I am indeed reluctant to believe that he is not speaking of
events of which he had cognizance before quitting the East; but there is
no evidence in favour of that view. (Golden Horde, especially 269
seqq.; Ilchan. II. 347, and also p. 35; D'Ohsson, IV. Appendix; Q.
Makrizi, IV. 60.)
The symbolical message mentioned above as sent by Toktai to Noghai,
consisted of a hoe, an arrow, and a handful of earth. Noghai interpreted
this as meaning, "If you hide in the earth, I will dig you out! If you
rise to the heavens I will shoot you down! Choose a battle-field!" What a
singular similarity we have here to the message that reached Darius 1800
years before, on this very ground, from Toktai's predecessors, alien from
him in blood it may be, but identical in customs and mental
characteristics: -
"At last Darius was in a great strait, and the Kings of the Scythians
having ascertained this, sent a herald bearing, as gifts to Darius, a
bird, a mouse, a frog, and five arrows.... Darius's opinion was that the
Scythians meant to give themselves up to him.... But the opinion of
Gobryas, one of the seven who had deposed the Magus, did not coincide with
this; he conjectured that the presents intimated: 'Unless, O Persians, ye
become birds, and fly into the air, or become mice and hide yourselves
beneath the earth, or become frogs and leap into the lakes, ye shall never
return home again, but be stricken by these arrows.' And thus the other
Persians interpreted the gifts." (Herodotus, by Carey, IV. 131, 132.)
Again, more than 500 years after Noghai and Toktai were laid in the
steppe, when Muraview reached the court of Khiva in 1820, it happened that
among the Russian presents offered to the Khan were two loaves of sugar on
the same tray with a quantity of powder and shot. The Uzbegs interpreted
this as a symbolical demand: Peace or War? (V. et Turcomanie, p. 165.)
CHAPTER XXX.
OF THE SECOND MESSAGE THAT TOCTAI SENT TO NOGAI, AND HIS REPLY.
<+>(They carry a threat of attack if he should refuse to present himself
before Toctai. Nogai refuses with defiance. Both sides prepare for war,
but Toctai's force is the greater in numbers.)
CHAPTER XXXI.
HOW TOCTAI MARCHED AGAINST NOGAI.
<+>(The usual description of their advance to meet one another. Toctai is
joined by the two sons of Totamangu with a goodly company. They encamp
within ten miles of each other in the Plain of NERGHI.)
CHAPTER XXXII.
HOW TOCTAI AND NOGAI ADDRESS THEIR PEOPLE, AND THE NEXT DAY JOIN BATTLE.
<+>(The whole of this is in the usual formula without any circumstances
worth transcribing.
