594 AN ADVANCE AND A RETREAT.

behind them, which is a certain sign in a soldier that he is just
ready to run away. My old pilot was of my mind; and being near
me, he called out: “ Seignior Inglese,” says he, ‘“ those fellows
must be encouraged, or they will ruin us all; for if the Tartars
come on, they will never stand it.” ‘“ I am of your mind,” said I;
“but what course must be done?” “ Done?” says he; “et fifty
of our men advance, and flank them on each wing, and encourage
them, and they will fight like brave fellows in brave company ; but
without, they will every man turn his back.” Immediately I rode
up to our leader, and told him, who was exactly of our mind; and
accordingly, fifty of us marched to the right wing, and fifty to the
left, and the rest made a line of reserve; and so we marched,
leaving the last two hundred men to make another body by them-
selves, and to guard the camels; only that, if need were, they
should send a hundred men to assist the last fifty. ;

In a word, the Tartars came on, and an innumerable company
they were; how many we could not tell, but ten thousand, we
thought, was the least. A party of them came on first, and viewed
our posture, traversing the ground in front of our line; and as we
found them within gun-shot, our leader ordered the two wings to
advance swiftly, and give them a salvo on each wing with their
shot, which was done; but they went’ off, and, I suppose, back to
give an account of the reception they were like to meet with: and,
indeed, that salute clogged their stomach, for they immediately
halted, stood a while to consider of it, and, wheeling off to the left,
they gave over the design, and said no more to us for that time;
which was very agreeable to our circumstances, which were but
very indifferent for a battle with such a number.

Two days after this, we came to the city Naun, or Naum. We
thanked the governor for his care for us, and collected to the
value of a hundred crowns, or thereabouts, which we gave to the
soldiers sent to guard us; and here we rested one day. This is a
garrison, indeed, and there were nine hundred soldiers kept here;
but the reason of it was, that formerly the Muscovite frontiers lay
nearer to them than they do now, the Muscovites having aban-
doned that part of the country (which lies from this city west,:for
about two hundred miles) as desolate and unfit for use; and more