Near the entrance to the town, a motor car stood before a smallhouse.

"What does that mean?" exclaimed the Baron. "Go over there!"Our car drew up beside the other. The house door opened sharply,several officers rushed out and tried to hide.

"Stand!" commanded the General. "Go back inside." They obeyed andhe entered after them, leaning on his tashur. As the door remainedopen, I could see and hear everything.

"Woe to them!" whispered the chauffeur. "Our officers knew thatthe Baron had gone out of the town with me, which means always along journey, and must have decided to have a good time. He willorder them beaten to death with sticks."I could see the end of the table covered with bottles and tinnedthings. At the side two young women were seated, who sprang up atthe appearance of the General. I could hear the hoarse voice ofBaron Ungern pronouncing sharp, short, stern phrases.

"Your native land is perishing. . . . The shame of it is upon allyou Russians . . . and you cannot understand it . . . nor feelit. . . . You need wine and women. . . . Scoundrels! Brutes! . . .

One hundred fifty tashur for every man of you."The voice fell to a whisper.

"And you, Mesdames, do you not realize the ruin of your people?

No? For you it is of no moment. And have you no feeling for yourhusbands at the front who may even now be killed? You are notwomen. . . . I honor woman, who feels more deeply and stronglythan man; but you are not women! . . . Listen to me, Mesdames.

Once more and I will hang you. . . ."He came back to the car and himself sounded the horn several times.

Immediately Mongol horsemen galloped up.

"Take these men to the Commandant. I will send my orders later."On the way to the Baron's yurta we were silent. He was excited andbreathed heavily, lighting cigarette after cigarette and throwingthem aside after but a single puff or two.

"Take supper with me," he proposed.

He also invited his Chief of Staff, a very retiring, oppressed butsplendidly educated man. The servants spread a Chinese hot coursefor us followed by cold meat and fruit compote from California withthe inevitable tea. We ate with chopsticks. The Baron was greatlydistraught.

Very cautiously I began speaking of the offending officers andtried to justify their actions by the extremely tryingcircumstances under which they were living.

"They are rotten through and through, demoralized, sunk into thedepths," murmured the General.

The Chief of Staff helped me out and at last the Baron directed himto telephone the Commandant to release these gentlemen.

The following day I spent with my friends, walking a great dealabout the streets and watching their busy life. The great energyof the Baron demanded constant nervous activity from himself andevery one round him. He was everywhere, seeing everything butnever, interfering with the work of his subordinate administrators.

Every one was at work.

In the evening I was invited by the Chief of Staff to his quarters,where I met many intelligent officers. I related again the storyof my trip and we were all chatting along animatedly when suddenlyColonel Sepailoff entered, singing to himself. All the others atonce became silent and one by one under various pretexts theyslipped out. He handed our host some papers and, turning to us,said:

"I shall send you for supper a splendid fish pie and some hottomato soup."As he left, my host clasped his head in desperation and said:

"With such scum of the earth are we now forced after thisrevolution to work!"A few minutes later a soldier from Sepailoff brought us a tureenfull of soup and the fish pie. As the soldie............