The officers split into different parties; the soldiers collected in groups and discussed the events of the day, criticising their chiefs, and under the influence of some of Domojiroff's men began making such statements as: "We have now seven Colonels, who all want to be in command and are all quarreling among themselves.

They all ought to be pegged down and given good sound thrashings.

The one who could take the greatest number of blows ought to be chosen as our chief." It was an ominous joke that proved the demoralization of the Russian detachment.
"It seems," my friend frequently observed, "that we shall soon have the pleasure of seeing a Council of Soldiers here in Uliassutai.

God and the Devil! One thing here is very unfortunate--there are no forests near into which good Christian men may dive and get away from all these cursed Soviets.

It's bare, frightfully bare, this wretched Mongolia, with no place for us to hide." Really this possibility of the Soviet was approaching.