Evening star., 1928-06-03
KhS Thdh G O China o
Event hnme oI Islam Issued Orient
Flight of the Colder

the MongeIs after the battle with the
Karaits
Gltcfluk seems TO have raised him.
self 10 fame by most profitable treach-
e1y. He allied himself with the still
greater powers OF the far west, and put
to death his host, the Khan Of Black
Cathay. While Ghenghis Khan had
been occupied beyond the great wall. he
had disorganized the valuable Ugurs
and had slain the Christian Khan Of
Almalyk, a subject of the Mongol. The
always restless Merkits had left the
horde and joined him.
With Gutchluk and his brief empire
in the wide ranges that extend from
Tibet to Samarkand, Genghis Khan
dealt decisiveiy upon his return TO Ka-
rakorum The horde was renounted on
fresh horses and led against the Nal
mans. For more than a year there was
ferocious fighting, until Gutchluk was
slain and his head sent back to Kara
korum--with the herd Of a thousand
wl1ite-nosed horses.
With the overthrow of Gutchluk, an
arniStice as sudden and decisive as the
fall of curtain settled down on north
Asia. From the China to the Aral Sea
one master Teigned. Rebellion had
ceased. The coiIriers of the Khan gal
loped over 50 degree OF longitude, and
1t was said that virgin carrying sack
Of gold could ride unharnaed from one
border Of the nomad empire to the
other.
But this administrative activity did
not altogether satisfy the aging con-
queror. He no longer relished the Win
ter hunts over tn: prairies. One day In
the pavilion at Ksrakorunn he asked an
officer of the Mongol guard what. in all
the world, could bring the greatest hap
piness.
THE open steppe, a clear day and a
swift horse under you" responded the
officer after q little thought, land fall
con ON your wrist TO start up hares."
Nay" responded the Khan, ito crush
your enemies, to see them fall at your
feeet-to take their horses and goods
and hear the iamentatiOn of their wom-
en-that is best"
The master Of thrones and crowns
was also the scourge. His next move
was one of conquest, terrible in its e.
| feet. and 1t was toward the west And
it came about in most curious way.
TN-IL now the dominion of Genght
~ Khan had b9en confined to fan
Asia. He had grown up In his deserts
and his first contact with civtliZat tto1
| had bsen IN Cathay.
And from the cities of Cathay he had
gone back TO the grazing lands Of his
native plains. More recently, the ahan
with Gutchiuk and the arrival OF Mo-
hammedan merchants had taught hin
something about the other half Of Asia
He knew now that beyond the ranges
Of his westerly border existed fertilI
valleys where snow never fell Here
also we're rivers that never froze. Herr
rnultitudincus peoples lived II cite
more ANCIENT than KaxakOrum or Yen
king. And from these peoples Of tn:
west came the caravans that nrough
finely tempered steel blades and tht
best chain mail-wllite cloth and reS
leather, ambergris and ivory. turquotS'
and rubies.
So these ranges formed kind o.
gigantic continental divide, separating
the plains-dwellers Of Genghis KhaT
from the galley-dwellers Of the west
which was called by the Cathayans Ia
tstr, the Far Country. A gifted Catha-
van general had once led an army III
into these sol4tntles. but until now M
army had ventured to make war beyonC
the ranges.
Gengi1is Khan learned that his near
est Tleighbor 10 the west was the Shah
of Kharesm, himself conuueror Of a
wide domain To this Shah the Khan
sent e1lvoyE. and q message.