What Distressed Me Most
Of All, Was When I Wished To Address Them Upon Religious Subjects, My
Foolish Interpreter Used
To say, "You shall not make me a preacher, and I
neither will nor can rehearse these words." Nay, after
I began to acquire
some little knowledge of their language, I found, when I spoke one thing,
he would say quite differently, whatever chanced to come uppermost in his
senseless mind. Thus, seeing the danger I might incur in speaking by so
faithless an interpreter, I resolved rather to be silent.
We thus journeyed on from station to station, till at length a few days
before the festival of Mary Magdalen, 22d July, we arrived on the banks of
the mighty river Tanais or Don, which divides Europe from Asia. At this
place Baatu and Sartach had established a station of Russians on the
eastern bank of the river, on purpose to transport merchants and messengers
across. They ferried us over in the first place, and then our carts; and
their boats were so small that they were obliged to use two boats tied
together for one cart, putting a wheel into each. In this place our guides
acted most foolishly; for believing that the Russians would provide us with
horses and oxen, they sent back those we had from the western side of the
river, to their masters. But when relays were demanded from the Russians,
they alleged that they had a privilege from Baatu, exempting them from all
services except those belonging to the ferry, and for which they were even
accustomed to receive considerable rewards from such merchants as passed
that way.
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