Treasure of Khan

They heaved their bodies upright, the sand falling off them in rivulets. Giordino sneaked a hand into his pocket and nodded slightly in reassurance, finding the horseshoe still there.

'We've got company,' he wheezed, his voice sounding like steel wool on sandpaper.

Pitt crawled weakly from under the blanket of sand and peered at the beast of burden standing a few feet away. It was a Bactrian camel, as evidenced by the two humps on his back that sagged slightly to one side. The animal's matted fur was a rich mocha brown, which darkened around its flanks. The camel returned Pitt's stare for a few seconds, then resumed its nibbling on the blanket.

'The ship of the desert,' Pitt said.

'Looks more like a tugboat. Do we eat him or ride him?'

Pitt was contemplating whether they had the strength to do either when a shrill whistle blared from behind a dune. A small boy bobbed over the sand, riding a dappled tan horse. He wore a green del, and his short black hair was hidden under a faded baseball cap. The boy rode up to the camel, calling it by name as he approached. When the camel popped his head up, the boy quickly looped a pole-mounted lasso around the animal's neck and pulled the rope tight. Only then did he glance down and notice Pitt and Giordino lying on the ground. The startled boy stared wide-eyed at the two haggard men who resembled ghosts in the sand.

'Hello.' Pitt smiled warmly at the boy. He climbed unsteadily to his feet as a pool of sand slid off his clothes. 'Can you help us?'

'You ... talk English,' the boy stammered.

'Yes. You can understand me?'

'I learn English at monastery,' he replied proudly, enunciating each syllable.

'We are lost,' Giordino said hoarsely. 'Can you share food or water?'

The boy slipped off his wooden saddle and produced a goatskin canteen filled with water. Pitt and Giordino took turns attacking the water, taking small sips at first then working up to large gulps. As they drank, the boy pulled a scarf out of his pocket, which was wrapped around a block of sun-dried curds.

Cutting it into small pieces, he offered it to the men, who gratefully split the rubbery milk residue and washed it down with the last of the water.

'My name is Noyon,' the boy said. 'What is yours?'

'I am Dirk and this is Al. We are very happy to meet you, Noyon.'

'You are fools, Dirk and Al, to be in the Gobi without water and a mount,' he said sternly. His youthful face softened with a smile, and he added, 'You come with me to my home, where you will be welcomed by my family. It is less than a kilometer from here. A short ride for you.'

The boy slipped off his horse and removed the small wooden saddle, then prodded Pitt and Giordino to climb aboard. The Mongol pony was not tall, and Pitt easily pulled himself onto its back, then helped hoist Giordino on behind him. Noyon grabbed the reins and led them north across the desert, the roped camel following behind.

They traveled just a short distance before Noyon led them around a thick sandstone ridge. On the opposite side, a large herd of camels were scattered about a shallow plain, foraging for scrub grass that sprouted through the stony ground. In the center of the field stood a lone ger, shrouded in dirty white canvas, its southerly door painted a weathered orange. Two poles with a rope tied across acted as an adjacent corral, securing several stout brown horses. A rugged, cleanshaven man with penetrating dark eyes was saddling one of the horses when the small caravan rode up.

'Father, I have found these men lost in the desert,' the boy said in his native tongue. 'They are from America.'

The man took one look at the bedraggled figures of Pitt and Giordino and knew they had flirted with Erleg Khan, the Mongolian lord of the lower world. He quickly helped them down off the horse, returning the feeble shake of the hand offered by each exhausted man.

'Secure the horse,' he barked at his son, then led the two men into his home.

Ducking and entering the ger, Pitt and Giordino were amazed at the warm decor of the interior, which was in stark contrast to the tent's drab exterior. Brightly patterned carpets covered every square inch of the dirt floor, melding with vibrant floral weavings that covered the tent's lattice-framed walls. Cabinets and tables were painted cheerful hues of red, orange, and blue, while the ceiling support frames were painted lemon yellow.

The interior was configured in a traditional ger layout, symbolic of the role superstition plays in daily nomadic life. To the left of the entrance was a rack and cabinet for the man's saddle and other belongings. The right section of the ger, the 'female' side, held the cooking implements. A hearth and cooking stove was situated in the center, attached to a metal stovepipe that rose through an opening in the tent's ceiling. Three low beds were positioned around the perimeter walls, while the back wall was reserved for the family altar.

Noyon's father led Pitt and Giordino around the left side of the ger to some stools near the hearth. A slight woman with long black hair and cheerful eyes tending a battered teapot smiled at the men. Seeing their exhausted state, she brought damp towels to wash their face and hands, then set some strips of mutton to boil in a pot of water. Noticing the bloody bandage on Pitt's leg, she cleaned the dressing as the men downed cup after cup of watery black tea. When the mutton was cooked, she proudly served up a giant portion to each man, accompanied by a tray of dried cheeses. To the famished men, the flavor-challenged meal tasted like French haute cuisine. After devouring the mutton and cheese, the man brought over a leather bag filled with the home-fermented mare's milk, called airag, and filled three cups.

Noyon entered the ger and sat down behind the men to act as interpreter for his parents, who did not speak English. His father spoke quietly in a deep tone, looking Pitt and Giordino in the eye.

'My father, Tsengel, and my mother, Ariunaa, welcome you to their home,' the boy said.

'We thank you for your hospitality. You have truly saved our lives,' Pitt said, sampling the airag with a toast. He decided the brew tasted like warm beer mixed with buttermilk.

'Tell me, what are you doing in the Gobi without provisions?' Tsengel asked through his son.

'We became separated from our tour group during a brief visit into the desert,' Giordino fibbed. 'We retraced our steps but got lost when the sandstorm struck last night.'

'You were lucky my son found you. There are few settlements in this region of the desert.'

'How far are we from the nearest village?' Pitt asked.

'There is a small settlement about twenty kilometers from here. But enough questions for now,' Tsengel said, seeing the weary look in both men's eyes. 'You must rest after your meal. We will talk again later.'

Noyon led the men to two of the small beds, then followed his father outside to tend the herd. Pitt lay back on the cushioned bed and admired the bright yellow roof supports overhead before falling into a deep, heavy sleep.

He and Giordino woke before dusk to the recurring smell of mutton boiling on the hearth. They stretched their legs outside the ger, walking amid the docile herd of camels that roamed freely about. Tsengel and Noyon soon came galloping up, having spent the afternoon rounding up strays.

'You are looking fit now,' Tsengel said through his son.

'Feeling fit as well,' Pitt replied. The food, liquids, and rest had quickly revitalized the two men and they felt surprisingly refreshed.

'My wife's cooking. It is an elixir,' the man grinned. Tying their horses to the hitching rope then washing at a bucket of soapy water, he led them back into the ger. Another meal of mutton and dried cheese awaited them, accompanied by cooked noodles. This time, Pitt and Giordino consumed the meal with much less relish. The airag was produced earlier and poured in larger quantities, consumed out of small ceramic bowls that never seemed to empty.

'You have an impressive herd,' Giordino remarked, complimenting his host. 'How many head?'

'We own one hundred thirty camels and five horses,' Tsengel replied. 'A satisfactory herd, yet it is a quarter the size of what we once owned on the other side of the border.'

'In Chinese Inner Mongolia?'

'Yes, the so-called autonomous region, which has become little more than another Chinese province.'

Tsengel looked into the fire with a glint of anger in his eyes.