Their Troops Are Regularly Distributed Into Bands Of
Tens, Hundreds, Thousands, And Ten Thousands; A Troop Of An Hundred Is
Called A Tuc, And A Body Of Ten Thousand Is Called A Toman.
They carry
them felt houses along with them, for shelter in bad weather.
When
necessity requires, they will ride for ten days together without victuals,
subsisting upon the blood of their horses, by cutting a vein and sucking
the blood. But they likewise prepare dried milk, for taking with them in
their expeditions, in the following manner: After taking off the cream,
which is made into butter, they boil the milk and dry it in the sun into a
kind of hard curd, of which every man in the army carries about ten pounds
along with him. Every morning they take about half a pound of this curd,
which they put into a leathern bottle with a quantity of water, and as he
rides along, the motion of the horse shakes and mixes these together, and
this mess suffices for the food of one day. When they approach towards the
enemy, they send out numerous scouts on all sides, that they may not be
assaulted unawares, and to bring intelligence of the numbers, motions, and
posture of the enemy. When they come to battle, they ride about in apparent
disorder, shooting with their arrows; and sometimes make a show of
precipitate flight, discharging their arrows backwards as they fly; and
when by these means they have broken or dispersed the enemy, they suddenly
rally their forces, and make an unexpected assault, which generally decides
the victory, their horses being all so thoroughly under command, as to turn
any way merely by a signal.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 489 of 810
Words from 133818 to 134103
of 222093
