And It Was Apparently To An Analogous Cross Between Caucasians And
Turanians That The Term Was Applied In Tenduc.
Moorcroft also speaks of
this class in Ladak, calling them Argands.
Mr. Shaw styles them "a set
of ruffians called Argoons, half-bred between Toorkistan fathers and
Ladak mothers.... They possess all the evil qualities of both races,
without any of their virtues." And the author of the Dabistan, speaking of
the Tibetan Lamas, says: "Their king, if his mother be not of royal blood,
is by them called Arghun, and not considered their true king." [See p.
291, my reference to Wellby's Tibet. - H. C.] Cunningham says the word is
probably Turki, [Arabic], Arghun, "Fair," "not white," as he writes to
me, "but ruddy or pink, and therefore 'fair.' Arghun is both Turki
and Mogholi, and is applied to all fair children, both male and female, as
Arghun Beg, Arghuna Khatun," etc.[3] We find an Arghun tribe named in
Timur's Institutes, which probably derived its descent from such
half-breeds. And though the Arghun Dynasty of Kandahar and Sind claimed
their descent and name from Arghun Khan of Persia, this may have had no
other foundation.
There are some curious analogies between these Argons of whom Marco speaks
and those Mahomedans of Northern China and Chinese Turkestan lately
revolted against Chinese authority, who are called Tungani, or as the
Russians write it Dungen, a word signifying, according to Professor
Vambery, in Turki, "a convert."[4] These Tungani are said by one account
to trace their origin to a large body of Uighurs, who were transferred to
the vicinity of the Great Wall during the rule of the Thang Dynasty (7th
to 10th century). Another tradition derives their origin from Samarkand.
And it is remarkable that Rashiduddin speaks of a town to the west or
north-west of Peking, "most of the inhabitants of which are natives of
Samarkand, and have planted a number of gardens in the Samarkand
style."[5] The former tradition goes on to say that marriages were
encouraged between the Western settlers and the Chinese women. In after
days these people followed the example of their kindred in becoming
Mahomedans, but they still retained the practice of marrying Chinese
wives, though bringing up their children in Islam. The Tungani are stated
to be known in Central Asia for their commercial integrity; and they were
generally selected by the Chinese for police functionaries. They are
passionate and ready to use the knife; but are distinguished from both
Manchus and Chinese by their strength of body and intelligent
countenances. Their special feature is their predilection for mercantile
speculations.
Looking to the many common features of the two accounts - the origin as a
half-breed between Mahomedans of Western extraction and Northern Chinese,
the position in the vicinity of the Great Wall, the superior physique,
intelligence, and special capacity for trade, it seems highly probable
that the Tungani of our day are the descendants of Marco's Argons.
Otherwise we may at least point to these analogies as a notable instance
of like results produced by like circumstances on the same scene; in fact,
of history repeating itself.
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