MARCHING AND CARRYING POWER 211 



OD camels, horses, and waggons, they got over 300 

 miles, in dry but cold weather. Many of the cattle 

 succumbed. Close to Djem they were stopped ten days 

 by snow, and had to fight a force of Cossacks, who 

 occupied the defile. Defeating them they had to press 

 on quickly, as Catherine had sent an army after them. 

 They now killed and salted all the remaining cattle, 

 and left behind all the incapable women and children, 

 besides all aged and sick. The winter increased in 

 severity, and though they burned al] their saddles and 

 waggons hundreds were frozen at every encampment. 

 In the beginning of June spring alleviated their troubles, 

 and they crossed the Torgai, which flows into the Lake 

 Aksakal to KN.E. of Lake Aral. In 150 days they 

 had covered 2,100 miles, and lost 250,000 souls, whilst 

 of all their animals the camels alone remained. Here 

 the Eussians, reinforced by Bashkirs and Khirgiz, heredi- 

 tary enemies of the Kalmucks, overtook them, so they 

 continued their retreat, only reaching the frontier of 

 China in September. Thus in eight months they had 

 accomplished a distance of one-eighth of the earth's 

 circumference in a straight line. I am indebted to 

 Quatrefages' able work on ' Human Species ' for this 

 interesting fact. Of course we are unable to draw any 

 comparison between the powers of the camel and the 

 other animals (which the Kalmucks purposely de- 

 stroyed) ; nor do we know the number of casualties 

 that occurred among the former, and the proportion that 

 accomplished this ever-memorable march ; but the bare 

 fact that even some survived is in itself sufficient proof 

 of the stamina of the Bactrian species, under the 

 severest conditions and the most trying circumstances. 



