seems only to have wanted a reasonable pretence to justify him in
the estimation of his nobles for entering into war against Umcan; he
therefore immediately levied a great army, with which he marched boldly
against Umcan, and encamped in a great plain named Tanduc[4], sending a
message to Umcan to defend himself. Upon this Umcan collected a vast army,
with which he advanced into the plains, and pitched his camp within ten
miles of that of the Tartars. Zingis commanded his astrologers to shew him
what was to be the event of the approaching battle; on which they split a
reed into two pieces, on one of which they wrote the name of Zingis, and
the name of Umcan on the other, and struck them separately into the ground,
saying to Zingis: "While we read in our holy books, it shall come to pass
through the power of the idol, that these two pieces of reed shall fight
together, and whose part shall get the better, to that king shall the
victory be given." The astrologers began to mumble their prayers and
incantations, while the multitude stood around to observe the result; and
after some time, the two pieces of reed seemed spontaneously to fight
together, and the portion inscribed with the name of Zingis got the mastery
over that of Umcan; and the Tartars being encouraged by this prodigy, went
into the battle fully assured of victory, which they actually obtained. By
this battle, in which Umcan was slain, the sovereignty of all Tangut was
transferred to Zingis, who took to wife the daughter of Umcan. Zingis
reigned six years after this, and conquered many provinces: But at last,
while he endeavoured to take a certain castle called Thaigin, he approached
too near the walls, and was wounded in the knee by an arrow, of which wound
he died, and was buried in the mountain of Altai. Zingis was the _first_
king of the Tartars; the second was Khen-khan, the third Bathyn-khan, the
fourth Esu-khan, the fifth Mangu-khan, the sixth Kublai-khan, whose power
is greater than that of all his predecessors, as, besides having inherited
all their acquisitions, he has added almost the whole world to his empire,
during a long and prosperous reign of sixty years[5]. All the great khans
and princes of the blood of Zingis, are carried for burial to the mountains
of Altai, even from the distance of an hundred days journey; and those who
attend the body, kill all whom they meet by the way, ordering them to go
and serve their lord in the other world, and a g