, in order that they might
take their leave preparatory to returning to their several countries.
When this ceremony was concluded the encampment was broken up, and the
various khans set off, each at the head of his own caravan, on the
road leading to his own home.

CHAPTER XXIV.

CONCLUSION.

1227

Death of the khan's oldest son.--Effects of this calamity.--Plan for
the invasion of China.--The khan's sons.--His sickness.--Change for
the worse.--Farewell address.--He claims the right to name his
successor.--Other arrangements.--Death of the emperor.--His grave and
monument.--Visits of condolence to the new emperor.--Fate of the empire.

After the grand convocation described in the last chapter, Genghis
Khan lived only three years. During this time he went on extending his
conquests with the same triumphant success that had attended his
previous operations. Having at length established his dominion in
Western Asia on a permanent basis, he returned to the original seat of
his empire in the East, after seven years' absence, where he was
received with great honor by the Mongul nation. He began again to
extend his conquests in China. He was very successful. Indeed, with
the exception of one great calamity which befell him, his career was
one of continued and unexampled prosperity.

This calamity was the death of his son Jughi, his oldest, most
distinguished, and best-beloved son. The news of this event threw the
khan into a deep melancholy, so that for a time he lost all his
interest in public affairs, and even the news of victories obtained in
distant countries by his armies ceased to awaken any joyful emotions
in his mind.

The khan was now, too, becoming quite advanced in life, being about
sixty-four years old, which is an age at which the mind is slow to
recover its lost elasticity. He did, however, slowly recover from the
effects of his grief, and he then went on with his warlike
preparations. He had conquered all the northern portion of China, and
was now making arrangements for a grand invasion of the southern part,
when at length, in the spring of the year 1227, he fell sick. He
struggled against the disease during the summer, but at length, in
August, he found himself growing worse, and felt that his end was
drawing nigh.

His mind was occupied mainly, during all this interval, by arranging
the details of the coming campaign, and making known to the officers
around him all the particulars of his p