oco E. Ysbrants Ides'^ ’Travels Book III. 
up the old Grafs, lurked under thefe Pillars of Smoak, 
in order to obtain an Opportunity to fet upon us with 
great Numbers, To provide againft this, I caufed the 
Camels and Horfes which were left us in this horrible 
Defert, betimes, to be drove to a Place where there 
was fome Grafs, and which being behind a high Moun- 
tain, was fecurely Ihelter’d from the Fire. After which 
I caufed an hundred Men to provide themfelves with 
the Felts with which the Camels were covered, and be 
in Readinefs, if the Smoak approached us, to difperfe 
and drive it from our Camp as much as poffible. Within 
the Space of half an Hour, the Air was wholly dark- 
ned with the Smoak, and the Fire driven on by a 
ftormy Wind, flew fwifter than a Horle could run, 
into the Vale, where the dry Grafs was about half an 
Ell high ; fo that it was fcarce poffible either to efcape 
or quench fuch a rapid Flame : The Fire flew, or rather 
flaflied by our Camp, as fwift as Lightning, fo that 
whilft I turn’d myfelf round, it was got to the fhort 
Grafs, and behind the Brow of a Hill : Notwithifand- 
ing its fpeedy Flight, we did not clearly efcape it, for 
the Flame laying hold of our foremoft Row of Tents, 
immediately fent ten or twelve of them burning into 
the Air : Great Quantities of our Merchants Goods 
were confumed, and fourteen Men ftruck down by it 
which were miferably burnt, and fome of them taken 
up for dead ; but after neceffary Care was taken for their 
Recovery, only one Perfian died. I was myfelf in great 
Danger, and if I had not in time run to a Flill where 
there was fcarce any Grafs, and been affifted by two 
Servants, which covered me with a Felt^ to keep off the 
Heat, I fhould not have efcaped better than thole above- 
mentioned. 
The Flame was no fooner paft us than it vifited the 
Chinefe Ambaflador, who was encamped at fome Di- 
ftance from us, amongft the Hills, where to his good 
Fortune, there happened to be very little Grafs, fo that 
the Fire paflcd about and over the Hill, but was not 
violent enough to catch hold of any thing, lb that 
their Horfes Tails only were a little burnt, or rather 
finged. 
Before it was poffiible to have told two hundred, this 
Fire had reached the River Kailaan^ f which was a Mile 
from our Encampment,) where it was quench’d by the 
Interruption of the Water. After this Burning, the 
Land, as far as we could fee from the Hills, was quite 
bare of Grafs, and every where Coal-black. Upon this 
Difafter, I fent out my Guide, to try whether he could 
difcover any Place tor us to encamp for that Night *, he 
return’d the next Day, with Information, that for two 
Days Journey all round, there was no Forage, the Fire 
having confum’d it all ; for though there were fome 
few fcatter’d Places which had efcap’d the Flame, yet 
there was not half Grafs enough to fatisfy fuch a Num- 
ber of Camels and Horfes as ours ; which was but me- 
lancholy News for me and the whole Camp. 
Wherefore I confulted, whether it was not molt ad- 
vifeable to repafs the River Kailaan^ where the Grafs had 
efcaped untouched ; but in Oppofition to this, the Dan- 
ger of being fallen on by the Tartars which were on 
that Side of the River, offered itfelf ; fo that I rather 
inclined to chufe the travelling two Days in Want of 
Neceffaries, than once more run the Rifque of expofing 
ourlelves to the Inhumanity of thefe Barbarians. 
9. In the Morning then we broke up our Carrip, 
which v/e pitched late that Night near a great Morafs, 
after having endured a great deal of Mifery and Fatigue 
that Day, by paffing through Moraflcs and over ftecp 
Hills j which Hardfliip fell heaviefl; on the Cattle, in- 
fomuch that in this Day’s Journey only eighteen Ca- 
mels and twenty two Horfes funk into, and remained 
in the Moraffes, not being able to ftir a Step further, 
which fell very hard upon us, and the farther v^^e went, 
rendered us the more uneafy, fince we were as un-willing 
to leave our travelling Neceffaries and Provifions behind 
us, as the Merchants were to throw away their Goods ; 
wherefore the Remainder of the Beafts muft neceffarily 
be the heavier laden. 
The next Day we alfo paffed through Moraffes, Vales, 
^nd over fteep Hills, and came to the River Mergeen^ 
where the Grafs was not burnt off. Having forded this 
River, and proceeded on our Journey, though in a mi- 
ferable Condition, as well by Reafon of the ill State of 
our Cattle, which daily finking under their Loads, ob- 
liged us to leave them behind, as on Account of the 
Scarcity of Provifions for fo many Men, our Stock be- 
ing at prefent very low, and confifting barely in a few 
lean live Oxen, which Travellers generally take with 
them in thefe Sort of Journeys, but not either Bread, , 
Peas, Barley, or other Provifions, becaufe the Mer- 
chants and CaJJacks wanted Beafts for the Carriage of 
their Goods, and it would have been coo chargeable to 
lade Camels with Provifions. 
There being but a fmall Number of Oxen in our 
Camp, the People began to be very anxious, confider- 
ing it was not poffible to reach y^rgi^m on the Frontiers 
in lefs than ten or twelve Days ; fo that each Perfon, 
according to the Company he was engaged in, began 
to compute how long what they had would laft, and 
contrive how to manage his Share bell. 
On the 1 8th of this Month, with great Difficulty and 
Fatigue, we at laft reached the River Ga^, which at low 
Water we forded ^ and on the other Side found freili 
Grafs for the Beafts, with which we were very well 
pleafed, and mightily encouraged. Here I refolved to 
lie ftill three Days, and would have refted longer, if the 
Merchants, Cq/Jacks, and Workmen, had not complain- 
ed that they were pinched by Hunger, and that there 
was but a very fmall Number of Oxen remaining, con- 
fidering how many hundred Men were to be fubfifted 
by them ; and they, by Example, fhewed me the beft 
provifional Methods which could be taken to prevent an 
entire Famine j for as foon as an Ox was killed, they 
faved his Blood, and boiled it to the Confiftence of 
Liver j this they eat inftead of Bread. Others cut 
the Hides into Slips, ffiaved the Hair off, and toafted 
them at the Fire, and this paffed at that Time for good 
Food, Nor were any Part of the Entrails thrown 
away, fo that if the Scarcity had endtlVed longer, pof- 
fibly their Nature had been changed into that of Gaffers 
or Hottentots^ who eat not only raw Flefti, but even the 
Excrements alfo. 
10. In this Streighr, being informed that the Coun- 
try all about this River abounded with wild Game, as 
Harts, Roebucks, I ordered fome expert Archers 
to go a Hunting ; which proved fo fuccefsful, that 
they fiiot about fifty Roebucks, which were afterwards 
diftributed to our famifh’d Company, v/ho greedily de- 
voured them half dreffed and half raw, and gave con- 
vincing Proof that Hunger, as ’tis commonly reported 
to be, is really a fliarp Sword ; but befides it muft be 
owned that the affuaging it when it hath continued long, 
and is grown outrageous, is one of the greateft Plea- 
fures of Life ; though indeed a tedious Third; is more 
intolerable and painful to human Nature. 
In this Streight I fent a Gentleman, accompanied 
with eight Coffacks to Argum the frontier Place, charg’d 
with a Letter to the Governor, requefting that he would 
immediately fend us a Parcel of Oxen, Sheep, Bread, 
Meal and other Provifions, under Convoy, by Reafon 
we were driven to the laft Extremity ; and this Meffage 
did not prove, unfuccefsful, though the expeffed Relief 
did not arrive fo fpeedily as we wifhed j each Day on 
thefe melancholy Occafions commonly appearing an in- 
fupportable Year. 
Having difpatched this Meffenger with his Orders, I 
thought it neceffary to break up from the River Gan^ and 
inthe Interim to advance as far on ourWay, and ftruggle 
as much as poffible with our Uneaftnefs. And after 
we had travelled three Days, the hungry Com.plaints of, 
our Company became inceffmt ; the Roebucks were but 
a Morfel amongft fuch a Number of People, and no 
Edibles were to be bought for Money in this Wilder- 
nefs. During which Affliction we were obliged to make 
a Virtue of Neceffity, and bear as well as v/e could 
what we were not able to remedy. In this Condition 
difpirited and faint we arrived at a Brook, which flowed 
from the Hills, and was richly ftored with large Jacks, 
Trouts, and other Fiffi, of which we fhot many with 
Bow and Arrow 5 for in clear Wafer the Coffacks and 
( Tunguzlan 
