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Escaped wearing a wooden yoke
Striking the Guard
The Taichiud, a neighboring people, had captured him, and every night he was taken to a different ger to be guarded by that family. One night a celebration left most of the camp drinking, and he was alone with a boy who was not very smart. Temujin whipped the yoke around and hit the boy in the head, knocking him out. The lesson stuck with the Mongols for generations: if it moves, it's a weapon.
Hiding in the River
He ran to the river and hid in the water with the yoke still locked on him, breathing as best he could in the dark. The searchers walked up and down the banks and gave up for the night, sure he could not possibly escape.
The Family That Helped
The next day he went to the one family he thought would help, who were themselves captives of the Taichiud. At great risk to themselves, they sawed the yoke off, burned it in their fire, and gave him food. Then he had to go and find his own family again.
Why did the Taichiud want Temujin captive?
The Taichiud were kinsmen of Temujin's father, Yesuke, and their chief was Targutai. According to the Secret History, they abandoned Hoelun's family after Yesuke died. Once Temujin grew up, Targutai raided his camp and took him prisoner. Temujin was then a young man of the clan they had left to fend for itself.
How does a wooden yoke restrain a prisoner?
A wooden collar like this locked the neck and often the hands into a single heavy frame. The prisoner could not feed himself or lie down comfortably, and he needed help to do almost anything. Similar boards, called cangues, were used as punishment in China for centuries. The Secret History describes the frame Temujin wore as a wooden collar.
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