The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-09-08

at the helm of state would dlsclalm all
responsibility for the acts of tribe OF
turbulent marauders, while at the same
time they would chuckle silly at the in
juries thus vicariously inflicted on the
detested Fan Qui.
On the fourth day after the outbreak
of hostiities, there arrived in Kiachta a
group of Englishmen, engineers and
Cornish miners, from valuable mine on
the farther bank of the Amour, the
whole plant of which had been wantonly
destroyed by the Mongol raiders. They
reported the station of Cherinsk, with
all its factories and dwellings,, to be in
flames, while the European residents,
with such of their property as they could
contrive to save, were slowly retreating,
under the protection of military escort,
toward Irkutsk.
"Toward Irkutskl" / exclaimed, in
credulously; "you mean, surely, toward
Kiachta. It would be running into the
lions mouth to attempt the long march
over the open plains that lie between
the northern end of Lake Bakal and the
mountains at the headwaters of the
Amour. No one in his senses would give
such an advantage to the fleet-footed
enemy"
But my informant was positive as to
the route which the caravan of refugees
from Cherinsk had adopted. A Cornish
miner, dispatched thither to purchase
powder for blasting purposes, immedi-
ately before the inroad, had rejoined his
comrades with the news. It appeared
that the decision, perilously unwise as it
seemed to nae, to select the longer and
more northerly line of march, had been
formed by Count Annenkoff, who COM
manded the troops, and who was young
man, new to the country, and over-con-
confident in his own judgment.
Hitherto, it was added, the Mongol
horsemen had contented themselves with
lowering, like hawks on the wing,
around their destined prey, keeping at q
respectful distance from the rifed mus
kets of the soldiery; but there could be
no doubt that they were waiting the op-
portunity, in some unguarded moment,
of swooping down upon the camp, while
the movements of the fugitives, encum-
bered as they were by heavy baggage
train, and accompanied by several ladies
and children, were Of necessity slow.
That Ellen and her father were of the
company was all but certain.
I could no longer endure the safe in
action of life at Kiachta, and accordingly
I formed a resolve which to many of my
friends appeared rash and willful. This
was, to make my way, as best I might,
to the caravan, the tardy pace of
which would readily be overtaken by a
well-mounted rider, and to persuade
Ellen and her father rather to trust
themselves to my guidance back to XII
achta, than to persevere in the arduous
march that otherwise lay before them.
Thanks to my love of field sports, and
to certain restless spirit of adventure,
1 had an acquaintance with the country
for many league around, having re-
peatedly accompanied Tartar hunters on
their expeditions in quest of the elk,
the bustard, and the antelope of the
plains. was excellently mounted, and
felt that, should I fall in with the en-
envy, their shaggy ponies would not
easily come up with my fine Turcoman
steed from the distant deserts of Khiva.
And of hunger, and thirst more terrible
than hunger, those gaunt guardians of
the steppe, there was not much risk. 1
was to traverse country watered by
many streams, afiluents of the Amour,
and where the provident care of the Rus
SLAMS had caused wells to be dug in the
drier portions of the plain. The nomad
tribes, with whom even the Mongols
would not interfere, on the principle of
dog not eating dog, were friendly
enough to give me food in exchange for
silver roubles, and the weather was as
yet fine and mellow, although the season
was winter.
The first long days march brought
me to cluster of black felt tents, con-
ical in shape, pitched on the bank of a
shallow brook, while hard by grazed the
sheep and buffaloes that made up the
only wealth of the horde. / rode up to
them without fear-for these ramblers
through the plains of Eastern Siberia
have little harm in them-and recog-
nized in the headman of the camp an old
acquaintance, who spoke q little Rus
sian, and often brought in lambskins,
yaourt, and wild strawberries to the
market at Kiachta.
"I would not push on were you,
Gospodin," said the white bearded pa
triarch, as he set before me the simple
fare-milk. cheese, and mutton kabaubs,
skewered on a twig of the arbutus--that
he had to offer. "They were here with
us yesterday, some hundreds of the
light fingered rogues from across the
frontier, and it cost me ten fat sheep,
and many fair words, to coax them into
good behavior. They had two white
mems heads, set on spear points, for
their standards, and their leader
swore by the Holy Tooth not to
go back to Mongolia, without sill
yer enough to plate tho shrines
of his Joss house. They're after the
poor folks from Cherinsk by this time
not that they've any more fancy for the
whistle of leaden bullet than other
people have"
The gift of golden eagle, and the
promise of two more coins of the same
mintage, induced the headman to send
with me barefooted lad of his tribe,
who would, was assured, prove quite
competent to conduct me to a place
whence / could easily overtake the cara
van, and also to keep up with my horse
at any pace short of gallop. And
young KAHN chow he came by his Mos
lem name 1 can not tell, for all these
tribes of the border are Buddhists, like
tho MonooIo havond iN ran oa1lantlv ha.