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August, 1881.)
CHINGHIZ KHAN AND HIS ANCESTORS.
289
The Huang-yuan, which tells the story in greater detail than the latter authorities calls the place to which Ching hi z first retired the mountain Ornuakiankhuge. It makes out that he had 4,600 men with him, of whom he took 2,200 along the north bank of the Khalkha. It calls the envoy he sent to the Kongurut, Temuge-aman-bu, and, like the authorities last quoted, it makes him eventually retire to the lake Dungi and the place Torkhokhorkhi." Rashidu'd-din's account is somewhat confused and needs in part transposing. He makes Chinghiz retreat to lake Baljuna, and after a while return to the Khalka and then go to lake Tunga." If we disentangle his narrative we find that Chinghiz retired after the battle to the river Ur or Or, whence he reached a place called Keltektai Khada." There he held a review of his men, and found they numbered 4,600. With them he advanced to the river Khala," i. e. the Khalkha. Dividing his force into two sections be marched with one along one bank of the river while the Uruut and Mangkut went with the other on the other bank, tillthey reached the dwelling-place of Terke Amol, the chief of the Kongurut. Chinghiz reminded him of their close connection and promised to reward him handsomely if he Bided with him. Having secured his alliance in this way be went on to Tunga nor, i.e. lake Tunga, and a place called Khuga Khorgan." Having collected the various accounts of this campaign, let us now try and fix its locality. About the river Khalkha flowing into lake Buyur there can be no mistake. The river still bears the name, and stillflows into the lake. The river Ur or Or of Rashidu'd-din answers to the district of Dalannemur-gesi, perhaps Talan-naur-gesi, the valley of the lake or river Gesi (?). He retired thither from the river Ulkhui Shilugelgit, according to the Yuan-ch'ao-pi-shi, which again was close to the battle-field. This river can be no other than the Olkui or Ulkui, which rises in the socalled Soyelki mountains, a part of the Khingan, whence flow the southern affluents of the Khalkha, the Ulkhui or Olkui flows into a small lake in the eastern part of the Gobi. This identification is completely confirmed by Rashidu'd-dîn, who tells us that the battle of Khalaljin Alat was
"Op. cit., p. 169. » See Beresine, vol. II, p. 188; Erdmann, p. 288; D'Obsson, vol. I, p. 72.
** Erdmann roads Hegtegai Kheda, and D'Ohason Galtakai-Cada.
fought on the frontier of the country of the Jurchi" (i. e. Manchuria) not far from the river Olkui. In D'Anville's map one of the mountains in the Soyelki range is called Halgon, which answers in fact to the form of the name as it appears in the Yuan-shi, namely, Khalagun Ola." Ola or Ala means mountain, and has been corrupted into Alat or Alt by Rashidu'd-din. We may take it therefore as pretty certain that the famous battlo was fought upon one of the spurs of the Khingan range where the Olkui rises.
In regard to lake Tonga where Chinghiz eventually retired to, it would seem that the Yuan-ch'ao-pi-shi must be mistaken in styling it the river Tunggeli, and that by it lake Baljuna is in fact meant, the original homeland and cradle of the Mongol stock.
We will now return again to the Yuan-ch'aopi-shi. We have seen how it tells us that Chinghiz withdrew to the eastern banks of the Tonggeli which we have here identified with the neighbourhood of lake Baljuna. There grass was abundant and the horses were in good condition. Thence he wrote a plaintive letter to Wang Khân.
"Father," he said, "why are you thus angry with me, causing me terror? If you wish to upbraid me, why not do it in a quiet fashion and without destroying all my possessions P
"Probably there are people who have come between us. Did we not make an agreement at Khulaaneu on the mountain Sbork helkun" that if people came to slander either of us to the other we were not to believe them until we had had a personal interviow ? Father, have we had such an interview? Though I am only small, I am worth many, and though I am ill favoured I am as valuable as the handsome. You and I are like the shafts of a kibitka, when one of them is broken the ox cannot draw it or like its two wheels, which when one is injured, it cannot be moved.
"Your father Khurchakhus Buiruk had forty sons. You being the eldest, they made you ruler. Afterwards you killed your brothers Taitimurand Bukhuatimur. You also wished to kill your other brother Erkekhara, but he saved himself by
- So written both by Berezine and D'Obson. Erdmann calls it the Khelabdu.
56 D'Ohason calls it Turaka Kurgan; Berezine, vol. II, p. 134; Erdmann, p. 289; D'Ohsson, vol. I, p. 73. 07 D'Obsson, vol. I, p. 70. "Hyacinthe, p. 29. · Palladius ways in a note this ww on the river Tula.
