this prejudice because the lake lies in a region of
present volcanic activity, where in the summer on perfectly
calm sunny days it sometimes lashes itself into great
waves that are dangerous not only to the native fishing
boats but also to the large Russian passenger steamers
that ply on the lake. In winter also it sometimes
entirely breaks up its covering of ice and gives off
great clouds of steam. Evidently the bottom of
the lake is sporadically pierced by discharging hot
springs or, perhaps, by streams of lava. Evidence
of some great underground convulsion like this is
afforded by the mass of killed fish which at times
dams the outlet river in its shallow places. The
lake is exceedingly rich in fish, chiefly varieties
of trout and salmon, and is famous for its wonderful
“white fish,” which was previously sent
all over Siberia and even down into Manchuria so far
as Moukden. It is fat and remarkably tender and
produces fine caviar. Another variety in the
lake is the white khayrus or trout, which in the migration
season, contrary to the customs of most fish, goes
down stream into the Yaga, where it sometimes fills
the river from bank to bank with swarms of backs breaking
the surface of the water. However, this fish is
not caught, because it is infested with worms and
is unfit for food. Even cats and dogs will not
touch it. This is a very interesting phemonenon
and was being investigated and studied by Professor
Dorogostaisky of the University at Irkutsk when the
coming of the Bolsheviki interrupted his work.
In Khathyl we found a panic. The Russian detachment
of Colonel Kazagrandi, after having twice defeated
the Bolsheviki and well on its march against Irkutsk,
was suddenly rendered impotent and scattered through
internal strife among the officers. The Bolsheviki
took advantage of this situation, increased their
forces to one thousand men and began a forward movement
to recover what they had lost, while the remnants
of Colonel Kazagrandi’s detachment were retreating
on Khathyl, where he determined to make his last stand
against the Reds. The inhabitants were loading
their movable property with their families into carts
and scurrying away from the town, leaving all their
cattle and horses to whomsoever should have the power
to seize and hold them. One party intended to
hide in the dense larch forest and the mountain ravines
not far away, while another party made southward for
Muren Kure and Uliassutai. The morning following
our arrival the Mongol official received word that
the Red troops had outflanked Colonel Kazagrandi’s
men and were approaching Khathyl. The Mongol loaded
his documents and his servants on eleven camels and
left his yamen. Our Mongol guides, without ever
saying a word to us, secretly slipped off with him
and left us without camels. Our situation thus
became desperate. We hastened to the colonists
who had not yet got away to bargain with them for camels,
but they had previously, in anticipation of trouble,