THE LAND OF UNREST 375 



of the present-day Dzungaria always formed the centre 

 of the Dzungar dominions. 



Racially and historically the name is now a thing of 

 the past ; but, although the race has died out, to this 

 day " Dzungaria " remains as a definite expression 

 for an important geographical division of Asia. 



I have called her the Land of Unrest, for Dzungaria 

 has been for all time a debatable land, the common 

 battle-ground of rival races and conflicting creeds, — a 

 veritable cock-pit of Inner Asia. This strange land is 

 situated midway between China and Siberia, on the 

 boundaries of two great Empires, yet sufficiently far 

 away from the centre of each to have avoided — until 

 quite recently — being caught up in the net of empire. 

 She is not rich enough to tempt a permanent coloniza- 

 tion by either people, she is too far away for either to 

 hold securely. Yet, lying on the high road to every- 

 where in Asia, every one passes this way ; but only passes, 

 for nothing seems to remain permanently in Dzungaria. 

 The geographical features of the region have been fatal 

 to permanence. She has been a thoroughfare for migrating 

 peoples, the abiding-place of none ; her conquerors have 

 been destroyers — not constructors. 



Situated, moreover, on the threshold of the Moslem 

 and Buddhist worlds, in a region which has been the 

 camping-ground of all the wild tribes which have, at 

 different periods, overrun Asia, Dzungaria has inevitably 

 been the prey of each recurring wave of migration which 

 has broken across its boundless steppes. She has been 

 the scene of wars and massacres, — the victim of the 

 wildest vicissitudes, on a scale such as only Asia can 

 produce. She was invaded by the Huns and overrun 

 by the Mongols long before the Dzungars, suddenly 



