Narrative of Travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa, in the Seventeenth Century, Vol. IIEvliya Çelebi
History
Narrative of Travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa, in the Seventeenth Century, Vol. II
Evliya Çelebi
Caucasus, South -- Description and travel; Istanbul (Turkey) -- Description and travel; Turkey -- History
He distributed large sums of money amongst the inhabitants of
Kúrdseraí, who rescued the men and animals, while the troops on both
sides of the river were running about crying and lamenting. Some brave
fellows swam amongst the drifting shoals, but others were submerged,
and camels, mules, horses and men, were floating about in confusion
and dismay; some of whom were drowned and some saved. Some Kurds and
Turcomans swam into the midst of the ice and rescued many camels, mules
and horses, but as those who had crossed had left their clothes on this
side the river, it so happened that a great number perished from cold.
Of all the baggage, only that which had passed over before the ice
began to drift was saved, the rest was lost. An hundred and sixty men,
more than a thousand horses and mules were drowned, but only a small
number of camels. The drowned men were for the most part Kulenkjí,
Sárija and Segbán; some going to paradise and others to hell: the
latter were at least delivered from the hell of winter. This horrible
discomfiture lasted only from the morning till afternoon, when the
drifting of the ice and the storm suddenly ceased, so that the Tatars,
Delís, and Gonillás, who had waited till then, crossed over without the
least difficulty. Witnessing these misfortunes I reflected on the cruel
conduct of those troops, who had behaved in so barbarous a manner in
the passage at Chardáklí-púlí, and now at Kúrd-dereh: burning down the
houses, throwing infants on the snow and wounding men and women with
battle-axes. The inhabitants of the villages came crying and lamenting
to the Páshá,; but what was to be done with this crowd of Sárija and
Segbán, of whom the Páshá stood in need and whose excesses therefore
he was obliged to tolerate. I, poor Evliya, whilst witnessing those
scenes, shivered at the thought of the vengeance which God would send
one day on those cruel troops.
_Praise of Sheikh Bárdáklí-bábá._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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