ARRIVAL AT THE RUSSIAN CAMP. 
245 
Ilian, my English servant, the artillerymen, and one or two more Per¬ 
sians, accompanied me to the Russian camp. We were not more than 
half a mile from the Araxes, and on reaching its bank we found a boat 
made of the trunk of a tree, hollowed out, ready to take us over. The 
Armenian and myself, (for besides the boatman who paddled at one 
end, there was not room for more,) were carried over first, then came 
our baggage at different trips, and lastly our cattle, which were plunged 
into the river, and by shouts were excited to swim over to us. 
After crossing the river we entered at once upon the Russian terri¬ 
tory, and the province of Karabagh, which, for soil, water, and cli¬ 
mate, is perhaps as fine a region as any in the world ; but owing to 
tlie predatory warfare so long waged by the Persians, has become 
a wilderness. We did not see one inhabitant, or one inhabited spot, 
until we espied the Russian videttes on the top of a distant hill. 
Herds of antelopes, and other deer, were wandering about in great 
quantities; and pheasants, a bird which seems also here to make the 
Araxes its boundary (for it is seldom found to the southward of it,) 
were seen in astonishing abundance. 
The Russians had no sooner discovered our approach than a consi¬ 
derable body of horsemen made straight for us, a manoeuvre that did 
not appear to agree with the nerves of some of my companions, who 
did not understand perhaps what is the nature of an armistice. They 
were however quite restored when they found that the advancing party 
were friendly Cossaks, and when they remarked the politeness of their 
officer, who informed us that he came to welcome our arrival, on the 
part of the Russian Commander-in-Chief. At length we reached the 
camp, which was most picturesque in its situation, for it was surrounded 
by green hills, and was close at the foot of two very remarkable mounds, 
said to be the work of Tamerlane, who, in order to leave a testimony 
to posterity of the immense army under his command, ordered every 
soldier to fill his horse’s tobrah, or corn-bag, with earth, and to deposit 
it in one place. 
I was conducted to a tent that had been made ready for me, and 
shortly after was introduced to the Commander-in-Chief, General de 
