executed. The general waited for me to disappear into the landscape of the Gobi before returning
to Kublai.”
I began to tremble with anger all over as I remembered the deceit that Kublai showed.
“I trudged along the sand in the scorching heat, my feet sinking in despite my gutul
4
. I had
been walking for a long time but still didn’t see an oasis in sight. Suddenly, in the distance, I saw
a cloud of flies swarming over a spot nearby a Saltwort
5
plant. I ran towards the spot remembering
a saying my teacher told me, ‘Where there is life, there is water.’ I started to dig, for there was no
water on the surface.
I began to feel dizzy from exhaustion and lack of water. I passed out. The next thing I knew
was that I was lying down in a Gher
1
. My saviours thought that I was the great Khara Bataar
6
,
from the legend, returning to dig up the hidden treasure and make the land fertile again. As the
days passed I began to trust my saviours and revealed my true identity. However, they did not
believe me at first, but I remembered my mother’s words and ran to find my old clothes. I slit the
lining of both sleeves and found nothing. I thought my mother had fooled me but then my fingers
felt something in the corner of the left sleeve. I pulled out a ring containing my parent’s picture.
I stayed there regaining my strength and learning how to survive in the desert. In time, some
men became willing to lay down their lives for me. I have spent the last two years traveling from
tribe to tribe. Today I have an army of 3000 men, whom I have trained in every art of warfare.
Tomorrow, we shall march across the desert and fight to reclaim what is rightfully mine...”
Gher
1
: Mongolian tent
Aqa
2
: Older brother
Kuiltai
3
: Gathering to decide the Emperor
Gutul
4
: Boots that the nomadic tribes in the Gobi wear
Saltwort
5
: A small weedy plant that is found in some regions of the Gobi Desert
Khara Bataar
6
: The great ruler of legendry lost city, Khara-hot
