WILLIAM DE RUBRUQUIS ad. 



1253- 



sweete and holesome liquor. Duke Baatu hath thirty 

 cottages or granges within a daies journey of his abiding 

 place : every one of which serveth him dayly with the 

 Caracosmos of an hundreth mares milk, and so all of 

 them together every day with the milke of 3000. mares, 

 besides white milke which other of his subjects bring. 

 For even as the husbandmen of Syria bestow the third 

 part of their fruicts and carie it unto the courts of their 

 lords, even so doe they their mares milke every third 

 day. Out of their cowes milke they first churne butter, 

 boyling the which butter unto a perfect decoction, they 

 put it into rams skinnes, which they reserve for the 

 same purpose. Neither doe they sake their butter : and 

 yet by reason of the long seething, it putrifieth not : 

 and they keepe it in store for winter. The churnmilke 

 which remaineth of the butter, they let alone till it be 

 as sowre as possibly it may be, then they boile it and 

 in boiling, it is turned all into curdes, which curds they 

 drie in the sun, making them as hard as the drosse of 

 iron : and this kind of food also they store up in sachels 

 against winter. In the winter season when milke faileth 

 them, they put the foresaid curds (which they cal Gry-ut) 

 into a bladder, and powring hot water thereinto, they 

 beat it lustily till they have resolved it into the said 

 water, which is thereby made exceedingly sowre, and 

 that they drinke in stead of milke. They are very 

 scrupulous, and take diligent heed that they drinke not 

 fayre water by it selfe. 



Of the beastes which they eat, of their garments, 

 and of their maner of hunting. Chap. 7. 



GReat lords have cottages or granges towards the 

 South, from whence their tenants bring them 

 Millet and meale against winter. The poorer sort 

 provide themselves of such necessaries, for ye exchange 

 of rams, & of other beasts skins. The Tartars slaves 

 fil their bellies with thick water, & are therewithal! 

 contented. They wil neither eate mise with long tailes, 

 I 241 Q 



