Eastern Europe - The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques And Discoveries Of The English Nation - Volume 2 - Collected By Richard Hakluyt
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And Thereupon They Haue A Prouerbe Of
The Same Matter, As Yet Rife Among Them, Which They Speake In Iesting Sorte
One To Another:
My father or my brother was slaine of Dogges.
The women
which they tooke they brought into their owne countrey, who remayned there
till their dying day. [Sidenote: The region of Burithabeth.] And in
traueling homewardes, the sayd armie of the Mongals came vnto the lande of
Burithabeth (the inhabitants whereof are Pagans) and conquered the people
in battell. These people haue a strange or rather a miserable kinde of
custome. [Sidenote: The manners of the people.] For when anie man's father
deceaseth, he assembleth all his kindred and they eate him. These men haue
no beards at all, for we saw them carie a certaine iron instrument in their
hands wherewith, if any haires growe vpon their chinne, they presently
plucke them out. They are also very deformed. From thence the Tartars army
returned to their owne home.
Qualiter a montibus Caspijs, et ab hommibus subterraneis repulsi sunt.
Cap. 12.
[Sidenote: Alia Chingis expeditio.]
Chingischam etiam illo tempore, quo dimisit alios exercitus contra
Orientem, per terram Kergis cum cxpeditione perrexit, quos tamen tunc bello
non vicit et vt nobis dicebatur, ibidem vsque ad montes Caspios peruenit.
At illi montes in ea parte, ad quam applicauerunt, de lapide Adamantino
sunt: ideoque sagittas et arma ferrea illorum ad se traxerunt. Homines
autem inter Caspios montes conclusi clamorem exercitus, vt creditur,
audientes, montem frangere coeperunt, et cum alio tempore post decem annos
redirent Tartari, montem confractum inuenerunt. Cumque ad illos accedere
attentassent, minime potuerunt: quia nubes quadam erat posita ante ipsos,
vltra quam ire nullatenus poterant. Omnino quippe visum amittebant, statim
vt ad illam perueniebant. [Marginal note: Vide an Hamsem regionem dicat de
qua Haythonus cap. 10.] Illi autem ex aduerso credentes, quod Tartari ad
illos accedere formidarent, insultum contra eos fecerunt, sed statim vt
peruenerunt ad nubem propter causam pradictam, procedere non potuerunt. Ac
vero antequam ad montes pradictos peruenirent Tartari, plusquam per mensem
per vastam solitudinem transierunt, et inde procedentes adhuc contra
Orientem, plusquam per mensem per magnum desertum perrexerunt. Itaque
peruenerunt ad quandam terram, in qua vias quidem tritas videbant, sed
neminem inuenire poterant. Tandem quarentes, vnum hominem cum vxore sua
repererunt, quos in prasentiam Chingischam adduuerunt. [Sidenote:
Troglodyta.] Qui cum interrogasset illos vbi homines allius terra essent,
responderunt, quod in terra sub montibus habitarent. Tunc Chingischam
retenta vxore, misit ad eos virum illum, mandans illis, vt venirent ad
ipsius mandatum. Qui pergens ad illos, omnia narrauit, qua Chingischam eis
mandauit. Illi vero respondentes dixerunt, quod die tali venirent ad ipsum,
vt facerent eius mandatum. Ac ipsi medio tempore per vias occultas sub
terra se congregantes, ad pugnam contra illos venerunt, et subito super eos
irruentes, plurimos occiderunt. [Sidenote: Fabulosus Solis orientis
sonitus.] Solis quoque sonitus in ortu suo sustinere non poterant, imo
tempore, quo oriebatur, oportebat eos vnam aurem ad terram ponere, et
superiorem fortiter obturare, ne sonum illum terribilem audirent. Nec sic
tamen cauere poterant, quin hac de causa plurimi ex eis interirent. Videns
ergo Chingischam et sui, quod nihil proficerent, sed potius homines suos
perderent, fugerunt, ac terra illa exierunt. Illum tamen virum cum vxore
sua secum deduxerunt, qui etiam vsque ad mortem in terra eorum fuerunt.
Interrogati vero, cur in regione sua sub terra soleant habitare, dixerunt,
quod ibi quodam tempore anni, cum oritur Sol, tantus fit sonitus, vt
homines nulla ratione valeant sustmere. Quin etiam tunc in organis et
tympanis caterisque musicis instrumentis percutere solent, vt sonitum illum
non audiant.
The same in English.
How they had the repulse at the Caspian mountaynes, and were driuen backe
by men dwelling in caues. Chap 12.
[Sidenote: Another expedition of Chingis.] Moreouer Chingis Cham, at the
same time when he sent other armies against the East, hee himselfe marched
with a power into the lande of Kergis, which notwithstanding, he conquered
not in that expedition and as it was reported vnto vs, he went on forward
euen to the Caspian mountaines. But the mountaines on that part where they
encamped themselues, were of adamant, and therefore they drew vnto them
their arrowes, and weapons of iron. And certaine men contained within those
Caspian mountaynes, hearing as it was thought, the noyse of the armie, made
a breach through, so that when the Tartars returned vnto the same place
tenne yeeres after, they found the mountaine broken. And attempting to goe
vnto them, they could not: for there stood a cloud before them, beyond
which they were not able to passe, being depriued of their sight so soone
as they approached thereunto. But they on the contrary side thinking that
the Tartars durst not come nigh them gaue the assault, and when they came
at the cloud, they could not proceed for the cause aforesaid. Also the
Tartars, before they came vnto the said mountaines, passed for the space of
a moneth and more, through a vast wildernes, and departing thence towards
the East, they were aboue a moneth traueiling through another huge desert.
At length, they came vnto a land wherin they saw beaten waies, but could
not find any people. Howbeit at the last, diligently seeking, they found a
man and his wife, whom they presented before Chingis Cham: and demanding of
them where the people of that countrey were, they answered, that the people
inhabited vnder the ground in mountains. Then Chingis Cham keeping still
the woman, sent her husband vnto them, giuing them charge to come at his
command. And going vnto them, he declared all things that Chingis Cham had
commanded them. But they answered, that they would vpon such a day visite
him, to satisfie his desire. And in the meane season by blinde and hidden
passages vnder the earth, assembling themselues they came against the
Tartars in warlike manner, and suddenly issuing forth, they slewe a great
number of them. [Sidenote: A fabulous narration of the sun rising.] This
people were not able to endure the terrible noise, which in that place the
Sunne made at his vprising:
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