Travels into Turkey: Containing the most accurate account of the Turks, and neighbouring nations, their manners, customs, religion, superstition, policy, riches, coins, &c. — John Shaqi
Travels into Turkey: Containing the most accurate account of the Turks, and neighbouring nations, their manners, customs, religion, superstition, policy, riches, coins, &c.Busbecq, Ogier Ghislain de
History
Travels into Turkey: Containing the most accurate account of the Turks, and neighbouring nations, their manners, customs, religion, superstition, policy, riches, coins, &c.
Busbecq, Ogier Ghislain de
Turkey -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
Matters being thus composed at _Buda_, as well as we could, my Companion
_Paliani_ returned to the Emperor; but I for my part, shipp’d my Horses,
Coaches, and all my Family on some Vessels, prepared for me on the
_Danow_, and so passed down the Stream to _Belgrade_; this was a shorter
cut, and also more secure; for my Journey by Land to _Belgrade_, would at
that Time have cost me at least twelve Days, especially, having such a
deal of heavy Baggage with me; and besides, we had been in danger to be
Robb’d by the _Heyduc_’s, so the _Hungarians_ call a sort of plundering
Thieves and Robbers; but upon the Water there was no fear at all of them;
and besides, we compassed our Journey in five Days. The Vessel in which I
was, was drawn along by a lesser Pinnace, in which there were twenty-four
Oars; the other Vessels had but two large Oars a-piece. The Mariners
rowed Night and Day without any Intermission, excepting only a few Hours
that the poor Souls borrow’d to Sleep and Eat in. In my Passage down the
River, I could not but observe the venturousness, not to say temerity of
the _Turks_, who were not afraid to Sail on in the mistiest Weather and
darkest Night, and when the Wind blew very hard too; and besides, there
were many Water-mills, with several Trunks and Boughs of Trees hanging
over the Banks, which made our Passage very Dangerous; so that some times
our Vessel, by the boisterousness of the Wind, was driven to the Bank,
and there dash’d against old stumps of Trees hanging over, so that it
was like to split; this is certain, that she lost some Planks out of
her Hulk, which made a terrible crack and noise when they were loosed
therefrom. This noise awak’d me; leaping out of my Bed, I advis’d the
Mariners to be more cautious: they lift up their Voices, and gave me no
other Answer than _Alaure_, i. e. _God will help_, and so I might go to
Bed again, if I would.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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