THE CHINA MAIL,
SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 1959.
*Page "7
LOST WORLD When Grivas can't
AGAINST STARKLY DARE HILLS, MONGOL HORSEMEN POSE FOR DOBSON
by CHRISTOPHER DOBSON
CHINA MAIL RESIDENT REPORTER IN RUSSIA
This is Khrushchev's back room... where Genghis Khan's descendants mix with the atomic revolutionaries.
ULAN BATOR.
...
.
THE weather was perfect at Irkutsk, Siberia's staging post for Mongolia and China. But they said no, I could not fly to Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia, just 90 minutes' flying time away--- the weather was too bad. I could not understand it-then. But I did the next day when I eventually landed at Ulan Bator, for the airfield is nearly 6,000 feet up in the mountains-no runway, just a flat section of prairie,
We wound our way around the grafting a political, Industrial, mountain tops, in and out of and agricultural revolution on cloud, and up the valleys, with to a medieval costern clvliisa- pine trees flashing past on either tion. Fide.
Then, with a last breath-taking Awoop, almost as if we were ski- ing down the mountainside, we landed.
It is land where 80 per cent of the people still live in tenis, They live off meat and milk.
the arrived in time for three-day celebration marking when the of the plane the Mongolia Day I stepped out to meet a camel grazing happily locals showed off the traditional alongside modern radar skills of the Mongol warriors installation, to smell the won- riding, wrestling, and archery. derful scent of rage and thyme and pine, as the prattle zimmered under a blue sky and a flerce sun.
4
Horses
wild
Kites, evil-looking birds with disqualing manners, scared effortlessly, and the plains were dotted with round white tents- the "yurts" of the Mongolian herdsmen.
wero
Everywhere there animals: horses moving in great realless herds, camels, yaks, sheep, cows, and goats, with the herdsmen circling on. craggy, shaggy ponies, standing almost upright in their stirrups, whose circular iron foot-pieces are the size of dinner plates.
The Red Flag flew over the Communist airport building. slogans flashed 'redly' across the wals. High on the mountain- side white stones spelled a huge "MIR"-peace.
Skills
The kalte is for carving oft chunks of the sheep which they roast whole, and the stick is for grooming their horses,
They can live off the land just as their Mongol forefathers did when they swept out to burn Moscow and threatened whole of Europe.
the
THERE
Nicosia.
HERE has been a tremendous row' between ·
General Grivas and Archbishop Makarios.
Between Grivas, boss of the Eoka terror organisation in Cyprus, who returned to a hero's welcome in Athens only four brief months ago, and the cunning prelate who masterminded the political struggle against Britain, throughout most of the "emergency" on this island.
keep his
mouth shut
The reason: the over-riding Grivas lost no time in saying Grivas these day is sensitive amblilone and staggering per- that he would not hesitate to about his reputation of having sonal vanities: of drivas," which restart the '. Cyprus. struggle been merely the military leader have brought him into increase again, and to fall, if necessary, in Cyprus during the troubles ing frequent - conflict with m order to smash the dark he is at pains to make it clear Makarios.
forces who seek to enslave the that ho wns the political big island"
shot too.
Emotion
The other day Makarios de- nounced Grivas-m all except
י
next February 19. So that gives Grivos about six montha,
Still, a lot can happen in six months. After all, it has only inken four for Makarlos anil
Grives to fall out.
His dream, he added, wan You can be sure that this is still to see the Greek flag flying a concert not at all to the liking which the wheel can come ful
of takarlos, above Cyprus.
The situation is thus becom- A triend of mine, who name before a 10,000 strong, ing something like the
Centre present when Makarios erowd here in Cyprus. Emotion~~ ally he complained to them about "those persons in Athens who are trying to exploit the sacred flight of Cyprus for their own ends."
And he added that if "these people cannot or will not help us, then I say to them 'Leave us alone."
The banners carried by the crowd bore only the single name of "Makarios," No men- tion at "Digherls" (the emer- geney-time underground name for Grivas) as there would un- doubtedly have been a Ecw
weeks ago.
The
Further
Court at
By:
Rene MacColl
Indicative of the way in
eficle is the incident at a Gov- ernment House rocoption. A police ofcer fald was Cyprus
that he was being and Makarios
transferred to the Seychelles.
Wimbledon, with the Grivas jointly held court In that Grivas heads of the onlookers swivel- Nicosia the day
emerged from hiding ng rhythmically as the two en- finally bottled opponents swat the ball. and left for Athens, says that Makarlos's attitude was VETY But do not think that Grivas's much that of a head master only quarrel lies with Makarios. condescendingly showing off The little guerilla general with the bright boy of the upper the de Gaulle-Hike ambitions is fifth. in pretty hot water over in Athens as well
desperately
For a man, who wants to enjoy a political career Makarios speech was
(Grivas twice ran for the Greek outspoken enough. But in Parliament and each time was private conversation Makarios badly beaten) he behaves with goes much further.
screaming lack of tact.
Recently he has said to cailers ·
In statements to vorious
Griyar'
Hurry
13
moin problem that of time, He is.à man in a hurry-he has to be. He cannot afford to wait for years in the wings as did de Gaulle.
law
Even for a national hero the of diminishing returns before would start to operate too long in this part of the world. And if he means to back In spite of snubs his self- up his tough talk about Cyprus
undented. and do confidence remains
something about those He is sure, that his destiny in- "dark forces" here he must act eludes high political office and fact, Madame Grivas, his handsonic-
at his palace here in Nicosia: Greek newspapers he is fond of "It's monstrous, this interfer- criticizing the established Greek ence by Grivas for purely poli- political parties in the crudest tical ends.
and most violent terms. "It is I who am carrying the It was nothing like Ascot oul
arduous nego. tiations. on the plain, where the horse-burden of these Everybody arrived on his racing was going on. No tote. horse and there is no nonsense about sprints.
own
These are races over 15 and 20 miles of dreary mountain and river, with 10-year-old boys and girls riding.
They set off in a wild cavalry charge, starting with blood- and curdling ululating cries their parents chanting and in a trundling on horseback
the hall-circle seross
Molotov
The central point of the cele- up bration was the stadium where
great
plain.
und
came down The tribesmen from the mountains and from the southern desert. The traditional Mongolian wrestling whole family rides, from boys was going on alongside Russian- and girls of six and seven op style their own horses right through parados.
-Arelie A1130.
mass
gymrustles
OUTER MONGOLIA
Feared
They are guna for
An
before they streaming back,
hour start the leaders
or more
whooping and swinging, their
heavy-handled whips,
Some of the horses come back
riderless, others Imp in
later. You can see how
hours
thes?
people become the most feared
horsemen in the world.
The winner is led in and a fraditional bowl of fermented more's milk is poured over the horse's neck and cruppers.
All this celebration went сп VAN A, C100%MILLS VERWEI
for three days, while ut Hight the smoke from the cooking Ares rose into, a dark, mauve All around there are flags and origin robes, horses, sideshows, sky, and the horses, tethered in
Dad
lines, winnled at even housey- the picket duncing
the wild boar and deer which Mr Molotov, once Russian came down with the dusk from
now the wooded hills,
the family to the grandfather of 70, who sits his horse as rigidly as any cavalryman.
People here seem to acquire a housey. horse by the time they are six,
and from that moment they Foreign Minister and hardly seem to leave the saddle banished as ambassador to Utan until they dio and are buried Butor, sat in the stand with his in
Lup
At the end they folded their the tents and rode off across
they
the sacred anclent burial wife, who had travelled from plains to their villages. I went
Moscow with
their grand with them, to drink koumis in ground high in the mountain.
roast nine, and the yurts, to hack at a This was Mongolia, nomadic, Now they came down, driving daughters Larissa, pastoral country, homeland of their horses with them, their Lulba, five, for the celebration, sheep, and to see how
tente piled on of came!- tho Hun who destroyed Rome,
Molotov looked at and brunzed Ilved and worked. and Genghis Khan, who built drawn carts, and they rode into a mighty empire out of fire and town like cowboys after rape and pillage 700 years ago. round-up, with a long knife and Now the Communists, with a short flat plece of wood in
their belts, Russian and Chinese ald,
are
In
b white linen suit. The A customary rimless pince-nez ·
were clipped to his nose and his moustache was as grizzled and grey, as ever,
MONDAY:
A Russian Rodeo
THE ROAD TO BRIGHTON PIER
by CUMMINGS
BRIGHTON
maintain
"It Is I who must matters in a state of delicate
balance,
"It is shameful that politica! ends should be allowed threaten the situation here."
10
For the London wife, loses no opportunity of stimulating her husband's hopes governing
•
agreements
the island's fresh
and ambitions in this respect, start are due to come into force
"Ah." rejoined the Arch- bishop, who was exiled there during the troubles, "I shall be happy to provide you with some first-rate letters of introduc- tlon,"
ANTIE . . .
"I wouldn't mind if you could write
plays like Brendan Brkan!...**
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