RUSSIA " PASSENGERS WILL PLEASE REFRAIN " MOSCOW-BOUND TRAIN NO . 7 
HAD JUST PULLED INTO NAUSHKI, THE SOVIET RAILROAD CHECKPOINT ON THE 
MONGOLIAN FRONTIER . SUDDENLY, SWARMS OF RED CHINESE STUDENTS DASHED OUT 
OF THE COACHES AND INTO THE STATION, TIED THEMSELVES WITH BELTS 
TO BLOCK THE ENTRANCES . THEN, IN THE WORDS OF ASTOUNDED 
STATIONMASTER PROKOP MIKHAILOV, THEY " EMPTIED THEIR BOWELS AND BLADDERS ON 
THE FLOOR, IN SPITOONS, AND ON BENCHES . AND THE MEN'S 
ROOM WAS ONLY A FEW STEPS AWAY . " CAUSE OF 
THE MESSY MELEE WAS THE DISCOVERY OF ANTI-MOSCOW PROPAGANDA IN THE 
COMPARTMENTS OF THE 19-MAN RED CHINESE TRAIN CREW AND THE 73 
STUDENTS ABOARD THE MOSCOW-PEKING EXPRESS . WHEN FOUR RUSSIAN BORDER GUARDS 
AND CUSTOMS OFFICIALS TRIED TO CONFISCATE THE DOCUMENTS, MOBS OF RED 
CHINESE DEFIANTLY BLOCKED THE AISLES . ATTEMPTING TO FIGHT THEIR WAY 
THROUGH THE CROWD, THE HAPLESS SOVIET OFFICIALS WERE PUMMELED, SCRATCHED AND 
BITTEN ; FINALLY THEY WERE LOCKED INTO A COMPARTMENT FOR FIVE 
HOURS . WHEN THE RUSSIANS HASTILY ASSEMBLED A REPLACEMENT TRAIN FOR 
THE ONWARD JOURNEY TO MOSCOW, THE PEKING CREW LOCKED THE EMERGENCY 
BRAKES ON THEIR OWN EQUIPMENT, RAISED RED SIGNALS, AND MOVED CRANES 
TO BLOCKADE THE RAILS . IN THE END, THE HARRIED RUSSIANS 
WERE ABLE TO FORCE THE CHINESE TRAIN AND ITS RAMBUNCTIOUS PASSENGERS 
BACK OVER THE FRONTIER INTO MONGOLIA, AND WITH A SIGH OF 
RELIEF, SOVIET TRAINMEN CHUGGED OFF TOWARD MOSCOW IN THE REPLACEMENT TRAIN 
. IT MIGHT WELL BE THE LAST TRIP IN A LONG 
TIME FOR THE MOSCOW-PEKING EXPRESS . THE KREMLIN DASHED OFF A 
SCATHING OFFICIAL PROTEST TO PEKING OVER THE " PROVOCATIVE VIOLATION OF 
ELEMENTARY SANITARY AND HYGIENIC STANDARDS, " THEN PEREMPTORILY SUSPENDED SERVICE ON 
THE ROUTE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE . 