B14 THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

 

ners, their habit, their religion, and their business; but we were mis-
taken; for as we had a vast desert to pass, which by relation is near
seven hundred miles long in some places, but not above two hundred
miles over where we passed it; so, till we came past that horrible
‘ place, we found very little difference between that country and the
Mogul Tartary; the people mostly Pagans, and little better than the
savages of America; their houses and towns full of idols, and their
way of living wholly barbarous, except in the cities as above, and the
villages near them, where they are Christians, as they call themselves,
of the Greek church; but even these have their religion mingled with
so many relics of superstition, that it is scarce to be known in some
places from mere sorcery and witchcraft.

In passing this forest, I thought indeed we must, after all our dan-
gers were, in our imagination, escaped, as before, have been plundered,
and robbed, and perhaps murdered, by a troop of thieves: of what
country they were, whether the roving bands of the Ostiachi, a kind
of Tartars, or wild people on the banks of the Oby, had ranged thus
far, or whether they were the sable-hunters of Siberia, I am yet at a
loss to know; but they were all om horseback, carried bows and arrows,
and were at first about five-and-forty in number. They came so near
to us as within about two musket-shot; and, asking no questions, they
surrounded us with their horses, and looked very earnestly upon us
twice. At length they placed themselves just in our way; upon which
we drew up in a little line before our camels, being not above sixteen
men in all; and being drawn up thus, we halted, and sent out the
Siberian servant who attended his lord, to see who they were: his
master was the more willing to let him go, because he was not a little
apprehensive that they were a Siberian troop sent out after him. The
man came up near them with a flag of truce, and called to them; but
though he spoke several of their languages, or dialects of languages
rather, he could not understand a word they said; however, after some
signs to him not to come nearer to them at his peril, so he said he
understood them to mean, offering to shoot at him if he advanced, the
fellow came back no wiser than he went, only that by their dress, he
said he believed them to be some Tartars of Kalmuck, or of the Cir-
cassian hordes, and that there must be more of them on the great
desert, though he never heard that ever any of them were seen so far
north before.

This was small comfort to us; however, we had no remedy: there
was on our left hand, at about a quarter of a mile’s distance, a little
grove or clump of trees, which steod close together, and very near the
road; I immediately resolved we should advance to those trees, and