468 ^ voy A 
^liere in abiiildaftce. We refted three Hoursj and then 
mounted again, to proceed on our Journey: We went 
fifteen Hours before we came to arty Dwelling, or faw 
.any human Creature ; when we had been fo long on our 
way we efpied three Hunters riding before us : We oyer- 
took them under a Hill. One of them was dreffed in a long 
Robe, after the Mufcovite Fafhion, tied round his Waift 
with a Girdle four Inches broad. It was all Bear-Skin, 
Hair outwards, and as white as Snow, the Edges black 
as a Coal. His Cap was like a Seaman’s, made of black 
Fox-Skin. His Breeches and Stockings were of Rain- 
Deer-Skin. His Shoes of Fifh-Skin, fomewhat like 
thofe we faw at Var anger. The two others were dreffed 
as we were ; their Robes were of white Bear-Skin, the 
Hair outwards. They had each a dozen of Furs at 
their Backs, Bear-Skins, Wolf-Skins, and white Fox- 
Skins, fome Ermines, and very fine Sables ; the Bears 
Tails hanging ftill to the Skin. The firfi: of them car- 
ried only a dozen of whitp Crows and feven Sables 
hanging at his Girdles. When we came up near enough, 
one of our Guides ftopt to talk with him. Fie lighted 
out of his Sledge, and the other went into it. While 
our Accountant rode with him, we admired to fee our 
Borandian leave us, and this Man fupply his room. 
Our Supercargo could not tell what to make of it. The 
Hunter travelled with us for above an Hour, and we 
had as bad Luck as before in this uninhabited Country. 
We met with neither Houfe nor Man. At laft we drew 
near the Brow of a high Mountain. ¥/e perceived the 
Sea at a Diftance, and at the Foot of the Mountain fe- 
veral Houfes built clofe together, which looked like a 
little Town. Thither our Rain-Deer carried us. We 
alighted to repofe our wearied Limbs at that Man’s 
Door who had taken our Guide’s Place in one of our 
Sledges. We found he was a Man of Authority in the 
Place by Office, and defired of the Inhabitants to ferve 
us as his Friends. 
The Name of the Village was Vitzora ; the People that 
belonged to it, as foon as they faw that Perfon in our 
Company, tan to help us out of the Sledges, and to un- 
harnefs our Rain-Deer., He bartered all his Skins with 
us for Tobacco and Brandy, except his Bear-Skins> 
which we did not care to buy, and his Sables, which he 
would not fell ; indeed, he durft not. The Great Duke 
of Mufeovy^ in whofe Territories we were, and whom his 
Subjedts call referves that Commodity for himfelf. 
Thofe who fell it without Licence from him, in any rait 
of his. Dominions, are feverely puniflied. He appoints 
certain Officers to take thofe Furs of fuch as have therri. 
Thofe Officers have Ware-houfes in feveral Places of his 
Empire,; and only they trade in that IVIei cnandize. If 
anysonc’ elfe fells a Sable-Skin, it_is by Stealth and in fe- 
.cret, and thofe that buy it muff be careful how it is feen j 
for if the Officers we have mentioned, or the Governors 
of Places that Strangers go through, find any Sable-Skin, 
or Skins among their Goods which were not bought of 
the proper Officer, ail their Merchandize will be feized, 
and. condemned. Havin g dealt with the Borandian Gentle- 
man,' if any of that Country deferve the blame, for all 
the Furs he had by him that were to be fold, he fent 
tvro of his Servants about the Village to tell the Inhabit- 
ants, That if they would bring us their Skins to his 
Floiffe, they might have Brandy and Tobacco for them, 
as their Matter had already had for his. The Borandi- 
am. oi Vitzora were glad to hear of fo good a Market *, 
they brought us all their Furs immediately, and we 
o-aye them Tobacco and Brandy in Exchange for them. 
We bought in this Place fifteen hundred Skins of all 
forts •, aifd our Cargo being too great for a Sledge, we 
defired our Landlord to do us the f avoui to lend us a 
Bark, whicb he had, and fome of his Servants to go in it 
Vv^ith one of our Seamen, who was a good Sailor, and one 
we could trutt to carry our Goods a-fhip-board. Our 
Ship, it is true, lay above an hundred Leagues off ; but 
the Sailor and the Borandian^ ^ Servants, wfio were ufed 
to the Coatts, could eafily manage that fmall Veffel, and 
convey our Merchandize to our Companions on the 
Coatt of Borandia. The Gentleman agreed to lend us the 
Bark at fuch a Price, and his Servants to help our Sailor, 
G E the . Book IL 
We paid him in Tobacco and Brandy, as current as ready 
Cafii at Vitzora, ' . ■ 
The Bark was built in the Form of a Gondola, broad 
in the Middle, and ffiarp at each End. It was all of 
Wood. There was in it no Iron or Nails. It had a Fir- 
Tree Matt in the Middle, and a fquare Piece of coarfe 
Cloth, theThread of it wove of the Rind of a Tree, tied 
to the Matt to ferve for a Sail. The Cordap-e was of 
the fame Make as the Sail. The two i\,nchors w-ere of 
Wood, and very heavy. The Cables that held them 
were made alfo of Ropes of the fame kind as the other 
Cordage. He lent us two of his Servants to affift our 
Sailor : And when they were about to put to Sea, he 
ffiev/ed them privately thirty Pair of Sable-Skins, which 
we bought with Ready Money, clapped them 'aboard, and 
fent them away. We were glad we had got them fo 5 
for otherwife he would not have fold them to us; the 
Bark being ready to fail was a fair Temptation j and fee- 
ing there was no Likelihood of the Officers fearching, 
he let us have them. The Veffel was now put off im- 
mediately, and there v/as no Officer near to examine 
it. It was a dangerous Rifk, had there been any Search- 
ers at hand, for himfelf would have been corporally 
punifhed, and he and all his Family fent Slaves into SV 
beria. Our Seaman and the two Borandians fet fail with 
our Merchandize ; and our Supercargo and A.cccunt- 
ants fell to drinking with the Borandian Gentleman. 
While they were making a Debauch, I went about the 
Town with our other two Seamen. I was pleafed with 
its Situation between two Mountains, each of them al- 
mott a League high. All the Houfes were built and co- 
vered with Fiffi Bones very artificially ; the Grannies 
were every where flopped up with Mofs as faft as a Ship 
new caulked j and above all, Turf was laid handfomely 
in fome Places that were mott expofed to the Wind, 
which had no Paffage into the Houfes, except at the 
Doors, which were like Ovens Mouths, as in other 
Places in Borandia. At the Top of the Houfes where 
were Lattices or Windows for the Light to enter, I faw 
abundance of Women and Children at work, fome mak- 
ing Fifliing Nets of the Rind of Trees; others were 
making of Sails, which looked like fine Mats ; others 
ufing their Flatchets ; others Knives. Their Needles 
were of Fiffi Bones. All of them are ugly, dwarfiffi, flat- 
nofed and fwarthy. 
10. When we returned to our Lodgings, we confult- 
od T,T^ 4 tk nnr Supercargo and Accuumants, what we had 
beft to do ; our CommocUties were not half difpofed of, 
and we were in a Country that was full of Furs ; the 
farther we went, the Plenty was the greater, and confe- 
quently the Markets the more encouraging. We had a 
great deal of Cafli, and our Commiffions being as large 
as our. Captains, who were to go whither they thought 
fit, for the Service of the Company ; we refoived to 
proceed as long as we found the Trade to be good. We 
fent our Guides back with the Rain-Deer, and Letters 
to our Captains, to acquaint them with our Intenti- 
ons, and give them an Account of our Siiccefs. We then 
hired a Bark to carry us to Betzora,, the Capital City of 
a Principality of the fame Name, on the North Coatt of 
the Mufcovite Sea. Cur Landlord got us a fmall Veffel 
and two Men. We embarked on board it with ' our 
Cargo, and by the help of an Eatterly Wind, coafted 
along Shore till we arrived at Betzora. We got there in 
fifteen Hours. 
The City is not very big, it is fituated on the Coatt, 
and gives Name to the Sea as well as the Province about 
it. We went to wait on the Governor at the Cattle. He 
affumes that Title; tho’ in reality he is no more than a 
Colle<ttor of Cuttoms. Indeed all the Czar’s Governors 
' are fuch fort of Perfons, for there are few Noblemen or 
Gentlemen in Mufeovy. They are all uncivil and jealous ; 
Qualities that are incompatible with Nobility. This Go- 
vernor was a Mufcovite ; he v/as drefs’d after the Faffiion 
of his Country, in a Robe of Violet-coloured Cloth, 
. with a Mixture of Red. He gave us fome excellent Me- 
theglin, which went down very pleafantly, and was as 
racy as Sack ; after that we had Brandy and Ginger- 
bread, the common Collation in Mufeovy. Knowing he 
had 
II 
