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CHAPTER IV.

THE FALL OF BAGHDAD.

A.D. 1214-1258.

THE frozen deserts which are, at the present day, included under the name of Siberia, contain one grand lake, whose vast expanse of waters almost entitles it to the appellation of an inland sea. The Lake Baikal is about three hundred miles in length, and fifty in breadth; its waters are sweet and transparent, and abound in fish. There are several floating islands in this lake, which are blown by the wind sometimes to one bank, sometimes to another. The storms that sweep over it are terrible in their violence, rending the ice in pieces even in the depth of winter. The chain of mountains which divide Siberia from the pasturelands of Mongolia, encircle the waters of the lake. The springs which hurry down their sides, not only fill this huge reservoir, but give rise to all the rivers of North-Eastern Asia. The mountains bristle with huge rocks, in which a few hardy trees have struck their roots, and their summits are covered with eternal ice. At the commencement of the thirteenth century the Mongols fed their flocks in the country south of the Baikal Lake; the branch of the tribe to which

Chengiz Khan belonged dwelling among the mountains of Bourcan Caldoun, where many of the great rivers of Asia have their source. According to the tradition current among them, 2000 years before the birth of Chengiz Khan, the Mongols were assailed and exterminated by the other nations of Tartary. The chief fell in the general massacre; and of all his family the only survivors were his youngest son Kaian, and his nephew Nagos. At the close of the fatal day which witnessed the slaughter of their fellow tribesmen, these two young princes, with their wives, found themselves the prisoners of one man, who conveyed them to his own home. own home. They soon after effected their escape; and returning to the old pasture-lands of their tribe, they took possession of the camels, horses, cows, and sheep, which their conquerors, glutted with plunder, had neglected to carry off. The battle-field was still cumbered with the corpses of the slain, both friend and foe. The young princes collected the clothes and other valuables found upon the dead, and laden with spoil, sought shelter in the mountains. Deep in the recesses of the hills, they came upon a path so narrow that only one man could proceed along it at a time. They ascended this; huge precipitous cliffs rising upon either hand, so that they could barely catch a glimpse of the blue sky above them, until they all at once emerged upon a beautiful and delightful valley, carpeted with verdure, and intersected in every direction with sparkling

streams.

In this lovely and inaccessible spot they took up

their abode. They gave it the name of Erkene-kom, from Erkene, signifying a valley, and Kom, a steep mountain. For four hundred years the descendants of the fugitive princes dwelt there; until the valley became incapable of supporting the increasing multitude. It was resolved, at a general assembly of the tribe, to abandon it, and return once more to the old pasture-lands of their fathers. But they sought in vain for the pathway which had conducted the princes thither. At last, however, one of the chief men, who had examined the mountain with attention, discovered a part where the sides of the hill were entirely composed of huge masses of iron. He proposed to put the metal into a state of fusion by the action of intense heat; and for this purpose caused to be conveyed thither a prodigious quantity of firewood. This was charred. The tribe then prepared nine hundred bellows made of the skins of wild oxen, fired the charred wood, and set the bellows to work. In due time the heat became sufficiently intense, and the ore streamed over the hill side in a liquid state. A road sufficient for the passage of a camel was thus thrown open; and the liberated nation went forth, and reoccupied the pasture-lands where their ancestors had dwelt four hundred years before. In memory of this event, the Mongols instituted an annual festival. A piece of iron is made red-hot in a great fire; the Khan of the tribe advances and gives it a blow with a hammer; after him the chiefs and other great men; while the people of each tribe perform the same ceremony among themselves.

At the time the Mongols came forth from Erkenekom, they were ruled by a Khan of the name of Bertezena, a lineal descendant of Kaian. The eighth in descent from this chief left at his death two sons, still children, and a young widow. Although frequently urged to marry again, the widowed Queen declined all such offers, declaring that as Regent it was her duty to devote herself entirely to the interests of the tribe until her sons were old enough to rule. One morning, however, just as day was breaking, she beheld something fall into her apartment through the opening in the centre of the roof. It was brilliant as the sun, and on reaching the ground became transformed into a young man of an orange colour, with eyes of extraordinary beauty. Terror deprived the princess of the power of speech; but she retained her consciousness sufficiently to perceive that the spirit, after remaining with her some time, suddenly vanished. As this adventure was decidedly incredible, she communicated it to no one; the spirit continued his visits; and after the lapse of a brief period, the Queen was discovered to be with child. Her family were furious, and refused altogether to receive the story of the orange-coloured young man as a satisfactory explanation. Guards, however, were placed round her tents to see what truth there might be in her statement. They reported the story of the Queen to be a true one, having themselves witnessed the bright light descending through the aperture in the roof of the

tent.

All was at once joy and exultation. The widow was regarded as the favoured bride of some super

natural being; and the offspring of the mysterious connection was awaited with impatience. In due time the Queen was delivered of three sons. Their birth is said to have taken place at the commencement of the tenth century; and their posterity formed many tribes distinguished from other branches of the Mongol race by the appellation "Niroun," signifying purity of descent. Chengiz Khan was the eighth descendant in a direct line from Boudantchar-the third of these heaven-born sons. He was born in the year 1155; and is said to have come into the world with a clot of blood clutched in his right hand.

Temoutchin (such was the original name of Chengiz Khan) was left an orphan when only thirteen years of age. The Niroun tribes who had given a willing allegiance to his father-a brave and successful warrior-deemed it a degradation to submit to a child. They repudiated his authority; and for many years Temoutchin, with a few faithful followers, led a hunted and perilous existence. More than once the career of the great destroyer seemed to be on the point of ending abruptly. At one time, he was actually a prisoner in the hands of his enemies; on another occasion he was attacked while attended by only two friends. He was struck to the earth and severely wounded; and the courage and devotion of his friends alone preserved his life. At last, however, Temoutchin defeated his enemies in two pitched battles. The last was fought on the banks of the Baldjouna; and the well-wooded country round the battle-field gave Temoutchin an opportunity of displaying that callous