The Persian Travels Book I. 



The thirty-fixth we travel'd through the fame Valley for eight or nine hours 

 longer -, in this Valley were feveral pleafant Villages , but wc lay by a finall Ri- 

 ver. 



The thirty-feventh we travel'd fix hours among the Mountains , where there are 

 fome very narrow PafTages , but ftore of Water -, and we lay in a Vale abounding 

 in Pafturage. 



The thirty-eighth we rode for four or five hours over a rugged Mountain in 

 craggy way, at the foot whereof we met with a Village call'd Taquibac; from 

 whence it is but five Leagues to Tocat. And thefe are all the Roads from Parti to 

 Ijpahan > through the Northern Territories of Turkic 



CHAP. VIII. 



How the Author was rohb'â near Tocat , and of a certain fort of 

 rare and fine Wool 'tobich he firft brought into France. 



T~ I Aquihac is the place where the Verfian Caravan ufes to meet , when it 

 ; \ departs from Tocat to Smyrna ; and this is the only place in all the Road 

 where a Traveller ought to ftand upon his guard -, by reafon of Thieves 



-flL who haunt thefe Quarters , and are great Matters in their Trade. Once 

 as I came out of Perfia they would needs give rae a taft of their Art,notwithftanding 

 all the care I took. There were three or four of us that would needs ride before 

 with our Servants to Taquibac, in expectation of the Caravan which was to come 

 the next day ^ where we fet up our Tents upon the Bank of a fmall River. I had 

 then a good many Bales of Wool, with which I made as it were a double Wall 

 about my Tent : lb that there was but one paflage between the Bales, for one Man. 

 In four of thefe Bales I had a quantity of Musk in lead'n Boxes, to the value of ten 

 or twelve thoufand Crowns : which Bales I put within-fide , fo that they touch'd 

 the Tent and my Beds-head. Next Night, it being very dark, the Thieves came, 

 and finding the outward Bales fmell fo ftrong of Musk , they thought one of thofe 

 Bales would be a confiderable Booty. The Bales were all ty'd together with a 

 Cord that kept them faft } nor was it eafie to undo them , without a noife. They 

 wak'd me with their buftle at firft , and I fent out my Servants to fee if they could 

 catch them-, but they will lye fo clofe upon their Bellies, thatinfuch a dark Night 

 as that was tis impoffible to difcover them. Thereupon my Servants went to deep 

 again , and the Thieves to their work % and having with a great deal of ingenuity 

 cut the Cord , they carried away the two Bales. In the Morning four or five of us 

 with a Camel-driver for our Guide purfu'd them, and in half an hour we met with 

 the marks of the Robbery, for the Rogues being mad that they found nothing but 

 Wool , which they thought to be of no great value , fcatter'd it in the High-way 

 for two or three Leagues together : fo that I caus'd it to be pickt up again , and 

 loft not above fifteen or twenty Pound. I Ipeak this to caution the Merchants that 

 carry Bales of Silk or other rich Commodities , to beware of thefe Thieves -, for 

 they will come creeping upon their Bellies , and then cutting the Bales with great 

 Razors, will prefently empty a Bale of one half of the Goods. 



'Tis true , the Wool was of no great value for their ufe } but it was a fort of rare 

 and very fine Wool , which I carry'd out of Ver fia to Paris , where fuch fine Wool 

 was never feen. As to the place where it is to be had , I met with one of the Games, 

 or Perftans that adore the Fire , who when I was at ijpahan in the year 1 647 fhew'd 

 me a Sample of it , and inform'd me that the greateft part of this Wool comes from 

 the Province of Kerman y which is the ancient Caramania ; and that the beft Wool 

 is to be met with in the Mountains that are next to the City that bears the name 

 of the Province : That the Sheep in thofe Parts have this particular property , that 

 when they have fed upon new Grafs from January till May, the Fleece falls off, of 

 it felf , and leaves the Sheep naked, and their Skins fmooth , like a Pig's that is 

 fcalded offj fo that there is no need of fhearing them , as with us : after they have 



gather'd 



