The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 03Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 03
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
Note. These last 30 daies iourney is without habitation of houses:
therefore trauellers lodge in their own tents, carying with them to eate,
their seuerall prouisions: and for drinesse there bee many wels of faire
water at equall baiting places not farre distant dayly to be had.
From Boghar to Taskent easie travelling with goods, is 14 dayes by land.
From Taskent to Occient 7 dayes.
From Occient to Cascar 20 daies. This Cascar is the head towne or citie of
another prince, lying betweene Boghar and Cathaia, called Reshit can.
From Cascar to Sowchick 30 daies iourney, which Sowchick is the first
border of Kathay.
From Sowchick to Camchick 5 dayes iourney, and from Camchick to Cathay is 2
moneths iourney, all the way being inhabited, temperate, and wel
replenished with innumerable fruits, and the chiefe citie in that whole
land is called Cambalu, which is yet 10 dayes iourney from Cathay.
Beyond this land of Cathay, which they praise to be ciuill and vnspeakeably
rich, is the countrey named in the Tartarian tongue Cara-calmack inhabited
with blacke people: but in Cathay the most part thereof stretching to the
sunne rising, are people white and of faire complexion. Their religion
also, as the Tartars report, is christian, or after the maner of
Christians, and their language peculiar, differing from the Tartarian
tongue.
There are no great and furious Beares in trauelling through the waies
aforesaid, but wolues white and blacke. And because that woods are not of
such quantitie there, as in these parts of Russia, but in maner rather
scant then plentiful, as is reported, the Beares breed not that way, but
some other beasts (as namely one in Russe called Barse) are in those
coasts. This Barse appeareth by a skinne of one seene here to sell, to be
nere so great as a big lion, spotted very faire and therefore we here take
it to be a Leopard or Tiger.
[Sidenote: Angrim] Note that 20 daies iourney from Cathay is a country
named Angrim, where liueth the beast that beareth the best Muske, and the
principal thereof is cut out of the knee of the male. [Sidenote: Mandeuille
speaketh hereof.] The people are taunie, and for that the men are not
bearded nor differ in complexion from women, they have certaine tokens of
iron, that is to say: the men weare the sunne round like a bosse vpon their
shoulders, and women on their priuie parts. Their feeding is raw flesh in
the same land, and in another called Titay: [Marginal Note: or Kitay.] the
Duke there is called Can. [Sidenote: Small people.] They worship the fire,
and it is 34 dayes iourney from great Cathay, and in the way lyeth the
beautifull people, eating with kniues of golde, and are called Comorom, and
the land of small people is neerer the Mosko then Cathay.
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