Communism -- Soviet Union; Mongolia -- Description and travel
His joy was very touching but at the same time I thought that the
Colonel could have taken much more active measures for the salvation of
his guest, if he had been so minded. The agitation of this day had
tired me and made me feel years older. When I looked in the mirror I
was certain there were more white hairs on my head. At night I could
not sleep for the flashing thoughts of the young, fine face of Colonel
Philipoff, the pool of blood, the cold eyes of Captain Veseloffsky, the
sound of Baron Ungern’s voice with its tones of despair and woe, until
finally I sank into a heavy stupor. I was awakened by Baron Ungern who
came to ask pardon that he could not take me in his motor car, because
he was obliged to take Daichin Van with him. But he informed me that he
had left instructions to give me his own white camel and two Cossacks as
servants. I had no time to thank him before he rushed out of my room.
Sleep then entirely deserted me, so I dressed and began smoking pipe
after pipe of tobacco, as I thought: “How much easier to fight the
Bolsheviki on the swamps of Seybi and to cross the snowy peaks of Ulan
Taiga, where the bad demons kill all the travelers they can! There
everything was simple and comprehensible, but here it is all a mad
nightmare, a dark and foreboding storm!” I felt some tragedy, some
horror in every movement of Baron Ungern, behind whom paced this silent,
white-faced Veseloffsky and Death.
CHAPTER XXXIV
THE HORROR OF WAR!
At dawn of the following morning they led up the splendid white camel
for me and we moved away. My company consisted of the two Cossacks, two
Mongol soldiers and one Lama with two pack camels carrying the tent and
food. I still apprehended that the Baron had it in mind not to dispose
of me before my friends there in Van Kure but to prepare this journey
for me under the guise of which it would be so easy to do away with
me by the road. A bullet in the back and all would be finished.
Consequently I was momentarily ready to draw my revolver and defend
myself. I took care all the time to have the Cossacks either ahead of me
or at the side. About noon we heard the distant honk of a motor car and
soon saw Baron Ungern whizzing by us at full speed. With him were two
adjutants and Prince Daichin Van. The Baron greeted me very kindly and
shouted:
“Shall see you again in Urga!”
“Ah!” I thought, “evidently I shall reach Urga. So I can be at ease
during my trip, and in Urga I have many friends beside the presence
there of the bold Polish soldiers whom I had worked with in Uliassutai
and who had outdistanced me in this journey.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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