On The East Side Of This
River Baatu Always Travels, And Sartach On The West, Never Going Farther
South Than
This place, as there is very good grass in great abundance.
Coiacs father, on receiving the letters of Sartach, restored
My vestments,
except a surplice, an albs, an almic trimmed with fine silk, a stole, a
girdle, and a tualia adorned with gold embroidery. He gave me back,
likewise, my silver plate, except the censer, and a small box for holding
chrism, all of which were with the priest who attended Sartach; and he
returned my books, except our ladys psalter, which he kept with my leave,
as I could not deny him, for he said Sartach took great delight in it. A
bible also, and an Arabian book worth thirty sultanies, were retained, and
many other things which I never recovered. Sarai, and the palace of Baatu
are on the east side of the river, and the valley through which the arms of
the river spread abroad, is more than seven leagues in breadth.
After leaving Sarai, on the feast of All Saints, 1st November, we travelled
south till the feast of St Martin, 11th November, when we came to the
mountains of the Alani. In fifteen days travel we found no people, except
at one little village, where one of the sons of Sartach resided,
accompanied by many falconers, and falcons. For the first five days we did
not meet a single man, and were a whole day and night in great danger of
perishing for want of water. The Alani in some of the mountains, still hold
out against the Tartars, so that two of every ten of the subjects of
Sartach are obliged to guard certain passes in the mountains of Dagistan,
lest the Alanians carry away the cattle in the plain. There are likewise
certain Mahometans called Lesghis in these mountains who are not
subjugated, so that the Tartars had to give us a guard of twenty men to see
us safe beyond the Iron-gate. I was glad of this circumstance, as I had
never seen the Tartars armed; and yet, of all those twenty, only two had
habergions, which they said they had procured from the Alani, who are
excellent smiths and armourers. In my opinion, the Tartars have small store
of armour, except bows and arrows, and leather jackets; some have iron
plates, and skull cups from Persia, and I saw two at the court of Mangu
armed with clumsy and unwieldy coats of rough hog-skin. We found one castle
of the Alanians, which had been subdued by the Tartars, about which there
were many vineyards, and there we drank wine for the first time. On the
following day we reached Derbent or the Iron-gate, built by Alexander the
Macedonian, on a small plain between the sea and the mountains, one end of
the city reaching to the shore, while the other extends a mile in length to
the top of the mountain, on which is a strong castle. But the breadth of
the city scarcely exceeds a stones throw. It has very strong walls, and
turrets of large polished stones, with no trenches; but the Tartars have
demolished the tops of the turrets, and the bulwarks of the walls.
Two days journey from Derbent we came to a city named Samaron[3], in which
there were many Jews; near which we saw walls descending from the mountains
to the sea; and leaving the way by the sea, because it turns to the east,
we went up into the high countries, towards the south. Next day we passed
through a valley, in which we could perceive the foundations of walls,
stretching quite across between two mountains, which were themselves quite
impassable. All these walls were erected of old by Alexander, for
restraining the fierce nations of Scythian shepherds, inhabiting the
wilderness, from invading the plains and cities of the southern countries
of Persia and Asia Minor. There were also other walls and inclosures
inhabited by Jews. Next day we came to a great city called Samach[4]; and
after this we entered the great plain of Moan, through which runs the river
Cur or Cyrus, from which the Curgi or Curdi have their name, whom we call
Georgians, and which river passes through the middle of Tefflis, their
capital. The Cur comes directly from the west, running east into the
Caspian, and in it are excellent salmon[5]. In the plains of Moan or Mogan
we again met with Tartars; and through this plain flows the Araxes, which
comes from Armenia the Greater, called likewise the land of Ararat. To the
west of that plain is Curgia[6], and in this plain the Crosmini, Krosmians
or Korasmiens[7], formerly dwelt. Ganges or Kanja, a great city in the
entrance of the mountains towards Georgia, was their capital, and prevented
the Georgians from coming down to plunder the plain country. We next came
to a bridge of boats fastened together with great iron chains, for crossing
the united stream of the Kur and Araxes.
We proceeded thence, travelling up the river called pontem inidignatus
Araxes, leaving Persia and the Caspian mountains on our left hand, towards
the south, Curgia and the great sea on our right hand, towards the west[8].
Going all the way southwards[9], we passed through the meadows of Bacchu-
khan, the general of the Tartar army on the Araxes, who has likewise
subjugated the Curgi, the Turks, and the Persians. There is another Tartar
governor of Persia at Tauris, named Argon, who presides over the tribute.
But Mangu-khan has recalled both of these generals to make way for one of
his brothers, as I formerly mentioned, who is to have the command in
Persia. I was in the house of Bacchu, who gave me wine, while he drank
cosmos; and, although it was the best new wine, I would rather have had
cosmos, if he had offered it, being more restorative for such a half
starved wretch as I then was.
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