After two days of travel over the Darkhat plain we began meeting Soyots driving their cattle rapidly toward the northwest into Orgarkha Ola.

They communicated to us very unpleasant news.
The Bolsheviki from the Irkutsk district had crossed the Mongolian border, captured the Russian colony at Khathyl on the southern shore of Lake Kosogol and turned, off south toward Muren Kure, a Russian settlement beside a big Lamaite monastery sixty miles south of Kosogol.
The Mongols told us there were no Russian troops between Khathyl and Muren Kure, so we decided to pass between these two points to reach Van Kure farther to the east.

We took leave of our Soyot guide and, after having sent three scouts in advance, moved forward.

From the mountains around the Kosogol we admired the splendid view of this broad Alpine lake.

It was set like a sapphire in the old gold of the surrounding hills, chased with lovely bits of rich dark forestry.