il It! i liliiiiii ! jiji mm I ti ,i iiiilii iii iiilliKiliiiH DS773 CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY THE CHARLES WILLIAM WASON COLLECTION ON CHINA AND THE CHINESE DS zga-M^RlV"'""''" "■'""'' * "ilSiilliii™fiiJitif ^""^ 3" '"Side view of 3 1924 023 499 480 The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023499480 -us < A Flight for Life AND AN INSIDE VIEW OF MONGOLIA By JAMES HUDSON ROBERTS Missionary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions Boston trbe ipilgrim press Chicago Copyright, 1903, By James Hudson Roberts Press of J. J. Arakelyan, ^gt; Congress St., Boston. CONTENTS Chapter Page I The Boxers . . . . 7 II How THE Delusion Spread ... 14 III The Calm before the Storm . 19 IV T'UNGCHO AND ICaLGAN IN DANGER . 25 V Peking just before the Siege ... 31 VI To Kalgan by the Great Wall . . zi VII Taking Refuge in the Yamen ... 42 VIII Through the Great Wall into Mongolia 48 IX First Sights in a Strange Land . 57 X How the Mongols Live . . 67 XI More of their Customs . . .81 XII Preparing the Caravan - . 98 XIII Two Risky Trips .... no XIV A Lost Camel and the Result . . 121 XV Into the Desert of Gobi .... 126 XVI To Oude, the Heart of the Desert . .140 XVII Good Grass and "Welcome Camp'' . . 156 XVIII To THE City of the Living Buddha . 170 XIX The Religion of the Mongols . . 18O XX The Mongolian Language .... 204 Contents Chapter Page XXI The Rise of the Mongol Empire . 214 XXII KuBLAi Khan and his Successors . . 225 XXIII A Country Without a Seaport . . 235 XXIV In the "House Beautiful/' — ^the Con- sulate AT Urga 243 XXV Over the Altais and Far Away . . 260 XXVI First Experiences in Kiachta . . . 269 XXVII Crossing the Frontier .... 279 XXVIII In Siberia, the Land of Freedom 285 XXIX "Bonnie'' . . 295 XXX By Tarantass to Irkutsk . 299 XXXI Over the Siberian Railway . . 308 XXXII A People Much Misunderstood . 315 XXXIII Farewell Appendix A, Additional Notes and Items " B, The Martyrs Near the Great Wall " C, A Boxer Prayer from Yucho . " D, Mongolia Before the Mongols . " E, The Itinerary of the Flight . Glossary F .... Index G . . 324 335 340 349 3SI 353 359 395 CHAPTER I THE BOXERS "I Ho Ch'iian tao T'ien Ching, Sha chin kuei-tzu, pao Ta Ch'ing. Shang yu T'ai Hou, hsia yu Jung, Yii Yu tu shih tsa chia ping. San yiieh ch'u i ch'i hsia shou ; Sha wan T'ien Ching, shang Pei Ching. Ta hsiao kuan yiian shih chieh ying; Shui hai p'a, k'uai t'ao ming. "The Boxers have come to Tientsin, to kill all the foreign devils, and protect the Manchu dynasty. Above, there is the Empress Dowager on our side, and below, there is Jung Lu. The soldiers of* Yii Lu and Yii Hsien are all our own men. "On the first day of the third month we shall all begin together. When we have finished killing in Tientsin, we shall go to Peking. All the high and low officials will welcome us cordially. Whoever is afraid, let him quickly escape for his life." The above placard was widely published and learned by the Chinese, the most illiterate being able to memorize the jingling rhyme. A copy of 7 8 A Flight For Life it was thrown into the London Mission Chapel by some friendly person, who knew the plans of the Boxers. The day set for the uprising was March 30, 1900. The seizing of several ports by the Powers in the spring of 1898, and especially the taking of Kiao Chou by the Germans, greatly increased the hostil- ity to foreigners, which had long existed. Two Jesuit missionaries, who had been expelled from Germany for some misdeeds, went, perhaps with sincere intentions, to the district of Ts'ao Chou Fu, in the southwest corner of the province of Shan- tung. That region long had been noted for the fierceness of its people, and these missionaries lost their lives. The German government might have ignored the case, but chose instead to make it the pretext for taking a valuable port. Since then it has asserted that, evenj Shansi is a part of its "hin- terland." The Boxer society has existed from the year 1808, and has made an insurrection once in each generation. The name, I Ho Ch'iian, means "The Righteous and Harmonious Fist," or "The Fist of Public Harmony." This society and its work are the answer of China to the "mailed fist" of Em- peror WilHam. The Boxers 9 The Japanese war, and the seizure of the ports, awakened the emperor to the need of reforming the government, but the coup d'etat of the empress dowager not only reversed his decrees, but also gave boldness to the enemies of foreigners. As long ago as the .autumn of 1898, a day was set for killing the Swedish missionaries at Hsiian Hua Fu. In the following winter, the Boxers persecuted the native Christians in the western part of Shantung. At the remonstrances of the missionaries, the offi- cials of several cities dealt severely with the Boxers, after which these officials were fined and punished by the governor of Shantung, the notorious Yii Hsien. He would hardly have ventured upon such a course of glaring injustice without express per- mission from the throne. In the summer of 1899, the Boxers were, comparatively quiet, for the farm- ing population was busy with the work in the fields, and could hardly take time to engage in acts of lawlessness, as they could in the cold weather. In the winter Of 1899-1900, many homes of Christians were looted and burned, and not a few chapels were destroyed. The missionaries in western Shantung and south- ern Chihli wrote full accounts of these troubles to the British and Ahierican consuls in Tientsin, and lO A Flight For Life to the ministers in Peking. At times, the high Chinese officials would deny that there were any Boxers, and even require affidavits to that effect to be sent up by the magistrates of the disturbed dis- tricts. At other times the government, acknowl- edging that there were Boxers, issued edicts ap- parently designed to suppress them, guaranteeing protection to missionaries, native Christians and foreign merchants. At the same time, secret edicts were issued, of the opposite purport. The natives readily understood which they were to respect. By this double-dealing, the empress dowager was un- dermining her own throne. On the strength of the edicts, proclamations were issued, but no sooner were they posted on houses and walls, than they were stripped to pieces by the people, who had learned that the government would not protect foreigners. The Boxers came northward to the region of Paotingfu and Tientsin, and it was dan- gerous to travel on the country roads around Tient- sin after December 20, 1899. The fourteenth of February and the thirtieth of March, 1900, were days set by the Boxers for at- tacking Tientsin. Friendly Chinese having in- formed the missionaries, they notified the consuls, and an appeal by them to the viceroy led to the The Boxers ii posting of a good proclamation. In this it was stated, that "Christians and heathen are alike the little children of the government; that to collect crowds, carry weapons, burn or destroy houses, steal goods, steal or injure people, or oppose ofh- cial troops, are like acts of highway robbery; that to foufid private societies, and practice with fists and clubs are infractions of the law, not to be toler- ated; that heathen and Christians should acknowl- edge their community of interests; and that offi- cials, in deciding lawsuits, must not distinguish between the people and the Church, but only be- tween the crooked and the straight." It adds, as a conciliation to the Boxers, that "church members must not stir up quarrels, deride the heathen, nor blindly follow the missionaries, so as to Vvin victo- ries through their protection." It ended with a good exhortation to both parties to obey the law and lay aside their enmities, so that there might be peace. This proclamation was posted outside the wall of the American Board Mission in Tientsin, was read by many, and copied by a teacher in our employ, and soon afterward was torn in pieces. The time hiad come when the Chinese despised treaties, edicts, proclamations and passports, if issued to 12 A Flight For Life protect foreigners. They regarded the treaties as having been forced on them by, outside barbarians, signed under compulsion, and not binding on their consciences. All foreigners were believed to be enemies, and therefore, according to Asiatic ideals, to have no rights. A craze for killing them had taken possession of the people. This, however, was not without cause. Let us imagine ourselves in their places : — our ports taken by foreign nations; our manufactures, trade and public finances almost wrecked by foreign trade and by a low tarifif imposed by foreigners, with a view to their own advantage; and our country threatened with dismemberment ; — we would have been angry, as they were, and ready to fight the world. Only we would have regarded the rights of women, children and non-combatants, and wotfld not have tortured nor massacred innocent people. One night in the spring of 1900, the building of the Tientsin Trading Company, a large department store, was burned. The fire was a glorious sight, but the wind and falling sparks endangered many neighboring houses. The cause never was ascer- tained. The building and goods, had been insured for more than their full value, as was the case two or three years before, when the same company's The Boxers 13 store was burned. Some spoke of the fire as a grand clearance sale. Others feared that the Boxers had begun an incendiary work. The strained relations between foreigners and Chinese compelled the former to be on their guard. Many carried firearms, and prepared for emergencies. The Tientsin Volunteer Corps patrolled the streets at night. It was planned that, in case of an attack, the foreigners should take refuge in the consulates. To those living nearest the Chinese city, the French consulate would be most accessible ; but the Americans, if time should permit, were to gather in the British consulate ; for the American consulate was too far out of the settlement to be defensible. In worse contingencies, the ladies and children were to be protected in Gordon Hall, as a safer place than the British consulate. CHAPTER II HOW THE DELUSION SPREAD "Let nil the Protestant Chapels know, that we limit you to one week's time, in which you must all change your signs (or names) to Chapels of the Great Genii, or else vacate your places. If any should not obey, we shall pull them down, or burn them with fire, so as to leave nothing but their empty places, — lest any one regret it. The Box- ers of all under heaven together write this. "Second month, nineteentli day." This placard displayed increasing audacity. The Boxers were steadily preparing to carry out their threats. There were said to be nineteen words, which, when learned, gave the Boxers great power. Two or three of these words were learned by the boys on the streets ; eight of them would enable one Chinese to overcome ten foreigners ; and any one who could pronounce seventeen words, could pull down a foreigner's house as easily as he could overturn a box of tea. In the looting of Tientsin, each valiant Boxer would be rewarded with all the contents of a foreigner's house. This would be a great prize for a poor Chinaman. 14 Hoiv the Delusion Spread 15 The claim of the Boxers to be invulnerable was sometimes put to the test. One man, who said that weapons could not harm him, was ordered to lay his arm on the table. Then the magistrate told a man to chop it with a hatchet. He did so, and sent the edge in to the bone. The Boxer looked up to the mandarin, and said : "I had not enough faith." Another agreed with a governor that he would allow himself to be shot at forty times, on condition that, if not wounded, he might have the governor's rank and office. Tlie third shot killed him. As many Boxers were shot in their backs, the theory was propounded that they were invul- nerable in their breasts but not in their backs. iWhile these things were in the minds of all, a grand funeral occurred, — that of the mother of Chang Yen Mao. This man had been in the em- ploy of the Seventh Prince, the father of the emperor, and having acquired wealth, made the death of his mother an occasion for great display. In providing for the funeral, he spent thirty-five thousand dollars of his own, and seventy thousand dollars contributed by his friends. There were many gorgeous banners and large umbrellas of colored silk, to be carried in the procession ; there were horses, carriages, houses, men and women, 1 6 A Flight For Life all made of paper, tO' be carried and burned at the grave, — so that these, having been burned, might become horses, carriages, houses and servants in the spirit world, for the benefit of the departed mother. Many tables of fruit, apparently real, but made of paper; large jewels of paper, as costly as the real articles; numerous paper bouquets; um- brellas made of sticks of incense; and other curi- ous and expensive objects, all to be burned, were carried in the procession. Among them were elaborate provisions of real food for the deceased, and a plentiful supply of paper money to be thrown out on the road, so that the devils, instead of following the funeral, would stop to pick up the money, and sO' be left behind. Many people visited the house to see the preparations. When the pro- cession moved toward the native city, on its way to the family graveyard near T'ungcho, the array of valuable oiTerings was about two miles in length; and in the midst of it, strange to say, there were half a score of foreign gentlemen, going on foot, to show their friendship for Mr. Chang. The streets were crowded full of the Chinese, while foreigners looked on from windows and roofs along the road. Considering the excited state of the public mind, a riot was much to be apprehended. As th^ after- How the Delusion Spread 17 noon wore away, and there was no disturbance, the hearts of the foreign community were much re- heved. On all sides of the city, the Boxers were practic- ing with swords and spears. Boxer teachers, re- ceiving high wages, would hypnotize a company of boys and men, who would repeat certain cabalistic words, fall on their backs in a trance, spring up and brandish their weapons fiercely, and then fall again, and lie as though dead. On coming out of the trance, they felt extremely tired, and told what ancient heroes they had seen, and what the latter said. Their belief that a spirit entered into them, and made them invulnerable, was due to hypnotism, which made them unconscious of pain. Some of the missionaries employed spies to as- certain the localities in which the Boxers were drill- ing, and gave full information to the consuls. One missionary tried to arrest some of the Boxers with his own hands, but they refused to be arrested. In the district of Hsiao Chang, one hundred and fifty miles southwest of Tientsin, the London Mission, before the outbreak, succeeded in collect- ing from the officials three thousand dollars, as in- demnity for the native Christians. Near Paotingfu the Boxers were numerous and active. At one i8 A Flight For Life place the Roman Catholics were attacked, and seventy were slaughtered. An officer went with troops to quell the disturbance ; his horse stumbled, and the Boxers, taking advantage of his fall, killed him. At Cho Chou, between Peking and Paoting- fu, seventeen spies on horses were caught and strangled by the Boxers. One Roman Catholic convert was beaten to the backbone, and would not recant. A Presbyterian brother, being ordered to recant, said that he had followed Jesus twenty years, and could not deny him. At a village south- west of Peking, where there was a flourishing church, a baby having- been born in the home of the native preacher, the heathen declared that it had wings, and that, as soon as they were fully grown, the village would be destroyed. In such ways evil- minded people tried to stir up strife. The storm was drawing nearer to Peking and Tientsin, but had not yet burst. CHAPTER III THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM Early in May, Tientsin was visited by two dis- tinguished men, Rev. G. Frederick Wright, d.d., and Rev. F. E. Clarli, d.d. Dr. Wright lectured on Glaciers at the Viceroy's University, which was founded by Li Hung Chang ; after which he went to Kalgan, traveled north with Rev. Mark Williams, and explored the mountains on the border of Mon- golia. Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Clark held a Christian Endeavor Convention in Wesley Chapel, May fourth to sixth. Delegates from other cities were present, among whom were Rev. Dr. Ament of Peking and Rev. J. W. Lowrie of Pad'tingfu. The exercises of the convention were stimulating and instructive, and formed an object-lesson of Chris- tian union, several denominations meeting together with perfect fraternity. Similar meetings were held in Peking, Paotingfu and T'ungcho. Both parties of guests left Tientsin only a few days before the massacres began, and returned to America by the Siberian route. 19 20 A Flight For Life It is the custom of the North China Mission of the American Board, to call the native helpers to- gether once each year, and give them a course of lectures, to broaden their knowledge, and quicken their devotion in Christian service. Some of the subjects this year were: The Stars, Prayer-meet- ings, Isaiah, Luther, Revivals and Persecutions. Several churches of our Mission had experienced revivals but a few weeks before, and the , lecture telling of Ezra, the Pentecost, Luther, Wesley, Finney and Moody, was most timely. The lecture on Persecutions, showing how nobly the early Christians endured suffering for Christ's sake, and how every effort to destroy the Church only caused it to spread more widely, gave courage and hope to those who listened, w'hose minds were full of anxiety regarding the Boxers. Afterward a Mission Meeting was held, — the first four days' program including reports, essays and discussions, in the Chinese language; and several succeeding days being occupied by devotional and business meetings in the English language. On Sunday, Pastor Chia, whose home and chapel had been destroyed by the Boxers, was one of the preachers, and his nervous manner showed the ef- fect of the strain he had undergone. In the reports The Calm Before the Storm 21 given, a case of conscience was cited, concerning a man who, before his conversion, worshiped and fed his father's tooth. His father had had a tooth pulled. When he died, and was buried, by mistake the tooth was not buried with him. The son placed it on a bracket, and offered it food each time before eating his meals, in addition to which he burned incense, and bowed down to the tooth. The ques- tion was, if he became a Christian, what should he do? Would not filial piety require him to continue this worship? He was advised not to worship the tooth, but to put it in a safe place until his mother's death, and then bury it with his mother. This was accepted as a proper and happy solution of the problem. A few years ago, when the railroad from Tientsin to Peking was being built, it was planned to pass near T'ungcho, but the people would not have it. Therefore it followed a different route, and took away all the business of T'ungcho. This city being at the head of navigation on the Pei Ho, or North River, which is virtually part of the Grand Canal, the tribute rice from the south, and goods brought from the coast, were taken from, the boats at this place, and sent to Peking on carts and wheel- barrows. The common method of stealing the 22 A Flight For Life government rice was to punch the rice bag with a pointed stick, place a bowl underneath, withdraw the stick, and let the rice fall into the bowl. The road from T'ungcho to Peking is a highway above the level of the surrounding country, paved with large blocks of stone; but the traffic over it was so heavy that the cart-wheels wore ruts between the ends of the stones, half a foot or more in depth. To ride over such a road in a springless cart was almost enough to break one's bones. This road being traversed by tourists, a report went abroad that China had splendid roads. The most of the roads are great only in length, and in the difficulty of traveling over them. They are never repaired except when impassable, and such mixtures of mud, sand and rock are not worthy to be called roads. T'ungcho is two cities in one. The western part contains a "granary," with scarcely any buildings, and probably not much grain. The square bastion at the southwest corner of the city wall has been taken down, and rebuilt in a rounded shape. It is the custom in China, in case a son kills his father, to change in this way the corner of the city wall, as a threat against the existence of the city. After a second case of patricide, another corner of the wall would be rounded ofif. After a third patricide. The Calm Before the Storm 23 the city would be destroyed, and no one ever al- lowed to live on its site. The law being so severe, bribery must be frequently employed to preyent such sentences being passed by the Judge. The Americans in T'ungcho were an- educational and literary power. Foremost among them were Rev. Drs. C. Goodrich and D. Z. Sheffield. The former was Dean of the Gordon Memorial Theo- logical Seminary, and the latter was President of the North China College. Schools of all grades were maintained, a hospital and dispensary gave help to the poor, and a church supporting its own Chinese pastor showed the success of the evangel- istic work. Dr. J. H. Ingram, in 1899, made a run from T'ungcho to Kalgan on his bicycle, — over three ranges of mountains, one hundred and fifty miles of rock and sand, in only forty-six hours, — and saved Mr. Williams' life. Dr. Sheffield invented a Chinese typewriter and electrical machines. The workers at this place succeeded in developing among the Chinese the highest traits of manhood and womanhood. T'ungcho visible was a dirty city on a flat and malarial plain. T'ungcho dynamic, with its college and other institutions, was a mountain height of thought, purity and power. The college campus, southwest of the city, con- 24 A Flight For Life tained fifteen acres of land, a dormitory and recita- tion building called "Williams Hall,"— from Dr. S. Wells Williams, one of the chief donors,— and residences for the missionaries and native teachers. A large garden of strawberry plants gave the stu- dents an opportunity to earn part ol^ their support. A windmill, which pumped water for the straw- berries, should have taught the people an improved method of irrigation, but may have aroused their superstitious fears. Dr. Ingram had just built a fine brick church in the city. He was naturally anxious lest it should be burned by the Boxers. After four days of Chinese mee4:ings, the mission- aries in the city went out to the college, for the English meetings of the following days. At night two gentlemen would return to the city to watch the property, and Miss Andrews and Miss Chapin also went there to quiet the fears of the Christian women. All felt the approach of the impending calamity. The quiet was the calm before the storm. CHAPTER IV . T'UNGCHO AND KALGAN IN DANGER The railroad having ruined the business of T'ungcho, the people of this place hated it, and were bitter against foreigners ; and it was the Boxers from this city, who, on the twenty-ninth of May, destroyed the railroad junction at Feng T'ai, where the road from Peking to Tientsin joined that to Paotingfu. They burned the railway station, and the storehouses of the foreign mer- chants, and tore up a part of the Paotingfu road. That was really the beginning of the outbreak. Tlie next day, Memorial Day in America, feeling our insecurity, we raised the Stars and Stripes above Mr. Tewksbury's house at the college ; but the flag could not defend the buildings, and within ten days they were all destroyed. Beneath the flag was a telescope, which the natives thought to be a gun. They said that with one shot it could blow to pieces half the city. Though we told them it was only a telescope, they repeatedly begged us not to fire it off. 25 26 A Flight For Life The Boxers next attacked the civil engineers employed by the railway company, who, with their families, lived at a place fifteeni miles southwest of Peking. The French hotel-keeper led A small res- cuing party, and brought them all into the city. About the same time, thirty engineers fled by boat from Paotingfu to Tientsin, but, being attacked on the way, lost seven of their number. The next day fifty Cossacks went from Tientsin, and brought in three of those that were lost. On Thursday, May 31st, one hundred United States marines, and similar troops of the other Powers, were at Tientsin. All of the Ministers in Peking spent the night at the Foreign Office until 2 130 A.M., demanding permission that the guards might come, and insisting that, if they should not be allowed to do so, larger numbers would be sent for. Under these circumstances, our anxiety on the first of June may be imagined. That was the fifth day of the fifth moon, a Chinese feast- day, when people would be at leisure, drink more wine than at other times, and be more ready to engage in riot. Dr. A. H. Smith said in our meeting: "We are sitting on a volcano, which is going to blow us and the church sky-high ; but the Church of Christ will come down all right, and go T'ungcho and Kalgan in Danger 27 on even better than before ; but there is no knowing whether you and I shall come down or not." The next day was scorching hot. The United States marines marched into Peking with fixed bayonets, followed by those of other nations, each of the four strongest being represented by seventy- five soldiers. Ten thousand Chinese troops were drawn up in two lines between the railway station and the city gate, a distance of four miles, and the populace turned out en masse to see the sight. The captain of the American marines said afterward that he never before had seen so many people in one day, and that, if the Chinese had attacked them, our men would have had no opportunity to defend themselves. The same day reports came of native Christians being killed in the villages near T'ungcho. Four camps of Boxers were established close to the col- lege. Two English missionaries, Messrs. Robinson and Norman, who lived midway between Peking and Tientsin, were attacked by six hundred Boxers and slain. They belonged to the "Society for the Propagation of the Gospel." The name of their chapel was identical with that of the Roman Catho- lic cathedrals, and we thought that this may have been the reason why they were attacked before other Protestant missionaries. ' 28 A Flight For Life Late in the evening, a telegram came from Mr. Sprague in Kalgan, saying that the Boxers were threatening that Mission Station, and asking that we demand from the Foreign Office instructions to the Kalgan magistrates, to protect the missionaries ; also requesting us to go and help him as early as possible. A few days before, Kalgan seemed the only place in our Mission not terrorized by the Boxers. On May 28, Mr. Sprague wrote that Kalgan did not propose to be behind the rest of the world, for Box- ers had come there too. Several armed men had been seen near the place, and had used threatening words, but were arrested the next morning by con- stables from Peking, and proved to be not Boxers, but horse-thieves. June 2nd, when he sent the telegram, Mr. Sprague wrote: "Boxer rumors are exciting many people here. The Boxers are drilling on the street daily. Two families living in our dispensary have left in fear. The Boxers say that they will enter our premises on Monday night, and Burn the houses. I sent teacher Lo to the police office last night for a guard. The chief of police laughed at the matter loudly, but finally promised the men. I shall ask for an extra guard for a few days. I wish T'ungcho and Kalgan in Danger 29 you were here, to stand with your gun shoulder to shoulder with me. I hope that you will come as soon as the Mission Meeting is over. There is nothing more to say, except that we propose to 'trust in God, and keep our powder dry'." Sunday came, but we could not all enjoy rest. Mr. Tewksbury and Dr. Ingram rode to Peking on their bicycles, consulted Minister Conger as to the safety of T'ungcho and Kalgan, and returned be- fore evening. At five p.m. we saijg Gospel Hymns, and at eight p.m. received the com- munion. Dr. Goodrich and Mr. Williams officiat- ing. Mission Meeting closed on. Monday, the fourth. It is a necessary part of our Annual Meeting, to have an evening of music and recreation, as a relief for our minds under the strain of i»any meetings and much business. This year the need was greater, because of the unusual anxiety. On this last even- ing we held a musicale at the college. The mis- sionary children sang and declaimed, and we had a good deal of sport and music ; but underneath it all was the terrible feeling that our lives were in imminent danger. The Misses Wyckoff sang a duet : — "Oh, for the wings, for the wings of a dove, — 30 A Flight For Life Far, far away to my home would 1 rove; In the depth of the wilderness build me a nest," etc. As these ladies were shortly after cooped up in Peking during the siege, we who were traveling through the desert of Gobi could not help thinking of the song as being both appropriate and omi- nous. CHAPTER V , PEKING JUST BEFORE THE SIEGE At daybreak of June 5, Dr. Ament and I left T'ungcho, and went to Peking on our wheels. En- tering the city, we saw the foreign guards on the streets, and felt that their presence gave security; but, shortly after, we learned that the Chinese ex- pected an uprising of the whole populace within three days, in an attempt to massacre all the for- eigners in the city; and we realized anew that we were standing on a volcano. Minister Conger received us at the United States Legation. He was care-worn and anxious. Sev- eral tourists, who were his guests, were spend- ing the entire day at the railway station, trying to go to Tientsin, but not succeeding, for they were not allowed to buy tickets. This shows the easy way in which the Chinese can make a railroad be- come no railroad for foreigners at any time. To go to Tientsin in any other way would have been im- possible, for the country was full of Boxers, and we had received ofjficial notice that all the ap- 31 32 A Flight For Life proaches to Tientsin were dangerous. Escape to the coast was cut off. To go out of the country to the south, east or west, was impossible, and the only way of escape, — a way full of dangers, — ^was northward to Kalgan and Siberia. Mr. Williams and I did not think of going so far as to Siberia, but thought first to go and help Mr. Sprague against the Boxers in Kalgari, and, if possible, to continue our missionary work there ; for Kalgan is as far from Peking in point of time as Boston is from San Francisco, and frequently hereto- fore, when there were commotions in Peking, Kal- gan had been quiet. We thought that, if it should be impossible to stay at Kalgan, we might with- draw to some place in the prairie of Mongolia, or to Urga at the farthest, until the storm should have passed by. Then we could return to our work. Mr. Conger at first advised us not to go. He said : "You are safe here, and would be safe at any place where foreigners reside, but are not safe traveling anywhere." But when we told him that we had lived many years in Kalgan, were well known along the road, and thought that we ought to go to Mr. Sprague's relief, he said : "You know that region better than I, and may go on your own responsi- bility, and I wish you good success." Peking Just Before the Siege 33 While we were at the Legation, the native Christians were holding a meeting in the American Board Chapel, praying for some means of protec- tion. Before the meeting was ended, Dr. Ament returned, and told them that Minister Conger had promised a guard of ten or twenty soldiers, in case of riot, to protect them at the American Board premises; but that, if the situation should become desperate, the guards and missionaries would have to go to the British Legation. This message cheered the Christians a great deal, but was in it- self of little value, for the situation was rapidly becoming desperate, and, if the guards and mission- aries should retire to the British Legation, these Christians, apparently, would be left to the mercy of their enemies. That day we hired litters and mules to take our party to Kalgan, and, most unexpectedly, were able to get them without the usual delay. The mules, when wanted, are generally not in the city, and must be sent for ; and the traveler must 'wait three, five, or even seven days, till they come. In our emer- gency, just before the siege, we were specially favored by a kind Providence, in being able to get at once all the mules that were needed. In the evening there was a fight at Huang Ts'un, 34 A Flight For Life thirteen miles south of the city, in which several soldiers were killed. There was rioting also at Cho Chou, but our chapel there was not destroyed, be- cause the Boxers supposed it contained eight cases of powder, which they feared might explode. News came of a riot at Tsun Hua, one hundred miles east of Peking, where the American Methodists had a Mission station. A letter was received from Rev. H. T. Pitkin, of Paotingfu, telling of five bands of Boxers on dififerent sides of the city, and escape entirely cut off. The letter showed his great anxiety, combined with a noble spirit of resignation to the divine will. While we were reading his let- ter, news came by a telegram from the Viceroy of Chihli to the Foreign Ofifice, saying that seven for- eigners had been massacred in Paotingfu. That was a month before the missionaries at that place were put to death; but, as the telegram was an official one, we had no reason to doubt it, and it added to our feeling of the seriousness of the situation. Another telegram came from Mr. Sprague, saying: "No attack. Boxers threaten- ing." Word was also received that the government had invited all the ambassadors to go to the For- eign Ofifice at three o'clock the next morning, to Peking Just Before the Siege 35 hear "a great state secret." We wondered whether this might be that the Reform Party was to return to power, or that the emperor had been killed ; but we feared it might be a trick to entrap and kill the ambassadors. It is well known that the govern- ment did design to kill them all, on the day when the German minister, Von Ketteler, was assassinated. Wednesday, June 6, we went out of Peking. The day was extremely hot and sultry. Our bag- gage had to be weighed, as everything must be packed so as to balance well on a mule. The scorching heat and sufifocating atmosphere were well-nigh unendurable. For a year there had been scarcely any"rain or snow, and the drought seemed to have filled the air with a dust that could not settle. At length, before noon, the baggage was ready, and Miss Dr. V. C. Murdock, Rev. Mark Williams, Mr. Carl G. Soderbom and I, with my faithful servant, started for Kalgan. Dr. Murdock's plan was to give medical aid in Kalgan during the summer, which was much needed, for there was no physician there. Mr. Soderbom, a Swedish mis- sionary of the Christian Alliance, had gone to Tientsin to act as business agent of his Mission. 36 A Flight For Life An errand called him to Peking on the fourth, and he could not return. So he went with us to his family in Kalgan. As they went to Siberia in our company, it was most fortunate that he was with us. To leave Peking is always a joy. As soon as one passes the city gates, the purer air of the country gives a feeling of relief. As the siege was about to begin, we were escaping from prison. As a choice of evils, if die we must, it seemed better to perish among the wild flowers of Mongolia, than in the ill-smelling streets of Peking. CHAPTER VI TO KALGAN BY THE GREAT WALL Our leaving Peking was somewhat in disguise. We bought large sheets of oilcloth, and wrapped up our trunks and other baggage, in order to make them appear like bundles of Chinese merchandise, kept the mule-litter doors closed, and sat back away from the windows, so as to avoid observation and conceal the fact that foreigners were escaping from the city. Fortunately our mule-drivers, being Mohammedans, could not affiliate with the Boxers, because the latter practice idolatry. Therefore the drivers were true friends. They took us only to Mohammedan inns. We gave them a Httle extra pay, to lead us by a circuitous road, in order not to pass the Manchu barracks outside Peking, where I once was pelted with stones and mud, at the time of the Japanese war, and where on several other occasions stones had been thrown at missionaries. The long, hot day finally drew to a close, and we stopped for the night at Kuan Shih. The head man of the inn was friendly, and anxious to hear the 37 38 A Flight For Life news. We did not tell him all we knejv, but enough to satisfy his curiosity. The next morning, as we were leaving that town, I heard a man say, with a coarse laugh, "When they are killed, they will be finished !" The people did not appear friendly at any place except Cock-crow Post-city, one hundred miles from Peking, where we were welcomed with the old-time cordiality. At Huai Lai ("Bosom Come"), half-way to Kal- gan, we met a son of Mr. Splingard, a Belgian. Mr. Splingard came to China many years ago, with a German named Graesler. The latter drank lager beer to excess, became wealthy by exporting wool, married a Chinese woman, adopted a Mongol child, and at last, discouraged by reverses, took his own life. Splingard used to be intimate with the Chi- nese officials, and Graesler spoke lightly of him, saying that he knew nothing of business; but Splingard was the more successful, for he was ap- pointed a mandarin of high rank, to superintend the Customs Office at the western end of the Great Wall. He occupied that position many years, gain- ing, we are told, ten thousand taels ($6,000) a year. As I said, we met his son going tO' Peking, with a view to escaping to the coast. He urged us not to go to Kalgan, saying: "It is of no use for you to To Kalgan by the Great Wall 39 preach now. The people will not listen. You might better go to your old homes." While on the way, we heard a rumor that the missionaries in Kalgan had caught two young Boxers, locked them in the dispensary, gone to see the official about them, and, on their return, could not find them ! We also heard that no one was left on the Mission premises there. Our arrival at Kalgan was on Sunday, June 10. For many years we had refused to travel on Sun- day, paying the mule-men enough to feed their animals, and thus securing our day of rest. We thought it necessary to reinforce our teachings, by setting an example of Sabbath observance. At this time of danger, the welfare of our friends in Kal- gan, as well as our own, made Sunday traveling unavoidable. Before we left Hsiian Hua Fu, we learned that the Boxers there were active, threaten- ing the Roman Catholic Cathedral and commu- nity. One Protestant missionary, Mr. Lundquist, with his family, still lived in that city. Mr. Soder- bom informed him of his danger, and insisted on taking him and his family to Kalgan immediately. They went there on a springless cart — the only vehicle they could get — and it was a trying ordeal for Mrs. Lundquist, as she was in poor health., Th? 40 A Flight For Life children also were weak and sick. Mr. Lundquist took them to the home of Mr. F. A. Larson, in the northern part of Kalgan. When we Americans had crossed the long stone bridge, we found the streets of Kalgan much as usual, but a stream of persons was walking to and fro, as if going to and from a theater. We did not imagine that our home was their objective point. As we rode a mile around the city to our gate, the crowds on the streets increased, and eyed us with curiosity, mingled with pity or hatred. Outside of our gate, there was a howling mob, hundreds of men and boys having come to see our houses burned. It was rumored in the city that our build- ings alread)' were burning. The smoke from a neighboring brick-kiln gave rise to this story. When we passed through the crowd, whose yelling was terrible to hear, I was thankful that I saw no clubs nor swords in their hands, and that they did not try to prevent our entering the gate. The mob lacked organization, mutual confidence, and a leader. If they had followed us into the yard, they could have killed us at once. Doubtless some among them were friendly, but dared not let it be known. The anxiety of Mr. Sprague and the native Chris- To Kalgan by the Great Wall 41 tians, and their joy at seeing us, was too great to be expressed in words. Yet there was little that we could do to help them. We told them of the hostile attitudte of the government, and this definite information direct from the capital, at such a critical time, was the greatest possible help, and aided them, as the result showed, in making their escape. The mob, after threatening us a long time, was at last persuaded to go away, by a small official beseeching them, and saying: "Go now, and save my face, for the time for burning these buildirigs has not yet fully come." It was evident where his sympathies were. In the afternoon we consulted with the Christians as to what should be done, but could not arrive at any defi- nite , conclusion. Though the danger was great, our desire to remain and continue the work was equally great, and the path of duty was not yet made plain. CHAPTER VII TAKING REFUGE IN THE YAMEN "Having done all that you can, listen to Hearven's decree." — Chinese Proverb. In the evening the mob returned, and tried to break down our gate. Neither our guns fired in the air, nor the use of the fire-extinguisher, availed to frighten them ; and the terrible moment came, which we had often feared might come, when it ^vas necessary to mount the wall surrounding our yard, point a shot-gun at the crowd, and tell them : "If you do not scatter, we shall fire." If they had not dispersed, or if one of our number had acted rashly, blood would have been shed on both sides, and the results would have been most serious. But providentially, after repeated warnings, they did go away. Then, knowing that they would return, and fearing the attitude of the Imperial Govern- ment more than the threats of the local mob, we called the Christians together, and said that they must leave us while they could, and go to their homes in the country. Their homes were ipQstly 42 Taking Refuge in the Yamen 43 at distances of fifty or eighty miles southwest of Kalgan, among the mountains, where there are many places for concealment. In the night we sent away the boys and girls of our schools, with Christian men to escort them, and we learned afterward that they all safely reached their homes. The preachers, teachers and servants, and all the other Chinese on our premises, were likewise dismissed. Meantime we hastily packed some clothing and food, while Mr. Sprague most pa- tiently spent the precious time in reckoning the accounts of the Chinese who were leaving us, and paying the exact amounts of money due them. It was an hour in which most men would have been unwilling to do this. There were then in our party. Rev. Mark Williams, Rev. and Mrs. W. P. Sprague, Miss V. C. Murdock, m.d.. Miss M. Engh and myself. Just before daybreak, June 11, we left our homes with saddened hearts, and fled on foot two miles around the city, carrying our hand-bags, guns and shawls, to the office of the general commanding the Manchu troops. One of our members was in no condition to walk, but received strength suffi- cient for the emergency. Without much difficulty we obtained entrance into the gatekeeper's house. 44 -^ Flight For Life a long, low building, where the business of the un- der-officials is transacted. There we drank some wretched tea, and some of us got a very little sleep, while waiting for the late hour when the general would attend to business. Then we were asked: "What request do you wish to present to the great man?" Our reply was that we wished him to pro- tect us through that day, and to send us the next day, with an escort of soldiers, out of the city into Mongolia. This he promised to do. Early in the morning, Messrs. Larson, Soderbom and Lundquist, with their families, left the city on carts, going to Mongolia, — Mr. Larson carrying his loaded rifle in plain view of all that were on the street. He sent for Miss Engh, because she was a Swede, and formerly belonged to his own Mis- sion, asking if she would go with them ; but, after much hesitation, she decided to remain with us. Her indecision illustrates the difficulties of our sit- uation. She did not dare to go, and hardly dared to remain. During the day, Mr. Sprague returned to our houses, and packed such things as he could hope to bring away. Hiring carts, he brought to the general's office our trunks of clothing, some small supplies of food, and boxes containing important Taking Refuge in the Yamen 45 articles, which he was anxious to save from destruc- tion. We spent the day in the guest-house of the Yamen, with very Httle to eat or drink, and con- stantly stared at by the unfriendly natives. Several of the Chinese Christians came to speak with us. Helper Sung brought a telegram of alarming im- port. It read as follows: — "Roberts, Kalgan: T'ungcho abandoned burned. Many Christians killed. All missionaries pupils refugees Methodist com- pound. American guard reinforcements expected. Politi- cal situation grave. Paotingfu safe Thursday." This message was sent from Peking, and meant that our beautiful college, chapels, hospital and homes in T'ungcho were destroyed; that the mis- sionaries and pupils, not only of that city, but of all Peking, were cooped up in the Methodist com- pound; that all the other Mission premises in Peking were burned ; and that our friends were in grave danger. Virtually the siege of Peking had begun. We sent a telegram in reply, in these words : — "Ewing, Peking: All fled Tutung Yamen, going Mongolia. "Roberts." We hoped that this message would be forwarded 46 A Flight For Life to America, and quiet the anxiety of our friends at home ; but it -never was delivered in Peking. The Boxers had cut the wires on every side of the capital. Tliat day was the fifteenth of the fifth moon, a holiday, or, as the Chinese say, one of the days of the gods. At such a time a riot was specially liable to occur. In the afternoon a mob gathered before the general's office, and he became unwilling to be known as one who protected foreigners. So he said to us : — "You must go to a place in the southern part of the city, where I have prepared rooms for you, and will protect you, the same as I would here." Knowing that to go down into the city would be to fall into the hands of the Boxers, we insisted on staying where we were, and begged him to send us, with a military escort, through the Great Wall into Mongolia in the night. Most fortunately, he yielded to our request. If he had not done so, we should have been at the mercy of the mob. Still he wished to pretend, to the Boxers, that we were not there. His yamen consisted of a large yard, with many buildings. Just at sunset he had us and our baggage hastily removed from the guest-house to a little musty house in one cor- ner of the yard, — a building full of legal documents Taking Refuge in the Yamen 47 covered with cobwebs and dust, — and there we were shut in, and the door was locked. We were prison- ers, and could not help thinking that fire or the sword might end our Hves then and there. CHAPTER VIII THROUGH THE GREAT WALL INTO MONGOLIA "They cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he deliv- ered them out of their distresses." At last the city quieted down, and went to sleep. The moonlight was at its best. Shortly after mid- night, horses and carts were brought to the gate of the yamen, and preparations were made for starting on the journey. Three carts had been hired for the ladies and baggage, and the men were to ride on horses. In the moonlight these carts and animals, and the horses of the soldiers about to escort us, A Cart that Took us TO Mongolia formed an imposing array, very unlike the ap- pearance of our company the previous morn- ing, when we fled to this place. Mr. Sprague de- sired to leave his boxes and goods stored in the yamen, but was not allowed to do so. He hastily 48 Through the Great Wall into Mongolia 49 hired another cart, and took them with him. At last we started, and went through the main street of the city. The fifty or more soldiers going with us were as much to be feared as to be desired. Near the Custom House, there were many per- sons sitting at the sides of the street, with swords and spears in their hands. Whether these al- so were soldiers, sent to protect us in case of an at- tack, or whether they were Box- ers, we did not know.' Arrived at the gate in the Great Wall, some ofhcials came out of an ad- joining house and examined our passports, which included an order from the general, to have the gate opened. This gate consists of two heavy folding doors, made of planks four inches thick, and covered on the outside with thin *They were not Boxers. Gate in Great Wall, Kalgan 50 A Flight For Life sheets of iron. When closed, it is held in place by a beam fixed across it, so heavy that twenty men are required to lift it. No Chinese travelers can have this gate opened for them at night, and even the emperor, K'ang Hsi, traveling incognito, had to wait till dawn to pass through; but it has often been opened for Russians and other foreign- ers, for the sake of a liberal fee. If it seemed good to leave the poor little house, and come out into the open, air, how much more rejoiced were we to go through that gate, into the valleys leading up to the plain of Mongolia ! There would be less danger from mobs than in the city. One mile beyond the gate were the houses of the Russian merchants. When we arrived there, all of our escort had gone back except two policemen and two soldiers. Mr. Sprague wished to leave his boxes in the care of a Russian, Mr. Schapoff, supposing that their buildings, unlike ours, would not be burned. It was two o'clock at night. The gatekeeper would not open the gate. He said that Mr. Schapoff had the key, and would not allow himself to be awakened. After long and unsuccess- ful efforts to persuade him, the day began to break, and his employer came to the gate, and gave orders that the boxes should be placed in his storehouse. Through the Great Wall into Mongolia 51 Then we went on our way, passing two natural arches on the mountains, one of which is said to have been made by a gun of Genghis Khan, when he came down through this valley to conquer China. We also passed places where highway robberies have often been committed, and stopped for lunch at a poor little village called "The Son of an Earthen Well." Here most of the people live in dugouts or caves, carved in banks of loess. Of th,ese the Chinese say: "Those who live in earthen dugouts, have three things which cannot happen : in the winter they cannot be frozen ; in the summer they cannot be hot; and, when the cave falls in, they cannot be found.'" The ragged paper windows and the grass on the housetops give a peculiar appearance to the miserable village. Going on up the valley, we came to Hanore Hill, which is at the edge of the great plateau of Mon- golia. The road up this hill, from time immemo- rial, has been full of rocks, and extremely difficult to travel. Sometimes one would be delayed by hundreds of camels passing by, or by jams of ox- carts, loaded with salt or soda, some of them overturned in the narrow road. On this occasion, to our surprise, we found many men grading the 'This is a literal translation. 52 A Flight For Life road, having made the ascent of the hill already much easier. Some carpenters were there, building ■ a temple, which would commemorate the fact that the road had been repaired, and offer to the way- farer a shrine, at which he might pray for a safe journey. The carpenters were old friends of ours, who had built our houses, and they greeted us most kindly. Exhausted and anxious as we were, to meet these friends was a great pleasure. At the top of this ascent is Mount Pisgah, from which one can see a great distance in every direc- tion, and, probably, with unaided eye can view as large ah area of mountain and valley as Moses saw just before his death. Going north all the after- noon, we came to T'ou T'ai, w'here there is a large temple, and a family of Mongol officials, who for many years have been our warm friends. These people received us cordially, supposing that we had come for a summer outing. Soon after- Wiard they learned that we were refugees. Then the young man, acting as head of the family, in the absence of his father and uncle, donned his official hat, robe and boots, drank wine to excess, and came into our room in a rage. "How can you en- danger our lives by coming here?" he said. "The Mongols also are Boxers, and they will want to Through the Great Wall into Mongolia 53 r H 54 A Flight For Life kill us for having sheltered you. Besides, you yourselves will not be safe here. You and vi^e have always been good friends, but now that you are fleeing for' your lives, and sent north by the gen- eral, we dare not show you the friendship we feel. This is not the official guest-house, but our own home, and your coming here in these circum- stances is an intrusion. The guest-house is at Chassa Ba\ You must leave this place at once." To learn that the Mongols also were Boxers, was quite a surprise; yet why should they not follow the politics of the government? We felt the truth of much that he said, but were in no mood to go, as we were exceedingly tired, having had virtually "no sleep for sixty hours. To argue with him was useless. We sat and listened to his excited ha- rangue. Presently his anger subsided, and he caught sight of my magazine shot-gun, which inter- ested him intensely. I explained its merits at great length, to kill time. When he became more quiet, we begged him to let ua rest there one night, and go to Erh T'ai in the morning. To this he reluc- tantly consented. Notwithstanding our anxiety for the morrow, we were glad to have a good night's sleep. ' Twelve miles away to the southeast. Through the Great Wall into Mongolia 55 The next morning we started to go to the second official post-station. We knew that we should meet no friends there, but it was necessary to leave this place, and, in order to shield our kind host, we must at least pretend to take the route of banished convicts. After going a short distance, we came to the home of our friend, the Ta Shao Yeh, a wealthy Mongol priest. Stopping only to call and present our respects, we were welcomed most cor- dially. He insisted on our staying a day and a night. This enabled us to rest and recuperate. The following day we went northwest to Hara Oso, a Mongol encampment fifty miles from Kal- gan, on the road leading toward Urga. At that place, fragrant with memories of "James Gilmour of Mongolia," where, during fifteen years past, we had often gone on preaching tours, there were quite a number of friendly Mongols. Before arriving, as the drivers left the carts to drink some water at a well, the horses ran a long distance on the plain, and one of the carts overturned, giving me an ugly wound on the hand, and causing Miss Engh, who was riding in the vehicle, to receive slight injuries on the head and arms. It would be difficult to describe the joy of our party, and of the Swedish missionaries at Hara Oso, 56 A Flight For Life when we rode into their camp. The dangers through which we had come, as well as those still surrounding us, made us doubly appreciate each other's company. Mr. Larson had said before : "When your people and mine are able to unite, we shall make a strong company, much more likely to go safely through the country." CHAPTER IX FIRST SIGHTS IN A STRANGE LAND The plateau of Mongolia in midsummer, — who can enumerate its beauties? Carpeted with grass, and adorned with wild flowers of every color, with an expanse suggesting immensity and freedom, and a stillness like the Sabbath, it presents a strik- ing contrast to China, where the multitudes toil and trade, and the farmers till every available plot of ground. You feel that you have come into a differ- ent country. Pinks, larkspurs, daisies of various hues and many other flowers delight the eye. The Swiss edelweiss indicates the altitude of the plain, which is more than five thousand feet above the sea. In sheltered nooks, where the soil is moistened by, running- water, buttercups like those of New Eng- land can be found. In a half hour's walk, one can gather twenty or thirty kinds of flowers, and forty- seven varieties have been collected by an amateur in one locality in a week. A botanist could find many more. The plants bloom in the greatest pro- fusion. To the eye of the traveler or pleasure- 57 58 A Flight For Life seeker, the many-colored sward is simply ex- quisite. The rains of July, which are generally copious, make the prairie at its best in August. ' On the occasion of our journey, as scarcely any rain had ^I^^^^^^^^^Hf'*^'] 1 V i n ■ ^^^0 ^K&i>.l V=^ \\ ^p '^'^1 ^^H^^^H ■ELj^ ^ M m^^ 1 m m Lt fl^B, Girls' Boarding School, Kalgan. — Miss Engh and Pupils fallen during an entire year, there was little verdure to be seen. Neither would the beauties of nature be of much importance to persons fleeing for their lives. For this drought, threatening famine, we foreigners were thought to be responsible and worthy of death. It was believed that by a waving First Sights in a Strange Land 59 of the hand we could sweep away clouds from the sky. iWhen we reached the grass-land north of the desert, however, we found it as attractive as the prairie near Kalgan usually is. The beauties above one's head equal those be- neath his feet. In this dry and clear air, with a wide horizon, objects can be seen at a great dis- tance, and the stars at night glow with remarkable brilliancy. The ground on which one treads seems near to heaven. The air is rarified, and the thin clouds floating low in the sky assume fantastic forms. Their shadows chase each other over the grassy plain. You breathe oftener than is your wont, and every breath is exhilarating. The beau- tiful green hills and valleys, with hundreds of cattle or horses grazing, is a sight that soothes one's nerves, and conduces to healthfulness. The clearness of the atmosphere gives rise to optical illusions which are amusing, though some- times disappointing. Gilniour tells of not being able to distinguish between a rock and a tent. The mirage lifts up distant objects, and creates lakes where there is only dry land. You see an object on a hillside, and remark that it is an eagle. "No," your companion will say, "it is a rock." As you continue to watch it, an old woman picks up her 6o A Flight For Life basket and walks away. Once I saw, on a hilltop quite near me, what I supposed was a pile of stones. Mr. Sprague insisted that it was a boy. To ascer- tain which of us had made the right conjecture, we climbed the hill, and, behold, it was a goat ! The animal looked at us demurely, as if it would say: "How could you make such a mistake?" In the desert of Gobi, I was surprised at seeing, in the distance before us, a neat-looking house, apparently of foreign construction. Coming nearer to it, I saw that it consisted of telegraph poles crossing a hill. It gave one a sense of being in dreamland. Traveling in Mongolia, you frequently hear the warbling of a lark. At iirst you cannot fix its location. When you find it, you see it fluttering in mid-air, and singing as if its throat would burst. The larklets are in the grass below. When it comes down, it is shrewd enough to land at a distance from the nest. There is also the catbird, which ends a fine song with a mew. Both kinds of birds are valued by the Chinese, to enliven their shops and stores, and much skill is displayed in catching them for the market. Hawks and eagles are often seen soaring in the sky or resting on a rock. They find plenty to eat, in a land abounding with field-rats, lizards and First Sights in a Strange Land 6i other small game. Crows grow as large as hens, and perch on poles near the tents, or on a camel's back. The camel is fortunate if the bird does not pick and eat portions of its flesh. Ducks, geese, quails and other wild fowl, abound by the ponds and lakes. But the birds most loved by the Mongols are the swallows, that fly near the ground with ap- parently tireless motion, and build their nests and raise their young in the houses and tents. Standing on Mount Pisgah, at the edge of the plateau, one can see range on range of mountains in three directions, and the beautiful prairie on the north. The rivers seem like ribbons in the valleys. Kalgan, and a city called "Perfection," lie below us on the south. One can see the Yiicho mountains capped with snow, other familiar peaks half-way to Peking, and to the west some mountains in Shansi. Mount Williams, close to Kalgan, rising eighteen hundred feet above the city, seems a mere foot-hill of the blue mountains farther east. The hills all show the "tiger-claw," for deep gulHes have been cut in their sides by the storms of ages. Looking around the summit of Pisgah, we find that the dark volcanic rock contains black crystals of tourmaline. The Great Wall is here, with its dilapidated brick towers, — a unique historical relic. 62 A Flight For Life If one studies the uneven surface of the ground, he can see where forts and barracks were once built for troops defending the highway at this strategic point. Horses and oxen now graze where formerly an army lit its camp-fires. Near by are a number of large mounds. In ancient times, there were mound-builders here, as well as in America. Ten groups of mounds, with from three to seventy in a group, have been found in the Kalgan region. The Chinese call them "false grain heaps," and say tliat they were made in time of war, to be covered with a thin layer of grain, and deceive the enemy into thinking that the troops could not be reduced by starvation. Such a trick would soon be dis- covered. More likely the mounds are tombs of princes, or the ruins of ancient watch-towers. Going on past Yellow Blossom Plain, a strag- gling village of mud hovels, where Chinese thieves steal horses from all whom they dare attack, we come to Great Red Valley, where a number of Mongols live, some in houses and some in tents. Here the Russian merchants of Kalgan spend the summer, enjoying the cool mountain air, and here they prepared their caravan for the journey to Si- beria, while we were making ours ready at Hara Oso. First, Sights in a Strmi'ge Land 63- A little farther on we pass the houses and stables of the Manchu troops, whose horses are sent here to graze. Just beyond, the telegraph line to Urga joins' the road. Two miles to the west there is a large spring of cold water, flowing out of the rock; it is a pleasant sight to see, "when one has plenty of time. Five miles north brings us to Borochai tem- ple, a Buddhist shrine full of idols, with houses at one side for the vi- cious and lazy priests. Little piles of stones are arranged in a circle around the temple, and mark the path on which the priests walk in their pilgrimage. Sometimes men and women carry heavy loads of books oni their backs around the temple, hoping thereby to atone for their sins. Bei,fry and Bell, Kalgan 64 A Flight For Life Just beyond, the valley broadens into a plain, which doubtless sometime has been a battle-field. The grass is thickly interspersed with fleur-de-lis. Flocks and herds are enjoying their freedom and abundance of food. At the foot of a hill is the abode of our friend, the Ta Shao Yeh. Many happy days have we spent here. Some- times a company of missionaries have come for a health change, and stayed a week or even all sum- mer ; and the utmost of hospitality always was given us. We tried to repay the kindness of our host, but it was not easy to show the same measure of cordiality, in welcoming a Tartar to our homes. Missionaries are human, and the Mongols are not noted for cleanliness. Going north again, through a district tilled by the Chinese, two ruined cities are passed. In the first, which is called "Apricot Harmony City," the foundations of a fort and granary can be traced. The latter was burned over six hundred years ago ; and yet if you break open the clinkers formed at that time, you will find lumps of burned millet, each grain of which has retained its distinct form through all the ages. In "White City," ten miles farther north, the foundations of a palace recently were dug up and carried away. The stone was of First Sights in a Strange Land 65 the finest white marble, and must have been brought from a great distance. These cities were built by a Mongol queen, and were destroyed in A.D. 1368, when the Mongols were driven out of China. Beginning with the reign of Kublai Khan, the Mongols ruled China for a hundred years ; but they did not govern according to the principles of Con- fucius, nor establish a good government. They controlled the country by the fear which their ferocity inspired, yet leaving the administration mostly in the hands of the Chinese, were content as long as they kept the peace, and paid the taxes. The latter, however, were a heavy burden, because of the continual wars. At-tempts to subjugate Japan drained the country of its resources. To sup- port the army and garrison the country, one Mon- gol soldier lived with each ten families of the Chi- nese, and was supplied by them with whatever he might need. After many years of oppression, the people agreed that, at a certain hour in the night, each ten families should kill their guard. This was done to a great extent, and the Mongols who sur- vived, being beaten in battle, were glad to es- cape to their original pasture-lands in the distant north. 66 A Flight For Life Ten miles beyond the "White City" is our ren- dezvous, Hara Oso. The plain is easy to traverse, and the camel-trail is almost as smooth as a floor. Once when I came here on a preaching tour, the Chinese helper exclaimed : "The farther you g^o, the more level the land becomes !" CHAPTER X HOW THE MONGOLS LIVE The Mongol's home is a tent. Study the tent, and you will know the people. In constructing a tent, a circular platform, half a foot high and ten or fifteen feet in diameter', is made of turf, or, in the case of the wealthy, of brick and mortar. On this, facing the south-east, ib erected a doorway four feet high, with folding doors. Attached to the doorposts, and extending around the circle, is a latticework of wood, of the same height, made in sections, so that it can be taken apart, folded together, and carried on a camel. A circular frame, three feet in diameter, is lifted up on sticks or rafters, little thicker than a man's thumb, the lower ends of which are then fastened to the top of the lattice. The rafters have a slope of about forty degrees. Many others are then put in place, their upper ends being inserted into holes in the edge of the wheel above. Both lattice and rafters are covered with two or three layers of felt, tied on by home-made ropes of 67 A Plight Por Life camel's hair. A piece of felt covers the circular skyhght, half of it being drawn back in good weather, to admit the sunlight, and allow the smoke of the fire to escape. There is no other window. The felt hot quite reaching the ground, there is ventilation on all sides in the summer. O n the approach of cold weather, the lower part of the tent is banked up with earth. Here, then, is a little circular hut, in which the sunshine, coming through the window above, slowly moves from one side of the room to the other, and serves as a sun-dial. Pretty little bureaus, chests and cupboards, form a circle against the lattice. Among these, at the west side, toward Tibet, is a shrine full of bronze idols clothed in yellow silk, before which incense is burn- ing, and small cups of wine are placed in an orderly Chinese Blacksmiths How the Mongols Live 69 array. At the right side of the door, as one enters, are shelves holding jars of milk and cream, in vari- ous degrees of sourness. The floor is covered with felt, with the exception of the square fireplace in the center, and the amount and condition of the felt is an index of wealth or poverty. A poor man will have the bare ground as his floor, with only a time-worn piece of felt where most required for guests, and a woolly sheepskin, full of fleas or something worse, which he politely insists on spreading beneath his guest. The felts on a rich man's floor will be neat, and sewed in interesting patterns. A well-to-do Mongol builds several tents side by side in a straight line, and behind them, if in south- ern Mongolia, he erects a small adobe house. There are enclosures fenced with turf, to be. used as pens for hoHses and cattle, one of them being reserved to- hold the winter's- supply of hay. Before the tents there are frames for drying cheese, and at one side is a sheepfold, fenced with many high poles, to keep ofif the wolves. Another enclosure for animals is made by digging a circular trench, placing the earth in a regular ridge outside. A cow or horse may get down into the ditch, but will then be still less able to jump out. 70 A Flight For Life The tents are warm in winter, with a good fire generously fed, but thick sheepsl They sent this message to Mr. Sprague: "If you want them south of the Great Wall, why did you take them out to the north ? But if you wanted to take them to Mongolia, why do you now wish to bring them back?" If he would go in person to the gate, and testify as to their contents, the boxes would be admitted. He did not think it prudent to do so, and sent word to the cartman to haul them to Hara Oso. Then he set out on his return, bringing the sil- ver, and accompanied by Mr. Fagerholm, who traveled in a cart. "Morning Star" rode on in haste, with a letter to explain the delay ; for the cart 114 ^ Flight For Life could not go rapidly, and Mr. Sprague knew that we were anxious for his safety. The region through which they came was infested with highway robbers, for the approaching state of war had permitted a great increase of lawlessness; and we greeted Mr. Sprague, on his safe return, as one delivered from many perils, and given back to us by a kind Provi- dence, in answer to our earnest prayers. Then it occurred to us that there was need of warm clothing for the whole party, for the ladies and children were sufifering from the cold, although it was in the month of June. Hara Oso is farther north than New York,^ and more than five thou- sand feet above the sea ; and flannels, overcoats and blankets were needed, even in midsummer. In traveling northward to Siberia, the warm clothing would be still more indispensable. So I started back toward Kalgan on the twen- tieth, in the cart that had brought Mr. Fagerholm. My only companion was the driver, who was a heathen, and addicted to drinking wine. We went by the same roundabout route which Mr. Sprague had traversed, passing by the little city of "Perfec- tion." Coming near to Kalgan, I walked across - Hara Oso is in nearly 41° 36' north latitude. Two Risky Trips iiS the hills, past the Flower Pot Kiln, while the cart went around through the streets. It was in the busy hoeing season, and there were many men in the fields, but the most of them had gone to sleep, it being the hour of their noon rest. Enough of them were awake, however, to keep yelling: "Devil ! devil !" as I went past. Our homes had been sealed by the magistrates with strips of paper covered with printed and written words, which, being pasted over the doors and windows, would show if the houses had been entered. Three policemen were in the yard, and two soldiers were guarding it outside. The police- men had taken down the names of teacher Lo's family, ostensibly with the intention of giving them protection, but we thought that the real in- tent was, in certain contingencies, to put them all to death. The teacher was helping in the care of our houses. One of his pupils was there, crying much, but protesting that, live or die, he would not leave him. For a number of years Mr. Lo hacl taught the "New Virtue School," and was valued for his efficiency and thoughtful care for the boys. His courage in coming back to watch the Mission property was above all praise. Three others helped him in this hazardous endeavor. We learned ii6 A Flight For Life afterward, toi our great joy, that, when our houses were burned, they all escaped without injury. The police sealed up the houses again as soon as I had taken out the needed clothing. The war excitement in the city was intense. An attack by Russian soldiers from the north was expected, and hurried preparations for defence were being made. Two thousand five hundred (!) of Tung Fu Hsiang's soldiers were to come from Peking, to protect this city. No one seemed to realize that the lack of water in the desert of Gobi would make it impossible for a large army to reach Kal- gan from the north. I had brought from Hara Oso a letter which some one had sent there for Mr. Stewart McKee, an English missionary of the China Inland Mission, who lived at Ta T'ung'Fu, one hundred and twenty miles southwest of Kalgan. The letter had been written to warn Mr. McKee and his comrades of their danger. I was wondering who could take it to him, when one of the persecuted Christians from T'ungcho arrived at our place, the same evening that I was there. He told me of the scores of Christians killed at T'ungcho. I hired him to start early the next morning, June 22, to take the letter. We never heard whether Mr, McKee received it, Two Risky Trips 117 but learned long afterward, to our deep sorrow, that he and the others of his party, in all six mis- sionaries and four children, were attacked by the Boxers on the twelfth of July, and burned to death in their home. Alas for our well-loved friends ! Would that they might have started early and escaped! How near our whole company had been to sharing their fate ! There was in Kalgatj a so-called "Peking cart" with its trappings, which belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Sprague, and were needed by them. Repairs had to be made in haste. The driver and horses which I had hired to take this cart to Hara Oso refused to go, and it wasi with the utmost difficulty that I succeeded in hiring others and making the return trip. On the way, I passed a village where Boxers were practicing with their clubs, and they, seeing a foreigner, came and stood in a row by the road, while I slowly dragged past them in the cart. I had not disguised my appearance at all. I was thankful that I did not have to use my revolver. At dark I stopped at an inn, but was refused ad- mission, and made my way to the home of the Ta Shao Yeh, who had received us before. His friend- ship proved unfailing. He was anxious for the news, and I told him a good deal, but kept the worst in reserve. ii8 A Flight For Life The next day was the one set for the starting of the caravan. The wind in my face was terribly cold, as I traveled those twenty-three miles. Not knowing at what hour the caravan would start, I was anxious lest it go far away, and I might not be able to find it; for the cart-driver protested that his poor, thin mules could not carry me beyond Hara Oso. Arriving there at last, I found, to my delight, that the friends were still there, but were nearly ready to go. There was a scene of con- fusion. All kinds of baggage lay strewn around on the ground, and the camels were kneeling in the midst. Every one seemed to be shouting and hurrying, except the spectators, who looked on with various kinds of interest. Mr. Sprague was busily weighing silver, to make payments. The two Mongol tents, two boxes of Mongolian and Tibetan Gospels, and Mr. Sprague's eight boxes of clothing, for which he could find no safe place of storage, were left in charge of Boyinto and Badam Daroga. The weather was perfect, and the sunset glorious, when our long string of carts, horses and loaded camels started northward over the grassy plain. The large black dog followed us faithfully. The sheep tried to go in every way but the right one. Two Risky Trips 119 No wonder, for the poor creatures were fleeing for their lives, like ourselves. We pitied them, but had to drive them on. The horses were frightened by Mr. Larson's bicycle, and the camels that drew the heavy carts were scared at their unaccustomed task, and attempted to run. This was rather trying to the nerves of the ladies in the carts. As some went slowly and others fast, the caravan could not be kept together. We were anxious as to the last things to take or to leave, and there were hurried words of farewell. How glad we were to be really starting for Urga! We crossed the low hill where Mr. Gilmour used to have his morning devotions, took a last sad look at the plain and vil- lages of Hara Oso, and the beautiful lake of Angle Nor, and, after going only three miles, camped out for the night. Does it seem strange that we were swayed by conflicting emotions? With the Boxers behind and the desert before, going toward the only door of escape,' but leaving our Qiina homes and friends, perhaps forever, — how could it be otherwise? Unpleasant messages were sent us from Badam Daroga and other enemies. They were making trouble for Boyinto about the tents and boxes that we had left. He was in fear of impending sorrows. 120 A Flight For Life We told him that he might go with us ; but he re- fused to do so, saying : "Then what would become of my family?" Let us honor him for this brave word. Badam Daroga continued to make trouble for us. We dared not stay where we were. Besides the danger of attack, we were much afraid that our camel-drivers would leave us, and return to their homes. This would be a calamity. Without them we would be helpless; for the loading of camels is an art, and besides, the natives all along the way would be more hostile if we were not accompanied by any of their own people. So we went on half a day's journey, and encamped by a well, which had little water and much mud. Tired and anxious, we held a meeting for prayer, after which Mr. Larson bought a camel. To travel or buy anything on Sunday was contrary to our wishes, but we were compelled by the necessities of the case. CHAPTER XIV A LOST CAMEL AND THE RESULT "All things work together for good to them that love God." Early the next morning we were startled at hearing that a camel was lost. Mr. Larson sent three Mongols on good horses scurrying over the prairie to find it. We waited all day, anxious and impatient to go, but still it was not found. The following morning, messengers came from some Swedish missionaries, Mr. and Mrs. Oberg, Mr. Yacobson and Mr. Sandberg, who had been cruelly beaten by a mob, and were hurrying to overtake us. Mr. Larson at once sent a man with the messen- gers, leading two camels and two horses, to help the friends come on. Mr. Sandberg had been taken by the Boxers, to be killed, but was rescued by soldiers. Mrs. Yacobson and Mrs. Oberg were stoned by a mob, the latter was repeatedly knocked down in the street, and their gowns were covered with blood, when they arrived at the office of the magistrate. He was a good man. Rev. Dr. A. H. 121 122 A Flight For Life Smith has said: "A bad mandarin will talk bad talk, and do nothing; a good mandarin will talk good talk, and do nothing." But this magistrate was unexpectedly kind. The missionaries asked an indemnity of a thousand ounces of silver for their homes which had been destroyed. He went and saw the houses, and on his return paid them eight hundred ounces of silver, worth six hundred dollars United States gold ! He also gave them an escort of soldiers. By this remarkable kindness, not due to pressure from higher officials nor from for- eign Powers, our friends reached Mongolia in safety. Having bought a cart and horses, and bags of flour, rice, millet and oatmeal, they came to us with large supplies of both food and money. After two days of searching, the men found the lost camel. It had strayed away, and was found grazing .west of Angle Nor. When the men and camel appeared over the horizon, we went out to meet them with ecstasies of delight. It was not so much because the beast was worth thirty dollars and we needed it to carry our suppHes through the desert, but rather, because, if we had not found it, others would be stolen or lost, and we never could have reached Urga. The finding of the camel proved in some degree the trustworthiness A Lost Camel and the Result 123 of our hired men. They were very faithful all the way, though they were daily asked by persons whom we met, "Why are you going with these foreigners?" They answered : "We are poor men, andi have to earn a living, and the foreigners have offered us good wages." The real motive was love for Mr. Larson, and for others of us whom they knew well. Though their wages were not small, the risk to their lives at such a time was great. If the love of money had been their sole motive, they would have driven away our animals and sold them for several hundred dollars. They were help- ing us to escape from deadly peril, and we appre- ciated their devotion. While waiting at Lost Camel Camp, Mr. Fager- holm began teaching me a few Swedish phrases. He has a scholarly mind, and his place in the tent was next to mine. I called him: "Min Larare i Svenska," — My Teacher in Swedish. "I am not sick, but lazy," was often quoted. Our "combina- tion" daily used the English, Swedish, UHinese and Mongolian languages, and later the Russian. Having exhausted the water in the well, — but not the mud, — ^we went on thirteen miles to White Marble Hill. Ledges of marble in many places were jutting out through the grass. The well was 124 -^ Flight For Life at some distance from our camp, and near to a few Mongol tents. ;When "Morning Star" went there with the two large water buckets on a camel, the natives said to him: "You must not draw water from our well." If such a prohibition had been carried out, we and our animals would soon have perished. The message was disquieting. Mr. Larson went boldly to the tents, going on his bicycle, but without his rifle, and inquired : "Why must we not draw water from your well?" Then they were frightened, and denied that they had said it. 1 ■ The country was parched with drought, but there were great thunder-storms in tTie region south of us, where the Swedish missionaries were travel- ing. After waiting for them two more days, they arrived, as tired as could be, and frightened by the cruelties they had endured, but overjoyed to see us. They told us of the death of Mr. and Mrs. Bingmark and their two children, who were killed by the Boxers at Yang Kao, eighty miles west southwest of Kalgan. We deeply mourned the martyrdom of our dear friends. The loss of the camel, which at the time seemed deplorable, had resulted in saving the lives of four missionaries, and perhaps the whole caravan. The A Lost Camel and the Result 125 four could not have traveled through the desert without our camels and horses ; we could not have done so without their supplies of food; and they could not have overtaken us, if we had not lost the camel. So the loss, which at first seemed to be a great misfortune, was one of the best things that could have happened; and we realized anew that "all things work together for good to them that love God." Shall we say that this great truth applies only to us who escaped and not to those whose lives were taken? Considering the sure promises of God, to say nothing of .the fact that the laws of nature include a system of rewards and punishments, with unfailing compensations not limited by time or place, is it not certain that those who have gone through a cruel death to a world of glory, unite with us in saying that "all things work together for good to them that love God"? CHAPTER XV INTO THE DESERT OF GOBI "Those that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country." After the Oberg party joined us, we traveled over a hilly country with good grass. At the summit of the first ridge, there was a line of ancient earthworks, called the "Bad Wall." Go- ing on camels and horses, and sleeping and eating almost anywhere in the fields, we looked like Ishmaelites or gipsies. We remembered that Mr. Yook had sent his regards to our "combinations," meaning our whole company, and therefore we called the caravan a "combination," which was appropriate, considering the several nations and missions represented. With our costumes not up to par, and our number and variety of animals, we might have been mistaken by a casual observer for a combination troupe, or a traveling menagerie. As the road wound over the low hills, we passed a well of clear, cold water, and after sunset ar- rived at Gombo's Camp. 126 Into the Desert of Gobi 127 Gomboi is a Mongol about thirty years old, with an intelligent face, who had been a teacher of the Swedish missionaries in Kalgan. It was Saturday night, June 30, when we came to his place, and we tarried to enjoy a good day of rest. All of the Mongols were friendly. Mr. Williams preached a timely sermon on Elijah, persecuted and driven out of his country, yet having a work to do, and receiving divine comfort. We visited Combo's home, — a poor place, but not lacking in good cheer, which was displayed with the usual salt tea and cheese. It was a delight to be among friends. Yet we were worried at the loss of a large bag of dried rolls, which had fallen from a camel. Confronted by the danger of starving in the desert, we could not afford to lose any of our food. The suggestion of theft and treachery was alarming. We decided that we must watch the baggage-camels constantly when on the road, to guard against further loss. In the afternoon there was a thunder-storm, and we dug trenches around the tent to drain away the water and not allow it to flood the interior. ' In our comparatively peaceful stay at Combo's, how ignorant we were of the terrible massacres that were being perpetrated at Paotingfu! 128 A Flight For Life The next day we stopped for the noon lunch at Argol Hollow. Argol is the Mongolian name for "bufifalo chips," the only fuel we had to use, almost all of the way to Urga. Being thoroughly dried in the sun and wind, it does not soil the hands much; it makes a blaze and much smoke, and, as the wind carried away the heat, enormous quan- tities of it had to be burned, in order to cook the food. Fortunately we had a large number of able- bodied men to gather it. Working with wash- basins and bags, they formed an "argol com- mittee," whose duties were not light. In the afternoon we passed through a number of showers, and stopped at Rain Camp. The trunks were piled together, and covered with oilcloth, weighted with stones, to keep them from being blown away. The tent being full of bedding, sad- dles and other baggage, the ladies had to cook standing out in the rain. Some of them had water- proof cloaks. The "argol committee" had to hurry around in the rain, to get the precious fuel before it should become thoroughly soaked. The situation was not a happy one, but our lives had been spared, and we tried to cheer ourselves by singing. Wednesday was the glorious Fourth of July. Into the Desert of Gobi 129 We made a huge bonfire, hurrahed, and fired off our guns and sang songs. "My country, 'tis of thee," waked the echoes of those barren hills. The horses had not been watered for thirty hours. The bottom of the leathern bucket for drawing water was gone. In its stead we had to use a marbleized iron pail, which we feared would be injured by striking against the rock-walled side of the well. We did not want it to leak, as it was needed for cooking. There being no trough, the horses drank from a wash-basin. There were fourteen of them, each mad for the first drink, and they must be held back, for only one or two could drink at a time. Before they were satisfied, they had drunk more than two thousand pounds of water. We traveled all day, without the usual noon rest. The heat made coats and vests unendurable. To- ward night we passed out of the Jahara region, in which we were in danger of being arrested and taken back to Kalgan, into the Sunit district. These are names of Mongol tribes. As the long day was ending, Larson rode on before and lighted a fire, and our "combination" camped out in the midst of sand and dead grass. The grass had grown and died the year before. The place was named "Fourth of July Sandy Camp." It was 130 A Flight For Life evident that we were nearing the desert ; and while we enjoyed the light of the big fire and the bright moonlight and the cool air of the evening, we were not without anxiety as to the sufferings that seemed unavoidable in our approaching journey through Gobi. The ladies and children slept in the carts. It was better -than sleeping on the earth, but they were very crowded, whether sleeping at night or riding in the day, for the carts were small. The men slept on the ground under a cloth tent. Cap- tain Larson slept outside, with his loaded rifle at hand, ready to fight the Boxers or wolves at a moment's notice. Early in the morning he would make a fire, and put on the water to boil, and when it was nearly boiling, he would shout, "Up-stell- ning !" which is Swedish for "Attention !" Then all must rise quickly and drink tea. No quarter was shown to lazy persons ; the captain would have the tent pulled down over their heads. After drinking tea, or sometimes cocoa,' and perhaps eating a few dry rolls, we packed up the baggage, and traveled till nearly noon. Then the animals rhust graze for at least five hours, and we would eat and drink, and catch a nap if possible. Toward evening we would ' It is needless to state that the cocoa did not last long. Into the Desert .of Gobi 131 pack up again and travel till midnight or day- break or long after that hour. Though this was the usual routine, no regularity as to hours of eat- ing or sleeping was possible, as the wells were at unequal distances apart, and we must go on and on, until we could find a well. No one who has not been in similar circumstances can realize how es- sential to our existence were those precious wells. The camels could not be trusted to graze in the night, for they would stray away and be lost. At night, if not on the road, they must be tied to a rope fastened to pegs in the ground. They must graze in the daytime, when they could be watched, and travel in the night. Early in the journey Lar- son said : "I must either kill the camels, by travel- ing in the heat of the day and not letting them graze, or kill the people by going in the night and not allowing them to sleep." The Mongols, know- ing the needs of the animals, wanted to travel in the night, but the complaints of the foreigners were loud against it, for all were suffering from the lack of sleep. No formal decision could be made ; but our circumstances of danger, and the neces- sities of the animals, which could not be ignored, compelled us to travel as much by night as by day, partly killing the camels, and partly killing 132 A Flight For Life the missionaries, — and yet all survived. We had our Elims and Marahs, and realized, as never be- fore, how unavoidable was the murmuring of the Israelites in the desert, when they had nothing to eat or to drink. A thick haze each day gave the sun an appear- ance of fire mingled with blood. An hour or two before sunset the fire would die out and the ball of blood would slowly sink out of sight. This was repeated for about ten days. At such a time, when we were fleeing from scenes of blood in China, it was appropriate, but not pleasant, to see such an appearance in the sky. Without it the desert would have been weird and woeful enough. In such a flat country a bicycle is as serviceable as a horse, and one need not pity it when there is no grass or water. One day Mr. Larson was teaching Mrs. Larson to ride the wheel, when her dress became caught between the chain and sprock- et, and the tension broke the rear axle. The baby carriage, after following Mrs. Larson's cart seven- ty miles, acquired a habit of falling over on its side. Both these vehicles were carried on the camels to Urga. They excited a great deal of curiosity. The road consisted more largely of gravel than of sand. It was a camel trail, hard and flat, often Into the Desert of Gobi 133 one or two hundred feet in width. A more magnif- icent gravel road could hardly be imagined. The telegraph line, which we followed all the way, was a great help. Our enemy, the Chinese government, had set up guide-posts for us all the way through the desert, making it a "staked plain." At night we traveled toward the Great Dipper, at the left of the pole star. On cloudy nights, when the stars were hidden, or the trail divided, so that we were in doubt as to the way, one glimpse of a pole assured us that we were on the right track. A Dane named Scheirn, in the summers of '98 and '99, had set up this line to Urga. With a large force of Chinese workmen, he "planted poles," as they say, at the rate of ten miles a day. With a machine turned by coolies, holes of the exact size required "were bored in the ground, and the poles, which had been hauled from Urga, were let down in them. To carry these and the coils of wire used many carts, and four hundred horses were completely worn out. One of our men, Munghe, helped Mr. Scheirn in this undertaking, and was the chief manager of the water-supply. As he knew where all the wells and springs were along this route, it was most fortunate that we had him with us. 134 A Flight For Life g < o m o m Into the Desert of Gobi 135 The wells near Mongol tents were dug by per- sons who lived there. Besides these, there were wells dug by merchants, whose caravans go up and down this road. The water was ten or fifteen feet from the surface. In many places, the soil would be good if irrigated. Some day Yankee wells and windmills may change a considerable part of the desert of Gobi into a garden. Our intention in going to Urga was to find a temporary refuge till the storm in China should pass over and we might return to our work. Some of the party were unwilling to go so far, and felt certain that they should stop at the first tele- graph station. As that place is in the desert, to divide the caravan would have been impracticable. No one could remain there long. Food would give out, the animals would starve, one's money would be spent in buying sheep, and no more could be obtained. The drivers, hired to go to Urga, could not and would not stop in the desert. Urga was the nearest abode of civilized men, and thither we must go. To argue the subject was fruitless. The facts convinced every one in due time. The captain early gave his command : "Roberts, cheer them up!" He explained: "There will be 136 A Flight For Life heed enough of it, before we have crossed the desert. I want you to make it your special work to sing and help all the others to keep cheerful." In obedience to this word, I sang at all hours of the day, and astonished the natives all the way to Siberia. To mitigate our miseries, we sang Jubilee Songs, psalm-tunes, negro melodies, and Gospel Hymns, and even "The breaking waves dashed high" in the midst of the desert of Gobi. The day after leaving Hara Oso, I was elected treasurer of the caravan. Since no funds were placed in my hands, I was simply an accountant. When a bargain was made, the captain would ask some one who had money to pay, and he must re- port to me the amount, to be placed to his credit. Gold and silver dollars, light and heavy ounces of silver, large and small cash, and afterward Russian coins, were used. With varying rates of exchange, the accounts were a complicated problem. Some- times, when too weary to do anything but sleep, I was roused from sound slumber to put down an item of accounts. Yet I was expected not only to be cheerful, but to cheer up the whole "combina- tion." One other office to which I was self-appointed, was that of inspector of the camp. Whenever we Into the Desert of Gobi 12,7 were breaking camp, I remained till the others had gone, to see whether anything had been left by mistake. A Chinese proverb, often quoted when leaving an inn, is this: "Money cannot buy the privilege of going back to take one more look." Once I found an iron tent-pin, and another time a spoon, each of which was precious, because the demand exceeded the. supply. The inspection was a check on both carelessness and thieving. Things which we believed to have been stolen were brought back because we were searching for them, and the explanation was offered, that a driver had picked up the article to prevent its being lost. Often, as I walked about the smouldering camp- fire, after all my companions had gone, these lines of Thomas Moore came to mind : — "I feel like one who . treads alone Some banquet-hall deserted, Whose lights are fled, whose garlands dead And all but him departed" : — only our "banquet" had consisted of poor food, and not enough of that. We made an early start on the fifth. After pass- ing a brackish well, where we watered the horses, the axle of Mr. Lundquist's cart broke. It was replaced with a new one, and the event only caused 138 A Flight For Life delay. In the afternoon we went on under a blaz- ing sun, and descended into the bed of an ancient sea. The action of the waves on the shqre could easily be traced. The rocks were a conglomerate, full of flints of many colors. Beneath there were strata of red and white clay, visible to a depth of about eighty feet. The landscape was desolation in the extreme. Sand had been blown into heaps around the clumps of thorny weeds, making the ground appear to be full of graves, dismal in sug- gestion, and affording countless lurking-places for wolves. At one place we could see, far to the west, a tiny stream of water, and the grass on. its banks, how beautiful ! and how tantalizing! After crossing a dry river-bed called the "River of Gobi," we came to a wretched Mongol tent, where a few of our thirsty throng got a drink of goat's milk. "First come, first served." The most of us were bitterly disappointed. On and on we went in the dim moonlight, over a road that seemed interminable ; until at last we reached a camp-fire, and stopped for the night on the gravel, desperately tired and hungry and thirsty. Our feelings were faintly portrayed in this stanza of a familiar poem^ : — '■ "A Winter's Ride in Chihli," by Rev. Jonathan Lees, of Tientsin. Into the Desert of Gobi 139 "At length in hungry, wretched case, Almost too tired to wash your face. You welcome any halting-place, That you can find in Chihli." Only this was not Chihli, but Gobi. We had made a forced march to Ponghong, the first telegraph station, one hundred and eighty- two miles from Kalgan, and one fourth of the way to Urga. We had hoped to get news, but the Rus- sian merchants of Kalgan, fleeing northward as we were, but by a diiiferent route, had cut the wires, lest a message be sent before, to have them ar- rested. As we made our food that night, little beetles, swarmed into it, and into the fire. It was impossi- ble to tell how many we ate. They were a pest. We called the place Ponghong Beetle -Camp, and went to sleep, thankful that at least one long sec- tion of our journey was ended. CHAPTER XVI TO OUDE, THE HEART OF THE DESERT Close to our camp, and at only a few minutes' walk from the telegraph station, there was a well which had been dug in connection with building the station, and had been walled up with logs. The water was unusually clear and pure, so the ladies insisted on staying there half a day, to do some necessary washing. The gentlemen visited the telegraph office, and were cordially received by the English-speaking Chinese. They were reform- ers in spirit, and would be in danger if the Boxers should come this way. The only news they could give us was that there were five hundred Cossacks in Urga, — which, however, was not true. The day was scorching hot. We traveled from noon to midnight. After the moon had set, the road divided, and, in the darkness, the caravans be- came separated into two parts. The men in the rear part naturally were anxious, because all the food was with the other part. After all efiforts to find the road had failed, three revolver shots at- 140 To Oude, the Heart of the Desert 141 tracted the attention of the other company, just as they were going into camp. They sent a Mongol to find us, and bring us in. Tired, hungry and lame from constant riding, we could hardly keep our temper, nor dare speak to any one; and yet, sitting by the fire, our misery compelled us to try to cheer up, and we sang: — "You '11 not get lost in the wilderness ; Let my people go : With a lighted candle in your breast; Let my people go. Go down, Moses, 'Way down in Egypt's land, Tell ole Pharaoh, Let my people go." After what seemed an age of waiting, the food was cooked, and we ate as only those can eat who are famished ; but whether it was supper or break- fast, we could not tell, because, just as we were ending our meal, the day began to break. After sleeping less than three hours, — though Mrs. Larson and some others spent all the time in cooking, — we rubbed our sleepy eyes, and be- held a wonderful sight. Near to our camp there appeared to be a beautiful foreign city, built neither in Chinese nor Mongolian style, perfectly white, 142 A Flight For Life except that there were red trimmings on the build- ings, which fairly gleamed in the rays of the morn- ing sun. They seemed new, and uninjured by the weather. To see anything so clean in the desert was a wonder. We ascertained that this was a Mongohan temple built in Tibetan style. That explained its foreign appearance. It was exquisite- ly beautiful, and how sorry we were that we had not a camera. Going on once more, we were oppressed by the heat ; yet the mornings and evenings were so cool that we dared not leave ofif rfiuch clothing. The large black dog which had followed us one hundred and fifty miles, disappeared. Walking so far over the gravelly road, he had become lame. We might have saved him, if we had had a pig's shoe,' such as are made in Kalgan. He must have remained with the Mongols at that temple ; for the Mongols eat so much meat that there are always plenty of bones near their dwellings ; and the peo- ' The pig's shoe is simply a few layers of coarse cloth, sewn through with hempen cord. In the lack of steam transportation, pigs, sheep and cattle have to walk long distances to market. The pig's foot, going over the rocky road, becomes lame. Then the shoe is placed under the foot; turned up in front and behind, a string is passed through the folds of the cloth, and tied around the ankle. Then the animal recovers from his lameness, and is able to arrive at his destination. To Oude, the Heart of the Desert 143 pie would treat the dog well, for he would be a good accession to the dogs guarding the temple. We overtook an ox-cart caravan, going to Urga. The men were acquainted with the missionaries of the Oberg party, and were kindly disposed, having left China before the Boxer excitement had reached their homes. While we were at lunch, Mr. Yacob- son bought from them a bag of millet, which he brought into camp amid our enthusiastic cheers. Our chances of buying food in the desert were so rare, that we commemorated the event by naming the place "Buy Millet Hill." For several days the Mongol soldiers had been watching the wells, tO' see that we should not put pt)ison in them. This was according to the com- mand of the king of the Sunits, who also forbade his people to sell horses or camels to us. He had heard the Chinese say that foreigners poison the wells. The soldiers were so anxious to keep us away from the wells, that they willingly drew all the water needed for ourselves, our camels and horses, and saved us a great deal of hard Work. Still, it was not pleasant to be treated with sus- picion. We bought two sheep, went a few miles farther, and lodged at "Sunday Rest Camp," where a little 144 ^ Flight For Life sparse but tall grass was growing up through the sand. To see the caravan turn from the road, and go into the field to encamp, was a joyful sight to us weary pilgrims. On Sunday, the eighth, Mr. Fagerholm led our meeting. Afterward we took turns bathing in the small blue tent, and had a delightful day of rest. Yet we were not free from anxiety, for the people showed some hostility, the soldiers were watching us, the well was far away, and we feared lest our water supply should be cut off. About sunset a sud- den wind struck the tent, and, as the tent-pegs could not hold firmly in the sand, it blew the tent away from over us. It gave one a queer sensation, to be suddenly bereft of one's house, and be left out- of-doors. Mr. Larson said that such accidents fre- quently happen in Gobi, and that sometimes the iron tent-pegs, flying through the air, strike a per- son on the head with fatal effect. One day Mr. Soderbom bought from a merchant caravan a better cart than his old one, in which Mrs. Soderbom had been made constantly seasick. The one which he bought at least had the virtue of having circular wheels. Mrs. Larson's cart was a comfortable one in which to ride, and looked increasingly picturesque To Oude, the Heart of the Desert 145 after the matting on the top had been gnawed to pieces by the camels. Mrs. Sprague's vehicle was too short for comfort when sleeping, even if not ■full of baggage. None of the carts had springs, nor any suoh luxury as a "well,'" in which one could put his feet. The ox-carts drawn by camels, in which the other ladies and children endured their misery, were only wretched apologies for carts. The wheels had not a particle of iron, but were made of wooden blocks, mortised and dove- tailed together, and held together by little wedges of wood. As they jolted over the road, these kept falling out, and the caravan had to be stopped while new vvedges were being made and driven in. Whenever we washed our hands and faces, or any- thing else, we must not pour the precious water on the ground, but on the cart-wheels, to swell them, and make them hold together. Nevertheless, they entirely broke down, and then, most providentially, we met Chinese trading caravans, from which we were able to buy more cart-wheels of the same sort. 'To ride in a Peking cart, one must sit like a Turk; but foreigners, in doing so, get aching bones. To remedy the evil, a hole is cut in the floor of the cart, and a box fast- ened below, in which a person can place his feet. The relief to one's knees is unspeakable. The hole and box are called a "well." 146 A Flight For Life The wheels did not pretend to be circular. The people who made them did not care how much they jolted. The ladies, however, did care. One of them had been advised by her physician never again to ride in a springless cart; yet she could not avoid riding in one a thousand miles. The camels gave a swmging motion to the carts, which cause'd seasickness. One lady could not ride in a cart, and could not ride on a horse, though we did every- thing in our power to make them comfortable ; and so she walked several hundred miles, — more than half the way to Urga. One would suppose that, in the wild wastes of Gobi, there would be no lack of fresh air, or of room. On the contrary, the stench of decaying carcasses, and the breath of the camels after eat- ing wild onions, were horrible ; and, in a narrow part of the road, one of our party narrowly escaped having his leg crushed between two carts. Some days, when the weather was intensely hot, we remained in camp until evening, and made longer stages by moonlight. One day we stopped at "Daybreak Tired Camp." It was absur.d to give this name to any place, because night travel and cpmplete exhaustion were a common experience. A noticeable silence reigned in the desert. There To Oude, the Heart of the Desert 147 was no twittering of birds, nor chirping of insects. The place seemed a paradise for chameleons, — beautiful, many-