errant Cowards) but a Second coming upon my Left, gave me a Blow on the Head, which I never felt till afterward, and wonder'd when I came to my felf, what was the matter with me, and where I was, for he laid me flat on the Ground; but my never failing old Pilot, the Portuguese (fo Providence unlook'd for directs Deliverances from Dangers, which to us are unforeseen) had a Piftol in his Pocket which I knew nothing of, nor the Tartars; neither if they had, I fuppofe they would not have attack'd us: But Cowards are always boldest when there is no Danger.

The old Man feeing me down, with a bold Heart step'd up to the Fellow that had ftruck me, and laying hold of his Arm with one Hand, and pulling him down by main Force a little towards him with the other, fhot him into the Head, and laid him dead upon the Spot; he then immediately step'd up to him who had ftop'dus, as I faid, and before he could come forward again, (for it was all done as it were in a Moment) made a Blow at him with a Seymetar which he always wore, but miffing the Man, cut his Horfe into the Side of his Head, cut one of his Ears off by the Root, and a great Slice down the Side of his Face; the poor Beast enrag'd with the Wound, was no more to be govern'd by his Rider, tho' the Fellow fat well enough too; but away he flew, and carried him quite out of the Pilot's Reach, and at fome Distance rifing up upon his hind Legs, threw down the Tartar, and fell upon

him.

In this Interval the poor Chinese came in, who had loft the Camel, but he had no Weapon; however, feeing the Tartar down, and his Horfe falleni

upon

upon him, away he runs to him, and feizing upon an ugly ill-favour'd Weapon he had by his Side, fomething like a Pole-ax, but not a Pole-ax neither; he wrench'd it from him, and made shift to knock his Tartarian Brains out with it. But my old Man had the Third Tartar to deal with ftill, and seeing he did not fly, as he expected, nor come on to fight him, as he apprehended, but ftand ftock ftil, the old Man ftood ftill too, and falls to work with his Tackle to charge his Piftol again; but as foon as the Tartar faw the Pistol, whether he fuppos'd it to be the fame, or another, I know not, but away he fcower'd, and left Pilot, my Champion I call'd him afterward, a compleat Victory.

my

By this time I was a little awake, for I thought when first I began to wake, that I had been in a fweet Sleep; but a I faid above, I wonder'd where I was, how I came upon the Ground, and what was the matter: In a word, a few Moments after, as Senfe return'd, I felt Pain, tho' I did not know where; I clap'd my Hand to my Head, and took it away bloody; then I felt my Head ach, and then in another Moment Memory return'd, and every thing was present to me again.

I jump'd up upon my Feet inftantly, and got hold of my Sword, but no Enemies in View: I found a Tartar lie dead and his Horfe ftanding very quietly by him; and looking farther, I faw my Champion and Deliverer, who had been to fee what the Chinese had done, coming back with his Hanger in his Hand; the old Man feeing me on my Feet, came running to me and embrac'd me with a great deal of Joy, being afraid before that I had been kill'd, and feeing me bloody, would

fee

fee how I was hurt, but it was not much, only what we call a broken Head; neither did I afterwards find any great Inconvenience from the Blow, other than the Place which was hurt; and which was well again in two or three Days.

We made no great Gain however by this Vi&tory, for we loft a Camel, and gain'd a Horse; but that which was remarkable, when we came back to the Village, the Man demanded to be paid for the Camel, 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 Justice of the Peace: Give him his due, he acted with a great deal of Prudence and Impartiality and having heard both Sides he gravely ask'd the Chinese Man, that went with me to buy the Camel, whofe Servant he was; I am no Servant fays he, but went with the Stranger; at whofe Requeft fays the Juftice? At the Stranger's Requeft, fays he: Why then, fays the Juftice, you were the Stranger's Servant for the Time, and the Camel being de-, liver'd to his Servant, it was deliver'd 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 fee fuch juft Reasoning upon the Confequence, and fo accurate ftating the Caufe, I pay'd willingly for the Camel, and fent for another; but you may obferve, I fent for it, I did not go to fetch it my self any more, I had enough of that.

The City of Naum, is a Frontier of the Chinefe Empire; they call it fortify'd, and fo it is, as Fortifications go there; for this I will venture Y

to

to affirm, that all the Tartars in Karakathaie, which 1 believe, are fome Millions, could not batter down the Walls with their Bows and Arrows; but to call it ftrong, if it were attack'd with Canton, would be to make thofe 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 fent for them; for that an unusual Body of Tartars, making ten thousand in all, had appear'd in the Way, about thirty Miles beyond the City.

This was very bad News to Travellers; however, it was carefully done of the Governour, and we were very glad to hear we fhould have a Guard, accordingly, two Days after, we had two hundred Soldiers fent us from a Garrison of the Chineses, on our Left, and three hundred more from the City of Naum, and with those we advanc'd boldly; the three hundred Soldiers from Naum, march'd in our Front, the two hundred in our Rear, and our Men on each Side of our Camels with our Baggage, and the whole Caravan in the Center; in this Order, and well prepar'd for Battle, we thought our felves a Match for the whole ten thoufand Mongul Tartars,if they had appear'd, 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 call'd Changhu we had a River to pafs, where we were oblig'd to Ferry; and had the Tartars had any Intelli

gence,

gence, then had been the Time to have attack'd us, when the Caravan being over, the RearGuard, was behind; but they did not appear.

About three Hours after, when we were enter'd upon a Defart of about fifteen or fixteen Miles over, behold, by a Cloud of Duft they rais'd, we faw an Enemy was at Hand, and they were at Hand indeed, for they came on upon the Spur.

The Chinefes, our Guard on the Front, who had talk'd to big the Day before, began to ftagger, and the Soldiers frequently look'd behind them, which is a cestain Sign in a Soldier, that y' he is just ready to run away, my old Pilot was of my Mind, and being near me, he call'd out, Seignior Inglefe, fays he, thofe Fellows must be encourag'd, or they will ruin us all; for if the Tartars come on, they will never stand it; I am of your Mind said I, but what Courfe mult be done; done! fays 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, 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 march'd to the right Wing, and fifty to the left, and the reft made a Line of Refcue; and fo we march'd, leaving the last two hundred Men to make another Body by themselves, and to guard the Camels; only that if Need were, they fhould lend a hundred Men, to affift the last nifty.