There was once a Khan who went to White Horse Lake and offered his
daughters to the milk white youth who lived there in return for a stallion
from the lake. The youth tested each of the daughters in turn and took
each one beneath the waters of the lake. As he took the last one, he returned
with a milk white stallion that shone like the sun. The Khan was well pleased
for he did not want to pay dowries for his daughters and had gained a stallion
like none other. He rode the stallion back to his camp and all who looked
upon it were impressed by its beauty and speed. One youth looked upon the
stallion and knew that the Khan must have traded his daughters for the
horse. This youth was angered for he loved one of the Khan's daughters
and planned his revenge. When the Khan slept, the youth crept into the
herd and took the stallion away. The guards saw him and cried out, but
none could catch him for the stallion was too fast. The youth made his
way to Black Hill and put up his yurt on the slopes of that place. He used
his great strength to break slabs of stone from the hill and made a camp
for them both. There they lived for a while until they were discovered.
Many people came to claim the stallion but the horse spoke in a human voice
and told the youth "we must flee for they wish to possess me." But the
youth would not flee and would not give away his horse, so he broke his
way into the hill and made a hideout within the hill. He put the stallion
in the cave and covered the entrance with a huge rock that twenty men could
not move. The youth then ran away so that the people would follow him.
The stallion stayed in the cave for a long time and became afraid. He started
neighing for his master and his cries echoed around the cave and were amplified
so that they reached across the plains. The people returned and began to
break the stones that covered his hiding place. As they broke through,
the stallion stamped his hooves on the ground so hard that the ground broke
and pure water sprang from the hoof prints. The stallion leaped as high
as he could and leaped through the hole in the cave entrance. The stallion
galloped across the plains and back to the White Horse Lake, followed by
the waters that flowed from the cave. The stallion dove into the lake and
was never seen again. The youth followed him and dove into the lake after
him, but returned holding the Khan's daughter, his true love. Even today,
Dancing Stallion River can be seen flowing from Black Hill across the plains
and into the north side of White Horse Lake.
[End]