me, described them as follows: "The Ta-tzis[5] or Das occupy
themselves exclusively with their flocks; they go wandering ceaselessly
from pasture to pasture, from river to river. They are ignorant of the
nature of a town or a wall. They are ignorant of writing and books;
their treaties are concluded orally. From infancy they are accustomed
to ride, to aim their arrows at rats and birds, and thus acquire the
courage essential to their life of wars and destruction. They have
neither religious ceremonies nor judicial institutions. From the
prince to the lowest among the people, all are fed by the flesh of the
animals whose skin they use for clothing. The strongest among them
have the largest and fattest morsels at feasts; the old men are put
off with the fragments that are left. They respect nothing but
strength and courage; age and weakness are condemned."

[Footnote 5: Ta, great; hence: the Great Tzis.]

The people were, therefore, nomads, moving their flocks as necessity
required, and occasionally making a raid upon a neighboring town.
"They move on horseback;" says the Chinese author; "when they wish to
capture a town, they fall on the suburban villages. Each leader (p. 064)
seizes ten men, and every prisoner is forced to carry a certain
quantity of wood, stones, and other material. They use these for
filling up moats or to dig trenches. In the capture of a town the loss
of a myriad men was thought nothing. No place could resist them. After
a siege, the entire population was massacred, without distinction of
old or young, rich or poor, beautiful or ugly, those who resisted or
those who yielded; no distinguished person escaped death, if a defense
was attempted."

These nomad Tartars were united by and under Genghis Khan (1154-1227),
one of their chiefs or khans. He summoned all the khans of the several
tribes, and before them took the title of emperor over all, declaring
that, as there was only one sun in heaven, so there should be but one
emperor on earth. At the head of his tribes, Genghis conquered
Manchuria and North China; then he moved west. He himself remained in
Asia, but two of his lieutenants proceeded in that direction, subduing
the tribes on their way, and often joined by them. The long march had
rendered the Tartars inured to hardship and wholly indifferent to
danger. At last they passed by the southern shore of the Caspian Sea,
and, crossing the Caucasus, commenced the invasion of E