bones will dry beneath the rays of Nature's dissipating fire and be
scattered by her winds over the sands of the prairie? It is splendid,
this indifference of Nature to death, and her greediness for life!

On the fourth day we made the shores of the Tola well after nightfall.
We could not find the regular ford and I forced my camel to enter
the stream in the attempt to make a crossing without guidance. Very
fortunately I found a shallow, though somewhat miry, place and we got
over all right. This is something to be thankful for in fording a river
with a camel; because, when your mount finds the water too deep, coming
up around his neck, he does not strike out and swim like a horse will do
but just rolls over on his side and floats, which is vastly inconvenient
for his rider. Down by the river we pegged our tent.

Fifteen miles further on we crossed a battlefield, where the third great
battle for the independence of Mongolia had been fought. Here the troops
of Baron Ungern clashed with six thousand Chinese moving down from
Kiakhta to the aid of Urga. The Chinese were completely defeated and
four thousand prisoners taken. However, these surrendered Chinese tried
to escape during the night. Baron Ungern sent the Transbaikal Cossacks
and Tibetans in pursuit of them and it was their work which we saw on
this field of death. There were still about fifteen hundred unburied and
as many more interred, according to the statements of our Cossacks,
who had participated in this battle. The killed showed terrible sword
wounds; everywhere equipment and other debris were scattered about.
The Mongols with their herds moved away from the neighborhood and their
place was taken by the wolves which hid behind every stone and in every
ditch as we passed. Packs of dogs that had become wild fought with the
wolves over the prey.

At last we left this place of carnage to the cursed god of war. Soon we
approached a shallow, rapid stream, where the Mongols slipped from their
camels, took off their caps and began drinking. It was a sacred stream
which passed beside the abode of the Living Buddha. From this winding
valley we suddenly turned into another where a great mountain ridge
covered with dark, dense forest loomed up before us.

"Holy Bogdo-Ol!" exclaimed the Lama. "The abode of the Gods which guard
our Living Buddha!"

Bogdo-Ol is the huge knot which ties together here three mountain
chains: Gegyl from the southwest, Gangyn from the south