A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 02: 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 02: 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 remained here two days; and at last, on the 26th of August, Marcus and
the rest made their appearance on the other side of the river, and sent a
boat for me in which were two of his servants, a Russian and a Tartar.
Stephen Testa and John Ungaret, my two attendants, were very much
rejoiced at seeing me again, as they believed me entirely lost, and we
rested two days at this place before entering upon the desert. Marcus had
been so attentive as to provide a horse for me, of which I stood in great
need. In this caravan, which was under the command of the Tartar
ambassador, there were about three hundred persons, Russians and Tartars,
who carried with them above two hundred[7] horses, partly intended to
serve as food by the way, and partly for sale in Russia. We arrived in
good order at night on the banks of the river, and we rested every day at
noon during the fifteen days of our journey, as we were now considered to
be out of danger from any attack by the Tartars. I do not recollect the
name of the emperor of the Tartars who inhabit this part of the country
between the Wolga and the Tanais. This nation has no fixed place of abode,
but shift their encampments from place to place, wherever they can find
pasture and water for their cattle, on which they have their whole
dependence, as they subsist entirely on flesh and milk. They have cows,
heifers, and sheep of admirable beauty, the flesh of which is excellent,
as they feed on fine pastures; but these people prefer mares milk to
every other delicacy. Though I have not been in the country of these
Tartars, I have been informed that it is flat and agreeable, having
neither hill nor mountain; but the inhabitants addict themselves
excessively to robbery and plunder, as their sole occupation, and
continually infest the borders of Russia and Circassia by predatory
incursions. Their horses are very wild and unmanageable, and are never
shod. We were told that there is another tribe of Tartars beyond the
Wolga, named wild Tartars, who allow their hair to grow extremely long.
In the middle of winter they often make inroads to the very skirts of the
city of Citracan, whence they carry off cattle, but do no other damage.
These people, like all the Tartars, shift their encampments in search of
pasturage and water.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account