\yi The Persian Travels Book III. 



CHAP. XIII. 



Of the lejfer Tartars , call'd Nogaies , borXrmg upon Co- 

 mania. 



TH E leffer Tartars have a very ancient race of Horfes, which they breed 

 up even to Superftition •, fo that it would be among them an aft of 

 Sacriledge to tell them to ftrangers , as being not a little curious 

 how they fell them to one another. Thefe are the Horfes which they 

 ride, fifty or fixty in a Troop together when they go a thieving ; and fometimes 

 a hunder'd together, when they defign any Incurfion upon their Enemies. When 

 the old Men come to be infirm and impotent , if they know anv ftout young Man 

 that is a Souldier, they will.lend him one of their Horfcs ( if he have none of his 

 own ). to make an Incurfion , upon condition to have half of the Booty. Many 

 times they run up as far as Hungary, near to Coimra and Javarin. Thefe Horfes 

 partly by nature, partly by early cuftom , will travel four or five days together 

 with a handful of Grafs giv'n them once in eight or ten hours, and a little Water 

 every four and twenty hours. But they never go a robbing with them 'till they 

 come to be feven or eight years old: befides that, they muft undergo a very 

 ievere education ere they make ufe of them in thofe hardfhips. Their Bit is only 

 a piece of Iron with a Buckle on each fide, to which they faft'n the Bridle and 

 Head-flail. For eight days together they put under the Saddle a bag of Gravel 

 or Earth. The firft day the Sack is a Horfe-man's weight * and fo they add to it 

 every day, till it come to be double the weight at the end of the eight days As 

 they mcreafe every day the weight upon the Horfes back, they abate every day 

 the Horfe's Provender and Drink. During thefe eight days , they get up and walk 

 the Horfe two or three Leagues. The next eight days , they abate everyday of 

 the weight , till the Sack be quite empty. Proportionably alfo they abate him of 

 ms Meat and Drink as in the firft eight days, and everyday take up the Girt 

 a hole (hotter. The three or four laft days they afford the Horfe neither Proven- 

 der nor Drink , according as they find him able to endure hunger and thirft and 

 the labour which he is to undergo. The laft day, they work him 'till he be all' over 

 or a Sweat-, then they unbridle and unfaddle him , and pour upon him the coldeft 

 Water they can meet with. That done , they lead him into a field, and tye him 

 by the leg with a Cord , at fuch a length as they intend he fhall feed s yet ftill from 

 c ay to day allowing him more Rope , 'till at laft 'they let him looic , and ked with 



fori u u u H0 l lC$ ' Tf ? is , tCrribIe faftin S and ,abour > durin S which time, that 

 (ittle which they do eat and drink , they eat and drink with the Bit m their mouth, 

 brings them to be fo lean and out of flefh , that their very bones are ready to ftart 

 out of their skins: So that if any one fhould fee them in that miferable condition, 

 that docs not know the nature of the Horfes, would think they would never be fit 

 for good fervice The hoofs of thefe Horfes are fo hard that they never fhooe 

 them and yet they will leave the prints of their feet in the Earth, or upon the Ice 

 as if they had been (hod. Thefe Tartars are fo curious in having Horfes that will 

 endure labour that fo foon as they fee any handfom Colt in their Breed, thev 

 preicntly take him up, to fchool him as I have related : but hardly ten in fifty endure 

 the tutoring. * y 



As for their Diet 'tis a great advantage for thefe Tartars to ride a Mare, in 

 regard they drink the Milk. They that ride Horfes, carry along with them a 



of Goat-skm, which they fill with Water where they meet with it, into which 

 they put tvvo or three bits of their hard Cheef?, which fbftens with the motion of 



fkindnHn th N c ."f. u mgt u ydunC ! Cr hi§ Bd[ >' : ^ thus the Water becomes 

 a kind of iowr Milk , which is their ordinary Drink. 



As for their Internments of Cookery, every Horfe-man has a large wooden Ladle 

 hanging at die Pommel of his Saddle, out of which the rider drinks himfelft "and gives 

 his Horfe l.kewife to drink. They that encounter them , can hope for no better Booty 



than 



