beasts, men and gods-第6章

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　They　were　the　results　of　the　bloody　work　of　the　〃Cheka〃　at　Minnusinsk。　　Hundreds　of　these　bodies　with　heads　and　hands　cut　off；　with　mutilated　faces　and　bodies　half　burned；　with　broken　skulls；　floated　and　mingled　with　the　blocks　of　ice；　looking　for　their　graves；　or；　turning　in　the　furious　whirlpools　among　the　jagged　blocks；　they　were　ground　and　torn　to　pieces　into　shapeless　masses；　which　the　river；　nauseated　with　its　task；　vomited　out　upon　the　islands　and　projecting　sand　bars。　　I　passed　the　whole　length　of　the　middle　Yenisei　and　constantly　came　across　these　putrifying　and　terrifying　reminders　of　the　work　of　the　Bolsheviki。　　In　one　place　at　a　turn　of　the　river　I　saw　a　great　heap　of　horses；　which　had　been　cast　up　by　the　ice　and　current；　in　number　not　less　than　three　hundred。　　A　verst　below　there　I　was　sickened　beyond　endurance　by　the　discovery　of　a　grove　of　willows　along　the　bank　which　had　raked　from　the　polluted　stream　and　held　in　their　finger…like　drooping　branches　human　bodies　in　all　shapes　and　attitudes　with　a　semblance　of　naturalness　which　made　an　everlasting　picture　on　my　distraught　mind。　　Of　this　pitiful　gruesome　company　I　counted　seventy。

At　last　the　mountain　of　ice　passed　by；　followed　by　the　muddy　freshets　that　carried　down　the　trunks　of　fallen　trees；　logs　and　bodies；　bodies；　bodies。　　The　fisherman　and　his　son　put　me　and　my　luggage　into　their　dugout　made　from　an　aspen　tree　and　poled　upstream　along　the　bank。　　Poling　in　a　swift　current　is　very　hard　work。　　At　the　sharp　curves　we　were　compelled　to　row；　struggling　against　the　force　of　the　stream　and　even　in　places　hugging　the　cliffs　and　making　headway　only　by　clutching　the　rocks　with　our　hands　and　dragging　along　slowly。　　Sometimes　it　took　us　a　long　while　to　do　five　or　six　metres　through　these　rapid　holes。　　In　two　days　we　reached　the　goal　of　our　journey。　　I　spent　several　days　in　this　gold　mine；　where　the　watchman　and　his　family　were　living。　　As　they　were　short　of　food；　they　had　nothing　to　spare　for　me　and　consequently　my　rifle　again　served　to　nourish　me；　as　well　as　contributing　something　to　my　hosts。　　One　day　there　appeared　here　a　trained　agriculturalist。　　I　did　not　hide　because　during　my　winter　in　the　woods　I　had　raised　a　heavy　beard；　so　that　probably　my　own　mother　could　not　have　recognized　me。　　However；　our　guest　was　very　shrewd　and　at　once　deciphered　me。　　I　did　not　fear　him　because　I　saw　that　he　was　not　a　Bolshevik　and　later　had　confirmation　of　this。　　We　found　common　acquaintances　and　a　common　viewpoint　on　current　events。　　He　lived　close　to　the　gold　mine　in　a　small　village　where　he　superintended　public　works。　　We　determined　to　escape　together　from　Russia。　　For　a　long　time　I　had　puzzled　over　this　matter　and　now　my　plan　was　ready。　　Knowing　the　position　in　Siberia　and　its　geography；　I　decided　that　the　best　way　to　safety　was　through　Urianhai；　the　northern　part　of　Mongolia　on　the　head　waters　of　the　Yenisei；　then　through　Mongolia　and　out　to　the　Far　East　and　the　Pacific。　　Before　the　overthrow　of　the　Kolchak　Government　I　had　received　a　commission　to　investigate　Urianhai　and　Western　Mongolia　and　then；　with　great　accuracy；　I　studied　all　the　maps　and　literature　I　could　get　on　this　question。　　To　accomplish　this　audacious　plan　I　had　the　great　incentive　of　my　own　safety。


CHAPTER　VII

THROUGH　SOVIET　SIBERIA


After　several　days　we　started　through　the　forest　on　the　left　bank　of　the　Yenisei　toward　the　south；　avoiding　the　villages　as　much　as　possible　in　fear　of　leaving　some　trail　by　which　we　might　be　followed。　　Whenever　we　did　have　to　go　into　them；　we　had　a　good　reception　at　the　hands　of　the　peasants；　who　did　not　penetrate　our　disguise；　and　we　saw　that　they　hated　the　Bolsheviki；　who　had　destroyed　many　of　their　villages。　　In　one　place　we　were　told　that　a　detachment　of　Red　troops　had　been　sent　out　from　Minnusinsk　to　chase　the　Whites。　　We　were　forced　to　work　far　back　from　the　shore　of　the　Yenisei　and　to　hide　in　the　woods　and　mountains。　　Here　we　remained　nearly　a　fortnight；　because　all　this　time　the　Red　soldiers　were　traversing　the　country　and　capturing　in　the　woods　half…dressed　unarmed　officers　who　were　in　hiding　from　the　atrocious　vengeance　of　the　Bolsheviki。　　Afterwards　by　accident　we　passed　a　meadow　where　we　found　the　bodies　of　twenty…eight　officers　hung　to　the　trees；　with　their　faces　and　bodies　mutilated。　　There　we　determined　never　to　allow　ourselves　to　come　alive　into　the　hands　of　the　Boisheviki。　　To　prevent　this　we　had　our　weapons　and　a　supply　of　cyanide　of　potassium。

Passing　across　one　branch　of　the　Yenisei；　once　we　saw　a　narrow；　miry　pass；　the　entrance　to　which　was　strewn　with　the　bodies　of　men　and　horses。　　A　little　farther　along　we　found　a　broken　sleigh　with　rifled　boxes　and　papers　scattered　about。　　Near　them　were　also　torn　garments　and　bodies。　　Who　were　these　pitiful　ones？　　What　tragedy　was　staged　in　this　wild　wood？　　We　tried　to　guess　this　enigma　and　we　began　to　investigate　the　documents　and　papers。　　These　were　official　papers　addressed　to　the　Staff　of　General　Pepelaieff。　　Probably　one　part　of　the　Staff　during　the　retreat　of　Kolchak's　army　went　through　this　wood；　striving　to　hide　from　the　enemy　approaching　from　all　sides；　but　here　they　were　caught　by　the　Reds　and　killed。　　Not　far　from　here　we　found　the　body　of　a　poor　unfortunate　woman；　whose　condition　proved　clearly　what　had　happened　before　relief　came　through　the　beneficent　bullet。　　The　body　lay　beside　a　shelter　of　branches；　strewn　with　bottles　and　conserve　tins；　telling　the　tale　of　the　bantering　feast　that　had　preceded　the　destruction　of　this　life。

The　further　we　went　to　the　south；　the　more　pronouncedly　hospitable　the　people　became　toward　us　and　the　more　hostile　to　the　Bolsheviki。　At　last　we　emerged　from　the　forests　and　entered　the　spacious　vastness　of　the　Minnusinsk　steppes；　crossed　by　the　high　red　mountain　range　called　the　〃Kizill…Kaiya〃　and　dotted　here　and　there　with　salt　lakes。　　It　is　a　country　of　tombs；　thousands　of　large　and　small　dolmens；　the　tombs　of　the　earliest　proprietors　of　this　land：　pyramids　of　stone　ten　metres　high；　the　marks　set　by　Jenghiz　Khan　along　his　road　of　conquest　and　afterwards　by　the　cripple　Tamerlane…　Temur。　　Thousands　of　these　dolmens　and　stone　pyramids　stretch　in　endless　rows　to　the　north。　　In　these　plains　the　Tartars　now　live。　They　were　robbed　by　the　Bolsheviki　and　therefore　hated　them　ardently。　　We　openly　told　them　that　we　were　escaping。　　They　gave　us　food　for　nothing　and　supplied　us　with　guides；　telling　us　with　whom　we　might　stop　and　where　to　hide　in　case　of　danger。

After　several　days　we　looked　down　from　the　high　bank　of　the　Yenisei　upon　the　first　steamer；　the　〃Oriol；〃　from　Krasnoyarsk　to　Minnusinsk；　laden　with　Red　soldiers。　　Soon　we　came　to　the　mouth　of　the　river　Tuba；　which　we　were　to　follow　straight　east　to　the　Sayan　mountains；　where　Urianhai　begins。　　We　thought　the　stage　along　the　Tuba　and　its　branch；　the　Amyl；　the　most　dangerous　part　of　our　course；　because　the　valleys　of　these　two　rivers　had　a　dense　population　which　had　contributed　large　numbers　of　soldiers　to　the　celebrated　Communist　Partisans；　Schetinkin　and　Krafcheno。

A　Tartar　ferried　us　and　our　horses　over　to　the　right　bank　of　the　Yenisei　and　afterwards　sent　us　some　Cossacks　at　daybreak　who　guided　us　to　the　mouth　of　the　Tuba；　where　we　spent　the　whole　day　in　rest；　gratifying　ourselves　with　a　feast　of　wild　black　currants　and　cherries。


CHAPTER　VIII

THREE　DAYS　ON　THE　EDGE　OF　A　PRECIPICE


Armed　with　our　false　passports；　we　moved　along　up　the　valley　of　the　Tuba。　　Every　ten　or　fifteen　versts　we　came　across　large　villages　of　from　one　to　six　hundred　houses；　where　all　administration　was　in　the　hands　of　Soviets　and　where　spies　scrutinized　all　passers…by。　　We　could　not　avoid　these　villages　for　two　reasons。　　First；　our　attempts　to　avoid　them　when　we　were　constantly　meeting　the　peasants　in　the　country　would　have　aroused　suspicion　and　would　have　caused　any　Soviet　to　arrest　us　and　send　us　to　the　〃Cheka〃　in　Minnusinsk；　where　we　should　have　sung　our　last　song。　　Secondly；　in　his　documents　my　fellow　traveler　was　granted　permission　to　use　the　government　post　relays　for　forwarding　him　on　his　journey。　Therefore；　we　were　forced　to　visit　the　village　Soviets　and　change　our　horses。　　Our　own　mounts　we　had　given　to　the　Tartar　and　Cossack　who