected in groups and discussed
the events of the day, criticising their chiefs, and under the influence
of some of Domojiroff's men