After Marching For
Thirteen Days More, In Prodigious Distress, During Which They Had To Eat Up
All The Beasts That
Carried their baggage, they arrived at the mountains of
Nisbor, inhabited by the Jews, and incamped among gardens and orchards,
Watered by canals drawn from the river Gozan; and being then the season of
ripe fruits, they eat what they pleased, no one appearing to oppose them.
At a distance among the mountains, they observed some hamlets and forts,
and two scouts were sent to discover what manner of people inhabited the
mountains. After proceeding a short way, they found a well built bridge,
with a strong barrier, and a very large city at the farther end of the
bridge. They here learned, by an interpreter, that the city belonged to an
independent nation of Jews, who had a prince of their own, and were in
alliance with the Copheral Turks.
The scouts returned to the camp with this intelligence, and the Jews,
having collected their forces, offered battle on the day following to the
Persians, The king declined this, declaring that his only object was
against the Copheral Turks, and that if the Jews attacked him he would
revenge himself by putting all their brethren in Persia to the sword; but
he demanded free passage for his army, and to be supplied with provisions
for ready money. Out of regard for their brethren in Persia, the Jews
agreed to this proposal, and the Persian army remained fifteen days in the
country of the Jews, where they were honourably entertained. In the mean
time the Jews sent intelligence of the situation of the Persians to their
confederates, and the Turks, gathering their forces, assailed the Persians
at certain passes in the mountains, and gave them a terrible overthrow; so
that the king escaped with great difficulty into Persia, with a small
remnant of his host. On this occasion, one of the Persian horsemen seduced
a Jew, named Moses, to accompany him into Persia, and then made him a
slave. On a public exhibition of archery in the king's presence, this man
appeared to be the most expert archer in all Persia, and being called
before the king, declared how he had been trepanned and made a slave. The
king restored him to liberty; clothed him in purple and silken garments,
and enriched him with liberal gifts; offering him great riches, and the
government of the royal household, if he would embrace the religion of the
country; and when he courteously declined this, he was placed by the king
with Rabbi Shallum, the prince of the synagogue at Ispahan, whose daughter
he afterwards married; and this Moses related to me the whole story I have
here related.
Departing from these countries, I returned to Khosistan, through which the
Tigris runs into Hodu, the Indian sea, or Persian Gulf, and in its
passage encompasses the island of Nekrokis[19] near its mouth, which is six
days journey in extent. There is only one canal of fresh water in this
island, and they have no other water to drink but what is gathered during
rain, and preserved, in cisterns, for which reason the land is not
cultivated.
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