Temudjin Begins His Mighty Career
No matter who Temudjin's enemies were he removed them as coolly as a teacher in his classroom rubs figures from a blackboard. He struck down the Taidjuts as soon as…
From: 1162 C.E. To: 1227 C.E.
Location: Delüün Boldog, Mongolia
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
From The Mongols; A History by Jeremiah Curtin, 1908.
Temudjin Begins His Mighty Career.
No matter who Temudjin's enemies were he removed them as coolly as a teacher in his classroom rubs figures from a blackboard. He struck down the Taidjuts as soon as he felt himself strong enough, but before he could do that his task was to weed out and train his own family.
The first work before him was the empire of his household. Neither mother, nor brother, nor anyone must stand between Temudjin and his object; in that he showed his great singleness of purpose, his invincible willpower, his wisdom in winning the success which his mind saw. The wisdom of Temudjin in building up empire was an unerring clear instinct like the instinct of a bee in constructing its honeycomb, or the judgment and skill of a bird in finding the proper material, and weaving the round perfect nest for its eggs and its little ones.
Temudjin began his career in real practice by killing his half brother mainly through the hand of his full brother Kassar, who was famed later on as the unerring strong archer, and who in time tried unsuccessfully to rival the invincible Temudjin.
Temudjin was now master in a very small region, but he was master. His mother and brothers did not dominate, or interfere, they assisted him. The family lived for a time in seclusion and uninjured till at last Targutai roused up his followers to action. “Temudjin and his brothers have grown," said he, "they are stronger." Taking with him some comrades he rode away quickly to find Temudjin with his family. From afar Hoelun and her children saw the men coming and weir frightened. Temudjin seized his horse quickly, and fled before others to the mountain.
Belgutai hid his half brothers and sister in a cliff, after that he felled trees to stop the horsemen. Kassar sent arrows to hinder the Taidjuts. "We want only Temudjin, we want no one else," said they. Temudjin had fled to Mount Targunai and hidden there in dense thickets whither they could not follow. They surrounded Targunai and watched closely.
He spent three days in secret places, and then led his horse out to flee from the mountain. When near the edge of the forest the saddle fell. He saw that breast strap and girth were both fixed securely " A saddle may fall," thought he, "though the girth be well fastened, but how can it fall when the breast strap is holding it? I see now that Heaven is protecting me."
He turned back and passed three other days hiding; then he tried to go out a second time—a great rock fell in front of him, blocked the road and stopped his passage. " Heaven wills that I stay here still longer," said Temudjin. He went back and spent three other days in the mountain, nine days in all without eating. "Must I die here alone and unheard of?" thought he despairingly. "Better go at all hazards." He cut a way near the rock and led his horse down the mountain side.
The Taidjuts, who were watching outside very carefully, seized Temudjin and took him to Targutai, who commanded that a kang be put on him, and also fetters, and that he live one day and night in each tent. So he passed from one family to another in succession. During these changes he gained the close friendship of one Sorgan Shira, and of an old woman. The old woman was kind and put rags on the kang at the points where his shoulders were galled by it.
Once the Taidjuts made a feast near the Onon and went home after sunset, appointing a boy to watch over the captive. Temudjin had been able to break his own fetters, and seeing that all had gone home felled the boy with the kang in which his own head and both hands were fastened. Then he ran to a forest along the Onon and lay down there, but, fearing lest they might find him, he rose, hurried on to the river and sank in it, leaving only his face above water.
The boy soon recovered and screamed that the captive had fled from him. Some Taidjuts rushed quickly together on hearing him, and searched around everywhere. There was moonlight that evening and Sorgan Shira of the Sulduts, who was searching with others, and had gone quite a distance ahead, found Temudjin, but did not call out. "The Taidjuts hate thee because thou hast wisdom," said he to the captive, "thou wilt die if they find thee. Stay where thou art for the present, and be careful, I will not betray thee to any one"
The pursuers went some distance while searching. "This man escaped during daylight," said Sorgan Shira, when he overtook them. “It is night now and difficult to find him. Better search nearer places, we can hunt here tomorrow. He has not come thus far,—how could he run such a distance with a kang on his shoulders?"
On the way back Sorgan Shira went to Temudjin a second time. "We shall come hither tomorrow to search for thee," said he. "Hurry off now to thy mother and brothers. Shouldst thou meet any man tell him not that I saw thee." When Sorgan Shira had gone, Temudjin fell to thinking and thought in this manner: “While stopping at each tent I passed a day with Sorgan Shira;Chila and Chinbo his sons showed me pity. They took off the kang in the dark from my shoulders and let me lie down then in freedom. He saw me today, I cannot escape till this kang is taken off, he will do that, I will go to him. He will save me."
So Temudjin went and when he entered the yurta Sorgan Shira was frightened. "Why come now to me?" inquired he. “I told thee to go to thy mother and brothers." "When a bird is pursued by a falcon," said Temudjin, "it hides in thick and thus saves itself."
“We should be of less value than grass were we not to help this poor youth, who thus begs us," said to himself Sorgan Shira. The boys took the kang from the captive and burned it, then they hid Timudjin in a cart which they piled high with wool packs and told Kadan, their sister, to guard the wool carefully, and not speak of Temudjin to any living person.
The Taidjuts appeared on the third day. “Has no one here seen that runaway?" asked they of Sorgan. "Search where ye will." Was the answer. They searched the whole yurta, then they searched around the house in all places, and threw out the wool till they came to the carl box. They were going to empty this also when Sorgan laughed at them, saying. How could any man live in a cart load of wool this hot weather?' They prodded the wool then with lances; one of these entered Temudjin's leg, but he was silent and moved not. The Taidjuts were satisfied, and went away without emptying the cart box.
"Thou hast come very near killing me," said Sorgan to Temudjin. "The smoke of my house would have vanished, and my fire would have died out forever had they found thee. Go now to thy mother and brothers."
He gave Temudjin a white-nosed, sorrel mare without a saddle, gave him a boiled lamb which was fat because reared by two mothers, gave him a skin of mare's milk, a bow and two arrows, but no flint lest he strike fire on the way, and betray himself.
Temudjin went to the ruins of his first house and then higher up the Onon till he reached the Kimurha. He saw tracks near that river and followed them on to Mount Baitar. In front of that mountain is a smaller one, Horchukin; there he found all his brothers and Hoelun his mother. Temudjin moved now with them to Mount Burhan. Near Burhan is the highland Gulyalgu, through this land runs the river Sangur, on the bank of that river is a hill called Kara Jiruge and a green colored lake near the foot of it. At this lake Temudjin fixed his yurta, trapped marmots and field mice, and thus they lived on for a season. At last some Taidjut thieves drove off eight horses from Temudjin, leaving only the white-nosed sorrel mare which Sorgan had given him, and on which Belgutai had gone to hunt marmots. He came back that evening with a load of them.
“The horses have been stolen," said Temudjin. "I will go for them," said Belgutai. “Thou couldst not find them," answered Kassar, "I will go.” “Ye could not find them, and if ye found them ye could not bring them back," called out Temudjin, "I will go."
Temudjin set his brothers aside as useless at that juncture, their authority and worth were to him as nothing. Temudjin's is the only, the genuine authority. He rode off on the white-nosed sorrel mare, and followed the trail of the eight stolen horses. He traveled three days and on the fourth morning early he saw near the road a young man who had led up a mare and was milking her.
"Hast thou seen eight gray horses?" asked Temudjin. "Before sunrise eight horses went past me, I will show thee the trail over which they were driven." Temudjin's weary beast was let out then to pasture; a white horse with a black stripe on its spine was led in to go farther. The youth hid his leather pail and his bag in the grass very carefully. "Thou art tired," said he to Temudjin, “and art anxious. My name is Boorehu, I will go with thee for thy horses. Nahu Boyan is my father, I am his one son and he loves me."
So they set out together and traveled three days in company. On the third day toward evening they came to a camp ground and saw the eight horses. "Stay at this place O my comrade," said Temudjin, "I will go and drive off those horses."
“If I have come hither to help thee why should I stay alone and do nothing?" asked Boorehu. So they went on together and drove off the horses. The thieves hurried after them promptly and one, who rode a white stallion, had a lasso and was gaining on the comrades. "Give me thy quiver and bow," said Boorehu, "I will meet him with an arrow." " Let me use the bow," answered Temudjin, "those enemies might wound thee." The man on the white horse was directing his lasso and ready to hurl it when Temudjin 's arrow put an end to his action. That night Temudjin and Boorehu made a journey which would have taken three days for any other men, and saw the yurta of Nahu Boyan in the distance at daybreak.
"Without thy help," said Temudjin, "I could not have brought back these horses. "Without thee I could have done nothing, so let us divide now these eight beasts between us." "I decided to help thee," answered Boorehu, "because I saw thee weighed down and weary from sorrow and loneliness, why should I take what is thine from thee? I am my father's one son, his wealth is enough for me, more is not needed. If I should take thine how couldst thou call me thy comrade?"
When they entered the yurta of Nahu Boyan they found the old man grieving bitterly for Bobrchu. On seeing them he shed tears and reproached his son sharply. " I know not," said Boorehu in answer, "how I thought of assisting this comrade, but when I saw him worn and anxious I had to go with him. Things are now well again, for I am with thee, my father." Nahu Boyan became satisfied when he heard the whole story. Boorehu rode off then and brought the leather milk pail, killed a lamb, filled a bag with mare's milk, and tying it to the horse like a pack gave Temudjin all to sustain him. "Ye are young," said Nahu Boyan, "be ye friends, and be faithful." Temudjin took farewell of Boorehu and his father. Three days after that he had reached home with his horses. No words could describe the delight of his mother and brothers when they saw him.
Temudjin had passed his thirteenth year when he parted from Bortai. He went down the Kerulon now with his half brother, Belgutai, to get her. Several years had passed and he had a wish to marry. Bortai's father rejoiced at seeing Temudjin. "I grieved," said he, "greatly and lost hope of seeing thee when I heard of Taidjut hatred."
Both parents escorted their daughter and her husband. Desaichan after going some distance turned homeward, as was usual for fathers, but Bortai's mother, Sotan, went on to Temudjin's yurta.
Temudjin wished now to have Boorchu, wished him as a comrade forever, and sent Belgutai to bring him. Boorchu said nothing to his father or to any one; he took simply a humpbacked sorrel horse, saddled him, strapped a coat of black fur to the saddle and rode away quickly to Temudjin's yurta; after that he never left him.
Curtin, Jeremiah. The Mongols: A History. Little, Brown, and Company, 1901.
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