He Asked Many Other Extraordinary Questions, From Which I
Conjectured That My Guide Had Maliciously Represented Me As Carrying Many
Valuable Things; And It Is Probable, If This Had Been The Case, That I Had
Never Been Allowed To Escape Out Of Their Hands.
The royal secretaries
endeavoured to persuade me that I ought to make the king a present of any
article
That might strike his fancy among my small baggage; but I got off
without making any present, except compliments, and requesting him to
appoint some one to conduct me through his dominions. This he was pleased
to promise, as likewise to give me a free passport, without paying any
duties, as I carried no merchandize. Accordingly, I took my leave of the
king on the 14th of July, returning to the tree I formerly mentioned as my
lodging, where the secretary brought me the promised passport and a guide.
I then returned to my people at the village where they were kept in my
absence, and was received with much joy, as the priest had represented the
king as the cruellest tyrant in the world. My people could not contain
themselves for excess of joy at my safe return, and even the miserable
priest was so touched at the scene, that he provided us with something to
eat, and we slept there that night as well as we could.
Next day, being the 15th of July, we provided ourselves with some bread
and wine, to comfort ourselves on the way, and resumed our journey through
thick forests and terrible mountains, which continued for two days. In the
evening of the 16th, we stopt near a spring, where we remained during the
night in the open air, being obliged to light a fire on account of the
coldness of the weather, though in the middle of summer. On the 17th of
the same month we arrived at _Goride_[6], which belongs to the king of
Georgia. This city is built on a plain, watered by a large river, and is
defended by a citadel which is built upon a rock. Our guide notified our
arrival to the commandant, who ordered us a house for our lodgings,
apparently for the purpose of extorting a present; for shortly afterwards
he informed me that he had letters from the king, by which he was ordered
to receive twenty-six ducats from me for himself, and that I should pay
six to my guide. I endeavoured to evade this demand, by saying that the
king had received me favourably, to whom I had already given seventy
ducats, and could not give any thing more, and urged my free passport. But
he would listen to nothing I could urge, and I was forced to comply with
his extortion. He even detained me till the 19th of the month, and even
then I had extreme difficulty to get leave to depart. The inhabitants of
the city, who deserve rather to be ranked among beasts, looked at us with
as much astonishment as if they had never seen any other men than
ourselves.
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