They Are Sharp At Both Ends, And
Wide In The Middle, Their Planks Being Fastened With Tree-Nails, And
Their Bottoms Payed Over With Pitch; And As The Natives Use No Compasses,
Or Other Maritime Instruments, They Always Creep Along The Coast.
These
boats, which are very crazy and dangerous, are moved forwards by means of
oars; and the people are very ignorant of navigation, though they believe
themselves the best mariners in the world.
On the 5th of April 1475, we embarked, and departed from Derbent, being
thirty-five persons in all, including the master of the boat and the crew.
The rest of the passengers were merchants, carrying rice, silk, and
silken goods to _Citrarchan_[4], where they proposed to sell their
commodities to the Russians and Tartars, or to barter them for other
articles. Having coasted along during three days, with a favourable wind,
always keeping about fifteen miles from the shore, the wind became
contrary on the third evening, and increased during the night to so
violent a tempest that we expected to have been lost. Although we had all
reason to believe our bark would be dashed to pieces on the shore, we
made every effort to gain the land, and fortunately our vessel ran into a
kind of ditch or dock between sand banks, very near the beach, where she
stuck fast, impelled by the united force of the winds and waves, and of
our oars. Between us and the shore there was a pool, through which we had
to wade, carrying our baggage on our shoulders; and we were almost
perished with cold, owing to the wind, and our being drenched with water;
yet we unanimously agreed to refrain from making a fire, lest that
circumstance might attract the notice of the Tartars, whom we feared to
meet with.
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