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Riding down the slope toward our camp, I waited momentarily for a shot in the back but the Tibetan hunghutze did not shoot. We moved forward, leaving among the stones the bodies of two of our companions as sad tribute to the difficulties and dangers of our journey. We rode all night, with our exhausted horses constantly stopping and some lying down under us, but we forced them ever onward.
At their head rode the one-eyed hunghutze chief with three horsemen behind him in white overcoats, who carried waving banners and blew what may have been meant for music through great conch shells. One of the Chahars could not resist and so jumped out of his saddle and made for a Chinese shop along the street. Immediately the anxious cries of the Chinese merchants came from the shop.
The hunghutze swung round, noticed the horse at the door of the shop and realized what was happening. Immediately he reined his horse and made for the spot. With his raucous voice he called the Chahar out. As he came, he struck him full in the face with his whip and with all his strength. Blood flowed from the slashed cheek.
Its chief was a notorious hunghutze leader promoted by the Chinese Government to the rank of captain on promising that he would bring under subjugation to the Chinese authorities all the tribes of the districts of Kobdo and Urianhai. When he learned whither we were going and for what purpose, he said he could give us the most accurate news and relieve us from the necessity of going farther.
Besides myself three others received slight wounds. We resisted as long as we could. The hunghutze approached and our situation became desperate. "There's no choice," said one of my associates, a very expert Colonel. "We must mount and ride for it . . . anywhere." "Anywhere. . . ." It was a terrible word! We consulted for but an instant.
However, he was not willing to give their names, explaining his refusal by citing the Law of Buddhist lands against pronouncing the name of one's father, teacher or chief. Afterwards I found out that in North Tibet there exists the same custom as in North China. Here and there bands of hunghutze wander about.
A second afterward our Kalmuck was hit twice right through the palm of the same hand, so that it was entirely shattered. Just at this moment fifteen of the hunghutze rushed against us in a charge. "Shoot at them with volley fire!" commanded our Colonel.
Into what an atmosphere we had fallen after our hard and dangerous trip along the Yenisei, through Urianhai, Mongolia, the lands of the Turguts, Kansu and Koko Nor! "Do you know," said my old friend to me, "I prefer strangling Partisans and fighting with the hunghutze to listening to news and more anxious news!"
In a few days they came, two hundred warlike Chahar brigands under the command of a former Chinese hunghutze.
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