Part 13 (1/1)

My young lord had a faithful Siberian servant, as perfectly acquainted with the country, and led us by private roads, so that we avoided coreat road, such as Tumen, Soloy Kaarrisons which are kept there are very curious and strict in their observation upon travellers, and searching lest any of the banished persons of note should make their escape that way into Muscovy; but, by this means, as ere kept out of the cities, so our whole journey was a desert, and ere obliged to encaood acco lord was so sensible of, that he would not allow us to lie abroad e came to several cities on the way, but lay abroad himself, with his servant, in the woods, and met us always at the appointed places

We had just entered Europe, having passed the river Kama, which in these parts is the boundary between Europe and Asia, and the first city on the European side was called Soloy Kareat city on the river Kaht to see some evident alteration in the people; but ere mistaken, for as we had a vast desert to pass, which is near seven hundredin some places, but not above two hundred miles over where we passed it, so, till we came past that horrible place, we found very little difference between that country and Mogul Tartary The people are ans; their houses and towns full of idols; and their way of living wholly barbarous, except in the cities and villages near them, where they are Christians, as they call theled with so many relics of superstition, that it is scarce to be known in so this forest (after all our dangers were, to our iht, indeed, we must have been plundered and robbed, and perhaps murdered, by a troop of thieves: of what country they were I am yet at a loss to know; but they were all on horseback, carried bows and arrows, and were at first about forty-five in number They ca no questions, surrounded us with their horses, and looked very earnestly upon us twice; at length, they placed themselves just in our way; upon which we drew up in a little line, before our ca not above sixteen men in all

Thus drawn up, we halted, and sent out the Siberian servant, who attended his lord, to see who they were; his o, because he was not a little apprehensive that they were a Siberian troop sent out after hi of truce, and called to thees, or dialects of languages rather, he could not understand a word they said; however, after sons to him not to come near them at his peril, the fellow came back no wiser than he went; only that by their dress, he said, he believed them to be some Tartars of Kalmuck, or of the Circassian hordes, and that there h he never heard that any of them were seen so far north before

This was small comfort to us; however, we had no remedy: there was on our left hand, at about a quarter of a rove, and very near the road I immediately resolved we should advance to those trees, and fortify ourselves as well as we could there; for, first, I considered that the trees would in a great measure cover us from their arrows; and, in the next place, they could not couese pilot who proposed it, and who had this excellency attending him, that he was always readiest and er We advanced iained that little wood; the Tartars, or thieves, for we knew not what to call the to hinder us When we careat satisfaction, that it was a swa of water, which, running out in a little brook, was a little farther joined by another of the like size; and was, in short, the source of a considerable river, called afterwards the Wirtska; the trees which grew about this spring were not above two hundred, but very large, and stood pretty thick, so that as soon as we got in,ourselves perfectly safe from the enemy unless they attacked us on foot

While we stayed here waiting thethat they uese, with some help, cut several ar across from one tree to another, and in a ht they cah we had not perceived it, we found they had been joined by some more, so that they were near fourscore horse; whereof, however, we fancied some omen They came on till they ithin half-shot of our little wood, e fired one ue to knohat they wanted, and bade them keep off; but they ca ere so barricaded that they could not easily break in Our old pilot was our captain as well as our engineer, and desired 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 let fly We aimed so true that we killed fourteen of them, 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 coed they were Tartars, but knew not how they cath

About an hour after they again made a motion to attack us, and rode round our little wood to see where theyus always ready to face theain; and we resolved not to stir for that night

We slept little, but spent theour situation, and barricading the entrances into the wood, and keeping a strict watch We waited for daylight, and when it caave us a very unwelcoht were discouraged with the reception they reatly increased, and had set up eleven or twelve huts or tents, as if they were resolved to besiege us; and this little camp they had pitched upon the open plain, about three-quarters of a ave myself over for lost, and all that I had; the loss of h 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 to oods would be his ruin, and that he would rather die than be starved, and he was for fighting to the last drop

The young lord, ato the last also; and my old pilot was of opinion that ere able to resist them all in the situation ere then in Thus we spent the day in debates of e should do; but towards evening we found that the number of our ene they an to inquire of those people we had brought froht avoid theet help to guard us over the desert The young lord's Siberian servant told us, if we designed to avoid theht, to a way that went north, towards the river Petruz, by which he et away, and the Tartars never discover it; but, he said, his lord had told hiht I told him he hting for the sake of it; that I kneas brave enough by what he had showed already; but that he knew better than to desire 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 orders, 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, and we could see the stars (for our guide would not stir before), having all our horses and cauide, who I soon found steered hi way

After we had travelled two hours very hard, it began to be lighter still; not that it was dark all night, but the hter than ished it to be; but by six o'clock the nextale, na of the Kalht we set out again, and travelled till eight the next h not quite so hard as before; and about seven o'clock we passed a little river, called Kirtza, and cae town inhabited by Russians, called Ozomys; there we heard that several troops of Kalmucks had been abroad upon the desert, but that ere now coreat satisfaction

Here ere obliged to get soh of rest, we stayed five days; and ive the honest Siberian who conducted us thither the value of ten pistoles

In five daysinto the Dwina: ere there, very happily, near the end of our travels by land, that river being navigable, in seven days' passage, to Archangel Fro ourselves with two luggage boats, and a barge for our own convenience, we eel the 18th; having been a year, fiveour stay of about 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 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 safe in the Elbe the 18th of Septeoods, as well those of China as the sables, &c, of Siberia: and, dividing the produce,about six hundred pounds' worth of dia lord took his leave of us, and went up the Elbe, in order to go to the court of Vienna, where he resolved to seek protection and could correspond with those of his father's friends ere left alive

He did not part without testiratitude for the service I had done him, and for my kindness to the prince, his father

To conclude: having stayed near four ue, where I embarked in the packet, and arrived in London the 10th of January 1705, having been absent fro to harass er journey than all these, having lived seventy- two years a life of infinite variety, and learned sufficiently to know the value of retire our days in peace