THE BARRIER OF RED PARTISANS
In a valley between two sharp ridges we discovered a herd of yaks and
cattle being rapidly driven off to the north by ten mounted Soyots.
Approaching us warily they finally revealed that Noyon (Prince) of Todji
had ordered them to drive the herds along the Buret Hei into Mongolia,
apprehending the pillaging of the Red Partisans. They proceeded but
were informed by some Soyot hunters that this part of the Tannu Ola was
occupied by the Partisans from the village of Vladimirovka. Consequently
they were forced to return. We inquired from them the whereabouts of
these outposts and how many Partisans were holding the mountain pass
over into Mongolia. We sent out the Tartar and the Kalmuck for a
reconnaissance while all of us prepared for the further advance by
wrapping the feet of our horses in our shirts and by muzzling their
noses with straps and bits of rope so that they could not neigh. It
was dark when our investigators returned and reported to us that about
thirty Partisans had a camp some ten kilometers from us, occupying the
yurtas of the Soyots. At the pass were two outposts, one of two soldiers
and the other of three. From the outposts to the camp was a little over
a mile. Our trail lay between the two outposts. From the top of the
mountain one could plainly see the two posts and could shoot them all.
When we had come near to the top of this mountain, I left our party and,
taking with me my friend, the Tartar, the Kalmuck and two of the young
officers, advanced. From the mountain I saw about five hundred yards
ahead two fires. At each of the fires sat a soldier with his rifle and
the others slept. I did not want to fight with the Partisans but we
had to do away with these outposts and that without firing or we never
should get through the pass. I did not believe the Partisans could
afterwards track us because the whole trail was thickly marked with the
spoors of horses and cattle.
“I shall take for my share these two,” whispered my friend, pointing to
the left outpost.
The rest of us were to take care of the second post. I crept along
through the bushes behind my friend in order to help him in case of
need; but I am bound to admit that I was not at all worried about him.
He was about seven feet tall and so strong that, when a horse used to
refuse sometimes to take the bit, he would wrap his arm around its neck,
kick its forefeet out from under it and throw it so that he could easily
bridle it on the ground. When only a hundred paces remained, I stood
behind the bushes and watched. I could see very distinctly the fire and
the dozing sentinel. He sat with his rifle on his knees. His companion,
asleep beside him, did not move. Their white felt boots were plainly
visible to me. For a long time I did not remark my friend. At the fire
all was quiet. Suddenly from the other outpost floated over a few dim
shouts and all was still. Our sentinel slowly raised his head. But just
at this moment the huge body of my friend rose up and blanketed the fire
from me and in a twinkling the feet of the sentinel flashed through the
air, as my companion had seized him by the throat and swung him
clear into the bushes, where both figures disappeared. In a second he
re-appeared, flourished the rifle of the Partisan over his head and I
heard the dull blow which was followed by an absolute calm. He came back
toward me and, confusedly smiling, said:
“It is done. God and the Devil! When I was a boy, my mother wanted to
make a priest out of me. When I grew up, I became a trained agronome in
order . . . to strangle the people and smash their skulls. Revolution is
a very stupid thing!”
And with anger and disgust he spit and began to smoke his pipe.
At the other outpost also all was finished. During this night we reached
the top of the Tannu Ola and descended again into a valley covered
with dense bushes and twined with a whole network of small rivers and
streams. It was the headwaters of the Buret Hei. About one o’clock we
stopped and began to feed our horses, as the grass just there was
very good. Here we thought ourselves in safety. We saw many calming
indications. On the mountains were seen the grazing herds of reindeers
and yaks and approaching Soyots confirmed our supposition. Here behind
the Tannu Ola the Soyots had not seen the Red soldiers. We presented to
these Soyots a brick of tea and saw them depart happy and sure that we
were “Tzagan,” a “good people.”
While our horses rested and grazed on the well-preserved grass, we sat
by the fire and deliberated upon our further progress. There developed
a sharp controversy between two sections of our company, one led by a
Colonel who with four officers were so impressed by the absence of Reds
south of the Tannu Ola that they determined to work westward to Kobdo
and then on to the camp on the Emil River where the Chinese authorities
had interned six thousand of the forces of General Bakitch, which had
come over into Mongolian territory. My friend and I with sixteen of the
officers chose to carry through our old plan to strike for the shores
of Lake Kosogol and thence out to the Far East. As neither side could
persuade the other to abandon its ideas, our company was divided and the
next day at noon we took leave of one another. It turned out that our
own wing of eighteen had many fights and difficulties on the way, which
cost us the lives of six of our comrades, but that the remainder of us
came through to the goal of our journey so closely knit by the ties of
devotion which fighting and struggling for our very lives entailed
that we have ever preserved for one another the warmest feelings of
friendship. The other group under Colonel Jukoff perished. He met a big
detachment of Red cavalry and was defeated by them in two fights. Only
two officers escaped. They related to me this sad news and the details
of the fights when we met four months later in Urga.
Our band of eighteen riders with five packhorses moved up the valley
of the Buret Hei. We floundered in the swamps, passed innumerable miry
streams, were frozen by the cold winds and were soaked through by the
snow and sleet; but we persisted indefatigably toward the south end of
Kosogol. As a guide our Tartar led us confidently over these trails well
marked by the feet of many cattle being run out of Urianhai to Mongolia.