mel; I difputed it, and it was brought to a hearing before the Chinese judge of the place; that is to fay, in English, we went before a juftice of the peace. Give him his due, he acted with a great deal of prudence and impartiality; and having heard both fides, he gravely asked the Chinese man that went with me to buy the camel, whofe fervant he was? I am no fervant faid he, but went with the ftranger. At whofe requeft? faid the juftice. At the ftranger's request, faid he. Why then, faid the juftice, you were the ftranger's fervant for the time; and the camel being delivered to his fervant, it was delivered to him, and he must pay for it.

I confefs the thing was fo clear, that I had not a word to fay; but admiring to see such just reafoning upon the confequence, and fo accurate ftating the cafe, I paid willingly for the camel, and fent for another; but you may observe, I sent for it ; I did not go to fetch it myself any more; I had enough of that.

The city of Naum is a frontier of the Chinese empire they call it fortified, and fo it is, as fortifications go there; for this I will venture to affirm, that all the Tartars in Karakathay, which, I believe, are fome millions, could not batter down the walls with their bows and arrows; but to call it ftrong, if it were attacked with cannon, would be to make those who understand it laugh at you.

We wanted, as I have faid, above two days journey of this city, when meffengers were fent exprefs to every part of the road, to tell all travellers and caravans to halt, till they had a guard sent to them;

for

for that an unusual body of Tartars, making ten thousand in all, had appeared in the way, about thirty miles beyond the city.

This was very bad news to travellers; however, it was carefully done of the governor, and we were very glad to hear we should have a guard. Accordingly, two days after, we had 200 foldiers fent us from a garrifon of the Chinese on our left, and three hundred more from the city of Naum, and with those we advanced boldly: the three hundred foldiers from Naum marched in our front, the two hundred in our rear, and our men on each fide of our camels with our baggage, and the whole caravan in the centre: in this order, and well prepared for battle, we thought ourselves a match for the whole ten thousand Mogul Tartars, if they had appeared; but the next day, when they did appear, it was quite another thing.

It was early in the morning, when marching from a little well-fituated town, called Changu, we had a river to pass, where we were obliged to ferry; and had the Tartars had any intelligence, then had been the time to have attacked us, when, the caravan being over, the rear guard was behind: but they did not appear there.

About three hours after, when we were entered upon a defart of about fifteen or fixteen miles over, behold, by a cloud of duft they raised, we saw an enemy was at hand; and they were at hand indeed, for they came on upon the spur.

The Chinese, our guard on the front, who had talked fo big the day before, began to ftagger, and the foldiers frequently looked behind them; which is a certain fign in a foldier, that he is just ready to run

away.

away. My old pilot was of my mind; and being near me, he called out: Seignior Inglefe, faid he, those fellows must be encouraged, or they will ruin us all; for if the Tartars come on, they will never stand it. I am of your mind, faid I: But what course must be done? Done, faid he; let fifty of our men advance, and flank them on each wing, and encourage them, and they will fight like brave fellows in brave company; but without it, they will every man turn his back. Immediately I rode up to our leader, and told him, who was exactly of our mind; and accordingly fifty of us marched to the right wing, and fifty to the left, and the reft made a line of reserve; for fo we marched, leaving the last two hundred men to make another body to themfelves, and to guard the camels; only that, if need were, they should fend an hundred men to affift the last fifty.

In a word, the Tartars came on, and an innumerable company they were; how many, we could not tell, but ten thoufand we thought was the leaft. A party of them came on first, and viewed our posture, traverfing the ground in the front of our line; and as we found them within gun-fhot, our leader ordered the two wings to advance fwiftly, and give them a falvo on each wing with their fhot, which was done; but they went off, and I fuppofe went back to give an account of the reception they were like to meet with; and, indeed, that falute clogged their stomachs; for they immediately halted, stood awhile to confider of it, and, wheeling off to the left, they gave over the design, and said no more to us for that time; which was very agreeable to our circum

ftances,

stances, which were but very indifferent for a battle with fuch a number.

Two days after this we came to the city of Naum, or Naunm: We thanked the governor for his care for us, and collected to the value of 100 crowns, or thereabouts, which we gave to the foldiers fent to guard us; and here we rested one day. This is a garrifon indeed, and there were nine hundred foldiers kept here; but the reafon of it was, that formerly the Muscovite frontiers lay nearer to them than they do now, the Mufcovites having abandoned that part of the country (which lies from the city west, for about two hundred miles) as defolate and unfit for ufe; and more especially, being fo very remote, and fo difficult to fend troops hither for its defence; for we had yet above two thousand miles to Muscovy, properly fo called.

After this we passed several great rivers, and two dreadful defarts, one of which we were fixteen days paffing over, and which, as I faid, was to be called No Man's Land; and on the 13th of April, we came to the frontiers of the Muscovite dominions. I think the first city, or town, or fortrefs, whatever it might be called, that belonged to the Czar of Muscovy, was called Argun, being on the weft fide of the river Argun.

I could not but difcover an infinite fatisfaction, that I was now arrived in, as I called it, a Christian country; or, at least, in a country governed by Christians for though the Muscovites do, in my opinion, but juft deferve the name of Chriftians; (yet fuch they pretend to be, and are very devout in their way);

way); it would certainly occur to any man who travels the world as I have done, and who had any power of reflection; I fay, it would occur to him, to reflect, what a bleffing it is to be brought into the world where the name of GOD, and of a Redeemer, is known, worshipped, and adored-and not where the people, given up by Heaven to strong delufions, worship the devil, and proftrate themfelves to stocks and ftones; worship monsters, elements, horrible shaped animals, and statues, or images of monsters. Not a town or city we paffed through but had their pagods, their idols, and their temples; and ignorant people worshipping even the works of their own hands!

Now we came where, at leaft, a face of the Christian worship appeared, where the knee was bowed to JESUS; and whether ignorantly or not, yet the Chriftian religion was owned, and the name of the true God was called upon and adored; and it made the very receffes of my foul rejoice to fee it. I faluted the brave Scotch merchant I mentioned above, with my first acknowledgment of this; and, taking him by the hand, I faid to him, Bleffed be GOD, we are once again come among Chriftians! He smiled, and answered, Do not rejoice too foon, countryman; these Mufcovites are but an odd fort of Chriftians; and but for the name of it, you may fee very little of the fubftance for fome months farther of our journey.

Well, faid I, but ftill it is better than paganifm, and worshipping of devils. Why, I'll tell you, faid he; Except the Ruffian foldiers in garrifons, and a few of the inhabitants of the cities upon the road,

all