IN A TERRIBLE FOREST. 623

which, in these parts, is the boundary between Europe and Asia,
and the first city on the European side was called Soly-Kamskoi,
which is as much as to say, the great city, on the river Kama.
And here we thought to have seen some evident alteration in the
people, their manners, their. habits, their religion, and their busi-
ness. But we were mistaken; 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 dif-
ference 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 there are Christians, as they call themselves, of the
Greek Church, but 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, J thought indeed we must, after all our
dangers 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 Os-
tiachi, a kind of Tartars or wild people on the bank of the Oby, and
ranged thus far; or whether they were the sable-hunters of
Siberia, I am yet at a loss to know; but they were all on horse-
back, carried bows and arrows, and were at first about fivé 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 Sibe-.
rian 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 them ; but though he spoke several of their languages of

dialects, or languages rather, he could not understand a word they
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