iva, or Khwaresm, and the Kara Khitay fought for supremacy. A
chief of the Naiman tribe of Christians, Koshluk by name, then entered
the lists against the aged Gorkhan, who was, after some hard fighting,
defeated and captured. This was in the year 1214. Koshluk's triumph was
also, however, of very brief duration, for he now came into contact with
one of the most formidable antagonists that the soil of Asia has ever
produced, Genghis Khan.

The Mongols or Mughols began to appear as a distinct tribe about the
same time that the Kara Khitay migrated to Jungaria, and as early as the
commencement of the twelfth century they had carried destruction into
the Chinese provinces of Shensi and Kansuh. When Genghis Khan appeared
upon the scene he found the tribe which he was destined to lead to such
great triumphs in a state of singular strength, and its neighbours
either at discord among themselves or only just recovering from a long
period of anarchy. The Chinese were particularly divided at that moment,
and Genghis Khan, who had family connections in that empire, soon found
it an easy task to lead successful inroads into the heart of his rich
but defenceless neighbour. Genghis Khan was born at Dylon Yulduc, in the
year 1154. His father, Mysoka Bahadur, was a great warrior, and waged
several successful wars with the Tartars. The earlier years of Genghis
Khan were occupied exclusively in overcoming the difficulties of his own
position. His tribe, divided into several distinct bodies, formed only
one confederacy when a foe had to be encountered in the field. It
required years to remove the dislike they experienced at submission to a
distinct authority; and it was only when the renown of his military
achievements threw a halo over his name that these tribes could be
induced to acknowledge a supremacy which they had become powerless to
resist. But during these years, when he led a life unknown and
insignificant as the chief of a small nomad clan, he was all the time
preparing for a wider career, and for a more extended authority. It was
while he was residing in the remote district round the salt springs of
Baljuna that he drew up the code on which his administrative system was
founded. It was based on the fundamental principle of obedience to the
head, on the maintenance of order and sobriety in the ranks of the
warriors, and on the equal participation in the spoils of battle by all;
but its regulations were so strict on the former po