Europe - The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques And Discoveries Of The English Nation - Volume 4 - Collected By Richard Hakluyt
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They Contemne
Death So Much, As That They Chuse Rather To Die, Then To Yeeld To Their
Enemie, And Are Seene When They Are Slain To Bite The Very Weapon, When
They Are Past Striking Or Helping Of Themselues.
Wherein appeareth how
different the Tartar is in his desperate courage from the Russe and Turke.
For the Russe souldier, if he begin once to retire, putteth all his safetie
in his speedy flight.
And if once he be taken by his enemy, he neither
defendeth himselfe, nor intreateth for his life, as reckoning straight to
die. The Turk commonly, when he is past hope of escaping, falleth to
intreatie, and casteth away his weapon, offereth both his hands, and
holdeth them, as it were to be tied: hoping to saue his life by offering
himselfe bondslaue.
The chiefe bootie the Tartars seeke for in all their warres is to get store
of captiues; specially young boyes, and girles, whome they sell to the
Turkes, or other their neighbours. To this purpose they take with them
great baskets make like bakers panniers, to carry them tenderly, and if any
of them happen to tire, or to be sicke by the way, they dash him against
the ground, or some tree, and so leaue him dead. The Souldiers are not
troubled with keeping the captiues and the other bootie, for hindering the
execution of their warres, but they haue certaine bandes that intend
nothing else, appoynted of purpose to receiue and keepe the captiues and
the other praye.
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