Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-19

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across the steppes like a black wind
storm BY fire and blood he sealed his
| mastery over the Russians, marching
| through the smoke of burning villages
toward Moscow, which he besieged,
tricked and sacked. leaving the Grand
Prince grieving. Then he turned upon
Timur without warning. The real strug-
gle for mastery was at hand. Tokta-
mish, born of the seed of Genghis
Khan, champion of the Nomads, arrayed
at his side the Mongol powers. Timur,
son of the chieftan Of small clan. had
at his back no more than his own fol-
lowing of clans bound by loyalty to him.
After a swift invasion. ToktamiSh
vanished into his steppes as swiftly as
fox slips into a covert Where he
would strike again. there was no tell
inc.
INSTEAD Of awaiting the Golden
Horde in his own country. Timur
mustered his regiments and reviewed
them on the great plain by Samarkand.
There he explained to them his pur-
pose. He meant to ride north into the
lands of the Golden Horde and there
meet Toktamish.
This decision invited disaster. Ma
poleon. doing likewise more than four
hundred years later, left the grande
armee of France dead in the SHOWS of
Russia and Poland, although he took
Moscow.
Timur had not yet encountered the
Golden Horde in the field. Tokta-
mish'S host was more numerous than
his own. and slightly more mobile
since it would have an immense stock
of fresh horses to draw upon. Thurs
men were capable of living off the
country-given some water and any
Horde had lived Off that country for
generations.
To enter it TAnur would have to feel
his way through sand deserts and clay
steppes and sterile hills; over such ter
rain 1t would not be nossible to trans
port provisions to serve for more than
two or three months. And If then he
met ToktamiSh he would be obliged to
give battle with the barren lands at his
back. A defeat would mean the inev-
liable loss OF the greater part of his
host. and In all probability his own
death.
Peter the Great sent a Russian army
in 1716 south over this country against
Khiva and the Turkomans. and the
Russian general, Prince Bekovitch
Cherkassi (the CircaSsian). died in the
desert with most Of his men, the rest
being made slaves. A century later an
other army under Count Perovski, tried
1t in Winter, when an ample water sup
ply was asSured-and the survivors
came back the year after. leaving 10000
camels and as many carts and large
part of its men in the icy plains be-
hind it.
These wastes of Asia are still forbid
den ground to expeditionary forces of
any size. And Timur could not go
around. BY marching due west. around
the Caspian. he could strike the cities
of the Golden Horde. But nothing was
more certain than that Toktamish
would be master of Samarkand before
Timur had penetrated the Caucasus
valleys. And Timur could have no idea
where ToktamiSh might choose to meet
hinn-at the edge of the border deserts,
or / 500 miles away at the Black Sea,
or up near the Baltic, or even under
the rising sun where the Cobb lies.
AS q matter Of fact, Toktamish chose
to do something quite different and
equally unexpected. And Thurs SER
vice Of information had failed, his pro-
visions given out and he and his army
had entirely lost their way before he
saw the horned standards of the Golden
Horde.
RY all the canons Of military strategy
~ Timur invited failure. But he was
right He simply chose to risk every
thing to bring the struggle to a final
issue in the country of the Golden
Horde, where Toktamish least expected
him.
Nothing is more clear than that
throughout his career the Amir Of Tar
tary followed three fixed rules; never
to involve his own country In the ma
neuvering of any campaign; never to
allow himself to be put upon the defen-
sive; always to attack as swiftly as
hard driven horses can travel.
1T Is better" he said once, "to be
at the right place with ten men than
absent with ten thousand" And, again,
1T is good to go swiftly and break an
enemys power before he has mustered
his full strength. No greater army
should be taken than can be maintained
on the way"
For three weeks the army marched
over the wind-billowed dunes, still bleak
with the passing of Winter In the cold
before dawn the kourroun, the seven
foot trumpets, sounded their summons
and the divisions saddled up and mount
ed. Tents were slowed In the heavy
carts that had wheels higher than q
mans head. Beside the carts moved the
strings of baggage camels. grunting and
Snarling under their loads. In the carts
also were the equipments of the squads
10 men were in tent-two spades, a
saw and pickaX, sickle and ak, a coil Of
heavy cord, a cooking pan and an OK
hide. Provisions were of the lightest-
-four, barley, dried fruit and the like.
On entering the white sands, each man
was limited to some l6 pounds Of -four
a month.