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.