Ghap. III. 
from Muscovy i?o China. 
might at Pleafure be taken to Pieces. He had alfo 
Iron Stockings for his Feet and Legs _ fuitable to his 
Robe, and two great Bears Claws over his Hands. His 
Head was likewife adorned, with fuch like Images, and 
fixed to his Forehead were two Iron Bucks-Horns. 
When he defigns to conjure, he takes a Drum made 
after their Fafhion in his Left-Hand, and a flat Staff 
covered with the Skins of Mountain-Mice in his 
right Hand •, thus equipped he jumps crofs Legg’di 
which Motion fhakes all thefe Iron Plates, and 
makes a great Clangor ; befides which, he at the fame 
Time beats his Drum, and with Eyes diftorted up- 
wards, and a ftrong bearifh Voice makes a difmal Nolle. 
Thefe were the Prologues : But his Conjurations were 
performed in the following Manner. 
If the funguzians have any Thing at any Time flole 
from them, or defire to be informed of any Thing, in 
the firft Place, he muff be paid before Hand : After 
which he plays fuch Tricks as are already related, 
jumps and roars till a Blackbird comes and fits on the 
Top of his Hutt, Which is open above to let out the 
Smoak : As foon as he gets Sight of the Bird, he falls 
into a Swoon, and the Bird vanifhes immediately ; Af- 
ter he hath remained bereft of his Senfes for about a 
Quarter of an Hour, he comes to himfelf, and tells the 
Querifl; who hath robb’d him, or anfwers his Queftion 
of what Sort foever ; and they tell us, that all that he 
fays prove true. His Robe was fo heavy, that I could 
fcarce lift it with one Hand. This Conjurer had a great 
Quantity of Cattle, which Crouds of People that flock 
to him from very diftant Places had prefented him, they 
always giving him his full Demands. 
Thefe Heathens are called Nijovian fungufians : They 
are tall and ftrong Men, and have long black Hair, 
which being bound up. in the Shape of a Horfe’s Tail, 
hangs upon their Backs : They are broad faced, but 
their Nofes are 'not fo flat, nor their Eyes fo fmall as 
the Calmachans. Both Men and Women go naked in 
the Summer, except only a leather Girdle of three 
Hands Breadth, that they moftly cut in the Shape of 
Ribbands, which they wear about their Waifl, and co- 
ver their Privities. But the Women adorn their Hair 
with Coral and Iron Figures. Both Men and Women 
carry a Pot on their left Arms, continually furnifhed 
with old fmoaking Wood ; which preferves them from 
the Biting of the Mofchitoes, or Gnatts, with which the 
Country along the River lungujky and the Woods are 
fo abundantly peftered, that if not only the Face, but 
the Hands and Legs are uncovered, their biting becomes 
infupportable j which however the Natives do not feel 
fo much as Strangers, becaufe their Skin being all 
over bitten by them becomes thereby hardened. Thefe 
People are Admirers of Beauty, according to their No- 
tion of it. To improve which, they adorn their Fore- 
heads, Cheeks and Chins in the following Manner : 
They with a Needle run Threads greafed with black 
Greafe through the Skin, in Reprefentation of feveral 
Figures, and leave the faid Threads therein for feveral 
Days ; after which they draw our, and leave their Tra- 
ces behind them, and very few of them are without 
this Embellifhment. 
Their Winter-Habit is a Coat made of Doe-fleinsj 
which is bordered at the Extremities with Dog-lkins, 
befides which they have alfo a Breaft-piece hung with 
Tails of Horfe-hair. They are wholly unacquainted 
with either Linnen or Wollen Cloaths ; but to fupply 
their Necefilties, they make Nets and fowing Thread 
of Fifh-flcins. Inftead of Caps on their Heads, they 
wear a Roebucks Skin, with the Horns flicking up on 
the Crown of their Heads, efpecially when they go a Buck- 
hunting by which Means they cafily deceive their Game, 
which they creep clofe to in the Grafs, and the unwary 
Animals miflakirig them for their own Species,' void of 
Fear, never remove their Station, whilft they having their 
Bow and Arrow ready, and being gotten fo near, 
are fure to fhoot him down. When they are inclined 
£0 divert themfelves together, they form themfelves into 
a Ring *, and one of them ftands in the Middle, ha- 
ving a long Staff in his Hand, with which, in turning 
jound, he ilrikes at the Legs of one of the Company, 
who fo nimbly lifts them up, and fo dextroufly avoids 
the Blow, that it is very feldom that any of them are 
hit ; but if any one is touched, he is diickM till he is 
all over wet. 
They lay their Dead upon the Trees, and after they 
are rotten, their Bones are buried in the Earth. 
They have no other Priefls, but their Conjurers, 
They have in their Huts carved wooden Idols, about 
half an Ell long, with the Reprefentation of human 
Faces, which they feed as the Ofiiacks dd^ with their 
beft Sort of Food, which runs out of their Mouths over 
their Bodies. Their Huts are hung round with Horfes 
Mains, Tails, and other Baubles, and are made of 
Birch-Bark : Before which they hang their Bows and 
Quivers, and very few of them are found without fe- 
veral dead young Dogs hanging near them. Their 
Boats or Canoa’s are made of Birch-Bark fewed toge- 
ther, which notwithftanding will carry feven or eight 
Perfons ; they are long, flender, and without any 
Benches 5 they fit in them upon their Knees, and make 
ufe of a Sort of Oars broad at both Ends j which they 
hold in the Middle, and row or paddle, firft with the 
one, then with the other End *, and when they rov/ all 
together, the Boat goes at a great Rate. With thefe 
flight Canoa^s they can bear up againft violent Storms 
without any Danger. They generally fubflft themfelves 
in Summer by Fifhing, and in Winter by hunting all 
Sort of furred Game, Bucks, Does, G?c. 
1 6, I left thefe People without any other Occurrence 
remarkable, and arrived on the ift of February at the 
Fort Buratz ; which Place, and all along to the Lake 
Baikal^ is watered by the River Angara^ and inhabited by 
the Burattians^ a Pagan People. 
On the nth of the fame Month we reached the 
Fortrefs of Bulaganjki in this Country, fleuate between 
the Hills and the Vallies, in a Champion Ground, on 
which live feveral Burattians^ who are flocked with 
Cows, and a hairy Sort of Bulls. They all Jive in low 
Dwellings made of Wood joined together, and co- 
vered with Earth j on the Tops of which a Hole is 
left to let out the Smoak. Their Fires are made in 
the Midft of thefe Apartments. They are utterly igno- 
rant of all Sort of Agriculture, or the Management of 
Gardens : Their Houfes, as in Villages, ftand next 
each other, and are commonly fituated near the River 5 
but they do not change their Habitations like the Timgu- 
zian^ and other Heathens. Clofe by their Doors feveral 
Poles are ftuck into the Ground, on fome of which 
are ftuck Bucks, on others Sheep, and fome faften 
Horfe-hides on them. In Spring and Autumn they 
go out by Hundreds in a Troop bn Horfeback, to 
hunt Stags, wild Sheep, and Roebucks^ Which they call 
Ablavo. When they have found a Place where there is 
Game, they range themfelves in a circular Order, fo 
that they can eaflJy come near one another, by which 
in fuch a Ring they will hunt together and encompafs 
fome hundreds of Beafls ; and having once got therri 
within the Reach of their Bows, every one Jets fly, fo 
that very few efcape, each Hunter being fo well pro- 
vided as to make thirty Shot fucceflively. 
After the Hunting, each Sportfman eafily finds his 
own Arrows by their peculiar Mark ; but there is a 
very great Misfortune which attends this Way of Hunt- 
ing, which is, that in fuch a confufed Mixture, they una- 
wares frequently fhoot one another, and feveral Horfes 
are wounded.* They flea their Game, cut the Fiefli 
from the Bones, and dry it in the Sun ; on which Pro- 
vifion they live as long as it Jafts, and when it is doncg 
go out a Hunting again; Here are vaft Quanti- 
ties of wild Beafls, and I have for the Diftance of a 
Quarter of a Mile been able to fee nothing elfe but 
wild Sheep, which like Snow covered all the Hills j but 
in the Country for five Or fix Miles round hereabouts^ 
very few furred Beafls are found, except only a few 
Bears and Wolves, which fometimes appear, but very 
rarely. 
Thofe who want Oxen or Camels of an extraordinary 
Largenefs for their travelling to China^ are obliged to 
buy them of thefe People, who will not deal for Mo- 
ney, but receive in Exchange of the Buyers, pale Sa* 
