in no other way can i describe the journey from the river ero tothe border of tibet. about eleven hundred miles through the snowysteppes, over mountains and across deserts we traveled in forty-eight days. we hid from the people as we journeyed, made shortstops in the most desolate places, fed for whole weeks on nothingbut raw, frozen meat in order to avoid attracting attention by thesmoke of fires. whenever we needed to purchase a sheep or a steerfor our supply department, we sent out only two unarmed men whorepresented to the natives that they were the workmen of somerussian colonists. we even feared to shoot, although we met agreat herd of antelopes numbering as many as five thousand head.
behind balir in the lands of the lama jassaktu khan, who hadinherited his throne as a result of the poisoning of his brother aturga by order of the living buddha, we met wandering russiantartars who had driven their herds all the way from altai andabakan. they welcomed us very cordially, gave us oxen and thirty-six bricks of tea. also they saved us from inevitable destruction,for they told us that at this season it was utterly impossible forhorses to make the trip across the gobi, where there was no grassat all. we must buy camels by exchanging for them our horses andsome other of our bartering supplies. one of the tartars the nextday brought to their camp a rich mongol with whom he drove thebargain for this trade. he gave us nineteen camels and took allour horses, one rifle, one pistol and the best cossack saddle. headvised us by all means to visit the sacred monastery ofnarabanchi, the last lamaite monastery on the road from mongolia totibet. he told us that the holy hutuktu, "the incarnate buddha,"would be greatly offended if we did not visit the monastery and hisfamous "shrine of blessings," where all travelers going to tibetalways offered prayers. our kalmuck lamaite supported the mongolin this. i decided to go there with the kalmuck. the tartars gaveme some big silk hatyk as presents and loaned us four splendidhorses. although the monastery was fifty-five miles distant, bynine o'clock in the evening i entered the yurta of this holyhutuktu.
he was a middle-aged, clean shaven, spare little man, laboringunder the name of jelyb djamsrap hutuktu. he received us verycordially and was greatly pleased with the presentation of thehatyk and with my knowledge of the mongol etiquette in which mytartar had been long and persistently instructing me. he listenedto me most attentively and gave valuable advice about the road,presenting me then with a ring which has since opened for me thedoors of all lamaite monasteries. the name of this hutuktu ishighly esteemed not only in all mongolia but in tibet and in thelamaite world of china. we spent the night in his splendid yurtaand on the following morning visited the shrines where they wereconducting very solemn services with the music of gongs, tom-tomsand whistling. the lamas with their deep voices were intoning theprayers while the lesser priests answered with their antiphonies.
the sacred phrase: "om! mani padme hung!" was endlessly repeated.
the hutuktu wished us success, presented us with a large yellowhatyk and accompanied us to the monastery gate. when we were inour saddles he said:
"remember that you are always welcome guests here. life is verycomplicated and anything may happen. perhaps you will be forced infuture to re-visit distant mongolia and then do not miss narabanchikure."that night we returned to the tartars and the next day continuedour journey. as i was very tired, the slow, easy motion of thecamel was welcome and restful to me. all the day i dozed off atintervals to sleep. it turned out to be very disastrous for me;for, when my camel was going up the steep bank of a river, in oneof my naps i fell off and hit my head on a stone, lostconsciousness and woke up to find my overcoat covered with blood.
my friends surrounded me with their frightened faces. theybandaged my head and we started off again. i only learned longafterwards from a doctor who examined me that i had cracked myskull as the price of my siesta.
we crossed the eastern ranges of the altai and the karlik tag,which are the most oriental sentinels the great tian shan systemthrows out into the regions of the gobi; and then traversed fromthe north to the south the entire width of the khuhu gobi. intensecold ruled all this time and fortunately the frozen sands gave usbetter speed. before passing the khara range, we exchanged ourrocking-chair steeds for horses, a deal in which the torgutsskinned us badly like the true "old clothes men" they are.
skirting around these mountains we entered kansu. it was adangerous move, for the chinese were arresting all refugees and ifeared for my russian fellow-travelers. during the days we hid inthe ravines, the forests and bushes, making forced marches atnight. four days we thus used in this passage of kansu. the fewchinese peasants we did encounter were peaceful appearing and mosthospitable. a marked sympathetic interest surrounded the kalmuck,who could speak a bit of chinese, and my box of medicines.
everywhere we found many ill people, chiefly afflicted with eyetroubles, rheumatism and skin diseases.
as we were approaching nan shan, the northeast branch of the altyntag (which is in turn the east branch of the pamir and karakhorumsystem), we overhauled a large caravan of chinese merchants goingto tibet and joined them. for three days we were winding throughthe endless ravine-like valleys of these mountains and ascendingthe high passes. but we noticed that the chinese knew how to pickthe easiest routes for caravans over all these difficult places.
in a state of semi-consciousness i made this whole journey towardthe large group of swampy lakes, feeding the koko nor and a wholenetwork of large rivers. from fatigue and constant nervous strain,probably helped by the blow on my head, i began suffering fromsharp attacks of chills and fever, burning up at times and thenchattering so with my teeth that i frightened my horse who severaltimes threw me from the saddle. i raved, cried out at times andeven wept. i called my family and instructed them how they mustcome to me. i remember as though through a dream how i was takenfrom the horse by my companions, laid on the ground, supplied withchinese brandy and, when i recovered a little, how they said to me:
"the chinese merchants are heading for the west and we must travelsouth.""no! to the north," i replied very sharply.
"but no, to the south," my companions assured me.
"god and the devil!" i angrily ejaculated, "we have just swum thelittle yenisei and algyak is to the north!""we are in tibet," remonstrated my companions. "we must reach thebrahmaputra."brahmaputra. . . . brahmaputra. . . . this word revolved in myfiery brain, made a terrible noise and commotion. suddenly iremembered everything and opened my eyes. i hardly moved my lipsand soon i again lost consciousness. my companions brought me tothe monastery of sharkhe, where the lama doctor quickly brought meround with a solution of fatil or chinese ginseng. in discussingour plans he expressed grave doubt as to whether we would getthrough tibet but he did not wish to explain to me the reason forhis doubts.