A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 01: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 01: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
I am convinced that these Jugurs, who are mixed with Christians and
Mahometans, have arrived at the knowledge and belief of one God, by
frequent disputations with them. This nation dwells in cities, which were
brought under subjection to Zingis, who gave his daughter in marriage to
their king. Even Caracarum is in a manner in their territories. The whole
country of Prester John and of Vut or Unc, his brother, lay round the
territories of the Jugurs, only that the subjects of the former inhabited
the pasture lands on the north, while the Jugurs dwelt among the mountains
to the south. As the Moals have adopted the writing of the Jugurs, these
latter are the chief Scribes among the Tartars, and almost all the
Nestorians are acquainted with their letters.
Next to the Jugurs, among the mountains to the east, are the Tanguts, a
powerful people who once made Zingis prisoner in battle; but having
concluded peace, he was set at liberty, and afterwards subdued them. Among
the Tanguts, there are oxen of great strength, having flowing tails like
horses, and their backs and bellies covered with long hair. These are
shorter legged than other oxen, but much fiercer, having long, slender,
straight, and very sharp pointed horns, and they are much used for drawing
the great houses of the Moals; but the cows will not allow themselves to be
yoked unless they are sung to at the same time. These animals are of the
nature of the buffalo, for when they see a person clothed in red, they run
furiously upon him to put him to death.
Beyond these are the people of Tebet, who were wont to eat the dead bodies
of their parents, from a motive of piety, considering that to be the most
honourable sepulchre; but they have discontinued this custom, which was
looked upon as abominable by all other nations. They still, however,
continue to make handsome drinking cups of the skulls of their parents,
that they may call them to remembrance even in their mirth. I received this
information from an eye-witness. In their country there is much gold, so
that any one who is in want, digs till he finds enough for his necessities,
and leaves the rest behind for another occasion; for they have an opinion,
that God would conceal all other gold from them in the earth, if they were
to hoard any in their houses. I saw some of these people, who are much
deformed. The people of Tangut are tall lusty men of a brown complexion.
The Jugurs are of middle stature like ourselves, and their language is the
root or origin of the Turkish and Comanian languages.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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