Part 40 (1/1)

But to able application, cut down great ar, not cut quite off, from one tree to another; so that he made a continued fence al thethey ht, they cah we had not perceived it, we found they had been joined by some more of the same, so that they were near fourscore horse, whereof, however, we fancied some omen

They came in till they ithin half a shot of our little wood, e fired one ue, to knohat they wanted, and bid the of e said, they caining ere so barricaded, that they could not break in Our old pilot was our captain, as well as he had been our engineer; and desired of us, not to fire upon theht be sure to kill; and that, e did fire, we should be sure to take good aiive the word of co, that they were, soth of us e fired

We aimed so true, (or Providence directed our shot so sure) that we killed fourteen of them at the first volley, and wounded several others, as also several of their horses; for we had all of us loaded our pieces with two or three bullets apiece at least

They were terribly surprised with our fire, and retreated immediately about one hundred rods fro theht four or five of their horses, whose riders, we supposed, were killed; and co up to the dead, we could easily perceive they were Tartars, but knew not from what country, or how they cath

About an hour after, they ain, and rode round our little wood, to see where else theyus always ready to face theain, and we resolved not to stir froht

We slept but little, you thening our situation, and barricading the entrances into the wood; and, keeping a strict watch, aited for daylight, and, when it caave us a very unwelcoht were discouraged with the reception they had met with, were now increased to no less than three hundred, and had set up eleven or twelve huts and tents, as if they were resolved to besiege us; and this little camp they had pitched, was upon the open plain, at about three quarters of a mile from us We were indeed surprised at this discovery; and now, I confess, I gave myself over for lost, and all that I had The loss of h they were very considerable) as the thoughts of falling into the hands of such barbarians, at the latter end of one through; and even in sight of our port, where we expected safety and deliverance As for oods would be his ruin; and he would rather die than be starved; and he was for fighting to the last drop

The young lord, as gallant as ever flesh shewed itself, was for fighting to the last also; and my old pilot was of the opinion ere able to resist them all, in the situation we then were in: and thus we spent the day in debates of e should do; but towards evening, we found that the number of our enemies still increased: perhaps, as they were abroad in several parties for prey, the first had sent out scouts to call for help, and to acquaint the they an to inquire of those people we had brought from Tobolski, if there were no other, or ht, and perhaps either retreat to souard us over the desert

The Siberian, as servant to the young lord, told us, if we designed to avoid theht to a way that went north towards the river Petraz, by which he et away, and the Tartars never the wiser; but he said, his lord had told hiht I told him, he hting for the sake of it; that I knew his lord was brave enough by what he had shewed already; but that his lord knew better than to desire to have seventeen or eighteen ht five hundred, unless an unavoidable necessity forced theht it possible for us to escape in the night, we had nothing else to do but to atteave him such order, he would lose his life if he did not perforh privately, and we i it in practice

And first, as soon as it began to be dark, we kindled a fire in our little ca, and prepared so as to ht conclude ere still there; but, as soon as it was dark, that is to say, so as we could see the stars, (for our guide would not stir before) having all our horses and cauide, who, I soon found, steered hi level for a long way

After we had travelled two hours very hard, it began to be lighter still; not that it was quite dark all night, but the hter than ished it to be; but by six o'clock next h the truth is, we ale, na of the Kalht we set out again, and travelled till eight the next h not quite so hastily as before; and about seven o'clock we passed a little river, called Kirtza, and cae town inhabited by Russians, and very populous, called Ozomya There we heard, that several troops or herds of Kalmucks had been abroad upon the desert, but that ere now coreat satisfaction, you et soh of rest, we staid five days; and ht us hither, the value of ten pistoles for his conducting us

In five days da, which running into the river Dwina, ere there very happily near the end of our travels by land, that river being navigable in seven days passage to Archangel From hence we came to Lawrenskoy, where the river joins, the third of July; and provided ourselves with two luggage-boats, and a barge, for our convenience We ehteenth, having been a year, fiveour stay of eight ed to stay at this place six weeks for the arrival of the shi+ps, and her colish shi+ps; when after soht happen to be as good a ht with hioods on board, it was most natural for me to put my steward, on board to take care of the lord had a sufficient opportunity to conceal hiain in all the tiht not be seen in the city, where some of the Moscow merchants would certainly have seen and discovered hiust the sae, arrived in the Elbe the thirteenth of Septeoods, as well those of China, as the sables, &c of Siberia; and dividing the produce of our effects my share a so es we had been at; only re that I had included, in this, about 600_l_ worth of dia lord took his leave of us, and went up to the Elbe, in order to go to the court of Vienna, where he resolved to seek protection, and where he could correspond with those of his father's friends ere left alive He did not part without all the testiratitude for the service I had done him, and his sense of my kindness to the prince his father

To conclude: having staid near four ue, where I embarked in the packet, and arrived in London the tenth of January 1705, having been gone fro to harass er journey than all these, having lived seventy-two years a life of infinite variety, and learnt sufficiently to know the value of retire our days in peace