134 ^be Persian Travels Book Ilf % 



them, they fetch out their dri'd Cheefe, which they call Konrout^ and breaking i t 

 into little Bits, eat it with frefh Butter. At their Feafts they fometimes kill old 

 Sh«ep, lbmetimes old Goats. But for their Hories they never kill them but at the 

 Funerals of their Kindred, at the Birth of a Child, or .at their Marriage-Feafts or 

 laftly, when their Friends return laden with Spoil from any inctirfion, and are ftor'd 

 with Slaves. They never drink any thing but Mares-Milk or Cows-Milk, and when 

 they can get neither, they will endure third for three or four days together before 

 they will drink Water, being always grip'd with a terrible Colick when they drink 

 it. They never eat any Salt, being of an opinion that it is naught for the Eyes 

 They live long, and are very ftrong, and feldom fick ^ nor do they refufe any Diet 

 but Swines-flefh. 



Their' Countrey is very level •, only for fome few Hills in fome places. -They 

 have great (lore ot Pafture-grounds, and every Tribe has their peculiar VVelh to 

 water their Cattel. In the Winter they lodge upon the banks of great Rivers, near 

 to Wdods and Marifnes, differing their Herds }o feed at liberty. When thoSnovr 

 is very deep , the Cattel icrape it away with their feet to come at the Grafs 

 though they meet with very little elfe but Reeds and Bufhes. In the mean while the 

 men cut clown the Woods , make great Fires, and employ themfelvcs in Filing 

 There are fome parts of thefe Rivers where the leaft Fill) they take is about fojiiror 

 five foot long ; and fome there are above ten or twelve foot in length. Somejsthey 

 dry in the wind, andpreferve again ft Summer-, fome they imoke in holes which tjiey 

 make in the Earth : As for the fmallcr fort, they boil them , and eat them without 

 Salt or any other feafoning. When they have eat'n their Fifli, they icoop up a large 

 wooden Ladle full of the Fifli-water and gulp it down. As for Bread, there is no 

 talk of it in their Countrey. 



When they are not at War<fo&&re but newly return'd from any Incurfion 

 they fpend their time in Hunting-, but cannot endure any other Hounds except 

 Greyhounds : So that he muft be a very poor Tartar indeed that do's not keep 

 • a Greyhound. Take notice however by the by, that thefe petty Tartar s, concerning 

 whom I have Iaft difcours'd, are certain people adjoyning to Comania , which the 

 Turks, Perfians and Mengrelians cz\\ Nogat es ; who may be well reckon'd among the 

 number of the petty Tartars, in regard they are all under one Prince, whom the 

 Grand Signor appoints King over all Petty Tartary, and who receives his inveftiture 

 at Conflantinoyle. 



Thefe Tartars are all Mahumetans. Nor have they any Phyfitian amono them • 



?Su ing u Uf r ° n,y ° f Certain Sim P Ies of which thc Y havc * traditional knowledge! 

 When the fickperfon lies in any extremity, they lend for a Moullah, who comes with 

 the Alcoran, which he opens and ftiuts three times, faying certain Prayers, and lay- 

 , mg it upon the fick perfon's face. If by chance the fick perfon recover' they at- 

 tribute his recovery to the Sanctity of the ^Alcoran, and prefent the Monl/ah with 

 a Sheep or a Goat: If he die, all his Kindred meet and carry him to the Grave with 

 great Tefhmonics of Sadneis, crying continually Alia, Alia* When he isintcrr'd 

 the Mullah mutters certain Prayers ov'rthe Grave, and is paid for his pains according 

 to the wealth of the Heirs. For the poor he generally ipends three days and three 

 nights m that exercife-, for the rich he as ufually fpendsa Month, never ftirring all 

 the while from the Grave •, and fometimes fev'n or eight. 



When any one of them is wounded, they ufe no other Salve but only boil'd Flefli 

 which they apply hot to the wound. If the wound be deep, they thruft in a piece 

 or Ku as hot as the wound can endure it} and if theperfonbe able to kill a Horfe, 

 the wound is curd fo much the fooner:, for the Flefliand Fat of a Horfe are much 

 more medicinable than the Flefh of any other Creature. 



Were it not the Cuftom of the Tartars to buy their Wives when they marry, there 

 wouW be fewer Whores But in regard there are an abundance of poor young men 

 that have not wherewithal to buy Wives, they never marry at all. This is that which 

 makes 10 many Souldiers among them, and emboldens 'cm to invade their Neigh- 

 bors, and to get iomething whereby they may be enabl'd to buy them a Wife For 



forthlT 5 y u C nCV " ^ ? f * ,^ dng aIwa y s ^ U P in their Wa gg°ns : But 

 the™fTK ^ T ? ftn ^ eba V chd L ' ^pointing their private Meetings, when 

 t7 J *? fetc £ wa j er f °x r thc - ir Cattel > when their H ^bands are a-hunting, or look- 



«fa^,er HerdS ' N ° r \ it , a i ardthing t0C ° nCeaI ^ from their Husbands, in 

 regard the Tartars are not in the lead prone to Jealoufie. By 



