Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-05-25
A STRIKING CONTR AsT
KEENAN, Crosses From the Russian
to the Chinese Empire.

Kennan Crosses From the Hue star
TO the Chinese Empire.
The following is from George KEENAN,
illustrated paper in the May Century:
On Friday, October 2, Mr.. Frost and
again visited Klakhta and went with The
boundary commissioner, Mr.. Sulkofski
to call upon the Chinese governor oi
Mismachin. The Monaghan town OF
Maimachin is separated from Kiakhta by
$50 or 200 yards of neutral ground,
through the middle Of which is supposed
to run the boundary line between the
two great empires. Maimachin lie further
separated from Kiakhta by a high plank
wall and by screens, or pagOda shaped
buildings, that mask the entrances TO the
not look into the place without actually
entering it, and cannot see anything be-
yOnd lis wooden walls after he has en-
tered it. 1t would be hard 10 imagine n
more sudden and startling change than
that brought about by a walk Of
200 yards frsm kiakhta 10 Mama.
chin. One moment you are in = Russian
provincial village with its Characteristic
shops, log houses, golden -dOmed churches,
droshkies (drosh- KEGS, soldiers, and
familiar peasant faces; the next moment
you pas. behind the high screen that con
ceals the entrance to the Aongoliap town
and find yourself apparently in the mid
die of the Chinese empire. You can
hardly believe that you have not been
suddenly transported on the magical
carpet of the Arabian Nights" over a
distance Of a thousand miles. The town
in which you find yourself isno more ike
the town that you have just left than a
Zuni pueblo is like q village in New Eng
land, and for all that appears to the con
trary you might suppose yourself to be
separated from the Russian empire by
the width of a whole continent. The
narrow, uRpaved streets are shut in by
gray, ene-stsry houses, whose window
less walls are made of clay mixed
ornamented with elaborate carving,
show q tendency TO turn up al
the corners; clumsy two wheel OK carts,
loaded with boxes OF tea and guided by
swarthy MonQol drivers, have taken the
place Of the Russian horses and tclegas;
Chinese tracer. in skull caps, loose flap,
ping gowns. and white soled shoes APP
pear at the doors of the court yard in
stead Of the Russian merchants in top
boots, loose waistcoats, end shirts worn
outside Their trousers whom you have
long been acous omed to see; and wild.
Locking sunburned horsemen in deep
orange gowns and disbpan shaped hale
ride in now and then from some remote
encqmpment in the great desert of Cobb,
followed, perhaps, by d poor Mongol
from the immediate neighhorhood.
mounted upon a slow pacing OK. Wher-
ever YOU 20. and in whatever direction
YOU look, China has taken the place OF
Russia, ard the scenes that confront you
are full Of strange, unfamiliar details,
We drove with a Russo Chinese in
terpreter 70 the residence Of the sur.
guhce'' (soor. goo ebay, or Chinese gov
ernor which was distinguished from all
other houses by having two high poles
tipped with gilded balls erected in front
of it. and after being introduced to his
excellency by Mr.. Sulkofski were invited
to partake of tea, sweetmeats and mai
gallo (my.ga lo), or Chinese rice brandy.
We exchanged with the governor a mum
Der of c~eremonious and not at all excit-
ing inquiries and replies relative to his
and our health, affairs and general well
| being. drank three or four saki-cups Of
malgalo, nibbled at some candied fruits,
and then, as the hour Tor his devot!ons
had arrived. went with him
by invitation to the temple and
saw him say his prayers before u large
wooden idol to an accompaniment made
by the slow tolling Of a big deep toned
bell. The object Of the bell ringing
seemed to be to notify the whole popula-
ton of the town that his excellency the
governor was communing with his joss.
When we returned to the house Mr..
Frost drew a portrait Of him as with ar
amusing air of conscious majesty he sa'
upon a tiger skin in his chair of state
and then, as we had no excuse for linger
ing longer, w took III leave, each O.
us receiving a neatly tied package il
which were the nuts, swectmeats AM
candied fruits that had been set befor
us, but had not been eaten.
We WASTED the rest Of the afternoon
in trying to get photographs of some o
the strange types and groups that wer
TO be seen in the Maimachin streets
Again and again we were surrounded b,
forty or nifty Mongols, Buriats, and non
descript natives from the great southern
steppts, and again and again we set NJ
the camera and trained it upon a part o
the picturesque throng. Every iime Mr.
Frost covered his head with the blacl
| cloth aud took it eff the brass cap ths
concealed the Instruments Cyclopeal
! eye. the apprehensive CeIcstials vanjshe,
with rs much celeri'y as if the artist wa
manipulating a Calling gun. We Coult
clear a whole street from one end To Ia
other by merely setting up the camera OF
its tripod and getting out the black cloth
and ! seriously thought Of advising ID,
Chinese governor 10 send 10 America 70
a photograph outfit TO be used in qneilin,
riots. tie could disperse a mob with j
' mare 0uickiy and certainly than win