Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-05-18
A STRIKING
KEENAN, Crosses From the Russian
to b Chinese Empire.

Kennan Crosses From the Russian
to the Chinese Empire.
The following il from George Remnants
illustrated paper in the May Century:
On Friday, October 2, MIR. Frost and |
again visited Kiakhta and went with the
boundary commissioner, Mr.. Sulkofski.
to call upon the Chinese governor of
Miamachin. 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 is further
separated from Kiakhta by a high plank
wall and by screens, or pagoda, shaped
buildings, that mask the entrances to the
streets SO that the outside barbarian can
not look into the place without actually
entering it, and cannot see anything be-
ond lis wooden walls after he has en-
tered it. 1t would be hard 10 imagine a
more sudden and startling change than
that brought about by "A walk of
200 yards from riakhta 10 Mama
chin. One moment you are in "A Russian
provincial! village with its Characteristic
shops, log houses, golden-domed churches.
~droshkies turOsh-kees6 soldiers, and
familiar peasant iace-; the next moment
you pass behind the high screen thai con-
ceals the entrance 10 tue Monaghan town
and ind yourself apparently IN the mid
die Of The Chinese enpirc. 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
III which you find yourself isno more like
the town that you have just left than a
Iuni pueblo jig hike "a village in New Eng.
land, and for all that appears 80 the con
trary You might suppose yourself TO be
separated from the Russian empire by
the width Of a whole continent. The
narrow, uBpaved streets are shut in by
gray, one-story houses, whose window
less walls are made of clay mixed
with chopped straw, whose roofs,
ornamented with elaborate carving,
show "a tendency to turn up at
the corners; clumsy two-wheel OK carts,
loaded with boxes Of tea and guided by
swarthy Monpol drivers, nave taken the
place of the Russian horses and telegas;
Chinese traders in skull caps, loose flap
ping gowns, and white soled shoes ap-
pear at the doors Of the court yard in
stead of the Russian merchants in top
boots, loose waistcoats, and shirts worn
outside their trousers whom you have
long been accustomed to see; and wild
locking sunburned horsemen in deep
orange gowns and dishpan shaped hats
ride in now and then from some remote
encampment in the great desert Of Cobb,
followed, perhaps. by q poor Mongol
from the immediate neighborhoOd,
mounted upon a slow pacing OK. Wher-
ever you GO, and in whatever direction
you look, China has taken the place OF
Russia, and the scenes that confront you
are full Of strange, unfamiliar details.
We drove with a Russo Chinese in
terpreter TO the residence Of the sur
guhce" (soor-goo chay), 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, swectmeats and mai
gallo" (my.ga lol or Chinese rice brandy.
We exchanged with the governor a mum
Der Of ceremonious and not at all excit-
ing inquiries and replies relative to his
and our health, affairs and general well
being, drank three or our saki-cups of
maIgalo, nibbled 1T some candied fruits,
and then, as the hour for his devot;ons
had arrived, went with him
by invitation to the Etemple and
saw him say his prayers before a large
wooden idol to al accompaniment made
by the slow toIiing of a big deep toned
bell. The object of the bell ringing
seemed to be to notify the whole popula-
tion of the town that his excell,ncy the
governor was communing with his joss.
When we returned TO the house Nr.
Frost drew a portrait Of BIN IS with an
amusing air OF conscious majesty he sat
upon a tiger skin in his chair Of state,
and then, as we had no excuse for linger-
ing longer, We took our leave, each Of
us receiving q neatly tied package in
which were the nuts, sweetmeats and
candied fruits that bad been get before
us, but bad not been eaten
We wasted the rest of the afternoon
in trying to get photographs Of some of
the strange types and groups that were
to be seen in the Maimachin streets.
| Again aid again we were surrounded by
forty or fifty Mongols, Butiats, and non
descript natives from the great southern
steppes, and again and again we set up
the camera and tIaintd it upon a part OF
the picturesque throng. Every time Mr..
Frost covered his head with the black
cloth and took it eff the brass cap that
concealed the Instruments Cyclopean
eye, the apprehensive Celestials vanished
with as much CELEBRITY as if the artist was
manipulating q Calling gun. We could
clear a whole street from one end to the
other by merely setting up the camera on
its tripod and getting out the black cloth,
and | seriously thought OF advising the
Chinese governor TO send TO America for
a photograph outfit to he used in quelling
riots. He could dispense a mob with Il
more quickly and certainly than with a
battery of mountain howi,zers. If l re-
member rightly, Mr.. Frost old not sue
coed in getting pictures Of any animated
objects that day except a few Mopgol OK
teams and two or three blind or crippled
beggars who could not move rapidly
enough to make their eecape.
Tho Rex-on shown.
Merchant Traveller: Il never play at
another man's rame - said tho prec;J.pt