4 Friends and Allies

Chapter 3 Friends and Allies When Temujin was sixteen years old, he traveled back across the steppe to claim his bride. Borte's family was happy to see him. Her father gave the couple a valuable coat made of black sable fur as a wedding gift. Temujin returned home with Borte, eager to start a family. But he could not risk being captured again—or worse, killed. To protect his clan, he needed allies. Temujin visited the powerful Kereyid tribe seeking an alliance. He met with their leader, Toghril, in his golden ger. Since Toghril and Temujin's father had been andas, Temujin hoped

Toghril would agree to become his ally. To seal the deal, he gave Toghril the beautiful sable coat. THE NOMADIC TRIBES OF THE STEPPE

MANY PEOPLE CALLED THE STEPPE HOME. TEMUJIN'S TRIBE, THE MONGOLS, WERE NOT UNIFIED, BUT DIVIDED INTO SEPARATE CLANS. MORE POWERFUL TRIBES SURROUNDED THEM. TO THEIR NORTHWEST WERE THE MERKID, WHO SOMETIMES RODE ON REINDEER. THE TRIBES TO THEIR SOUTHWEST AND FAR WEST WERE THE KEREYID AND THE NAIMAN. TO THE EAST WERE THE TATARS. THE TRIBES WERE NOMADIC, MEANING THEY DID NOT HAVE PERMANENT SETTLEMENTS. THEY MOVED WITH THE SEASONS IN SEARCH OF GRAZING LANDS FOR THEIR HERDS OF SHEEP, GOATS, COWS, AND HORSES.

THEY WERE POOR. BECAUSE THERE WAS VERY LITTLE TRADE WITH FOREIGN COUNTRIES, IT WAS EASIER TO JUST ATTACK A NEIGHBOR AND STEAL THINGS. YEAR AFTER YEAR, CENTURY AFTER CENTURY, THE STEPPE TRIBES ATTACKED AND RAIDED OTHER CLANS AND TRIBES. Toghril accepted Temujin's gift and offered him a position of power within the Kereyid tribe. But Temujin declined. He only wanted Toghril's protection. In return, he and his men would fight for Toghril whenever it was needed. Temujin returned home.

One day, eight of Temujin's horses were stolen. He rode his only remaining horse to pursue the thieves. On his journey he met a boy named Boorchu who helped find and recover the horses. Temujin asked Boorchu how many horses he would like as a reward, but Boorchu refused. "I joined you," Boorchu said, "because I saw that you were in trouble and in need of help." Then Boorchu joined Temujin's camp. The two became lifelong friends. Around this time, another boy named Jelme joined Temujin's camp. Although Jelme was sent to Temujin as a servant, he was treated as an equal. One day, Jelme would become Temujin's most trusted commander. Temujin now had powerful protection and new friends in his clan.

But he still had enemies. It was around this time that the Merkid raided Temujin's camp and kidnapped Borte. After praying for guidance on Burkhan Khaldun, Temujin rode down the mountain to ask his Kereyid allies for help. Toghril offered twenty thousand of his troops, plus twenty thousand more from another ally. That ally was Temujin's blood brother. His anda, Jamuka. The blood brothers were reunited! The men rode over the mountains to attack the Merkid camp and rescue Borte. But Borte did not know the attack was a rescue mission. When the Merkid scattered, she fled.