A Collection of Curious Travels and Voyages, Volume 1 · Part 2 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
Of the City of Racka, and of its Situation, and alſo ſomething of the Departure of the King of Arabia, and of his League with the Turkiſh Emperour, and alſo of the trouble we had with the Cuſtom-Houſe-Officer or Publican.
RAcka, a Town of Meſopotamia, is ſituated in the Deſarts of Arabia upon the great River Euphrates, between two aſcents, ſo that you cannot ſee any thing of it before you come near it. There is a Caſtle by it, which is given to a Sangiack by the Turkiſh Emperour to keep it with 1200 Spahi's. This Town is pitifully Built, and not well Guarded with Walls, it having been built after the Deſolation of the Old Town, which was ſituated on the Height, as one may ſee ſtill by the Old Wall, and other Arches and Pillars. Among the reſt there is yet ſtanding a very ancient high Building, which is ſtill very ſtrong, and looketh very great (although it is much decayed and run to ruin) and ſuch as one ſhall rarely ſee, ſo that one may conjecture, that it hath perhaps been formerly the Seat and Habitation of their Kings or Magiſtrates. Between the New and Old City lieth a Caſtle, which is alſo Old and pretty ſtrong, where is kept a Turkiſh Garriſon, it being on the Confines or Limits of Arabia and Perſia, &c. to defend them and all the Country from Danger and Incurſions. The Old Town is beſides this quite demoliſhed, and even with the Ground, ſo that here is no convenient place where the Turks can exerciſe themſelves in Running, Cudgel-playing, &c. but this, where I have often ſate upon the ruined Walls and looked upon them when they were a Playing. To the Deſolation of this Town, have very much contributed the Tartars, under their King Haalono, who took it in the Year of our Lord, 1260, and not long after the Town and Caſtle of Halepo, with the help of Ayton King of Armenia. Some will have this to be the Town of Rhages, which is alſo called Edeſſa, whither the Ancient and Pious Tobias, did ſend his Son from Nineve, to his Friend Gabel, to fetch the Money from him which he had lent him: But becauſe this lies a Day's Journey further from the River Euphrates, therefore it cannot be the ſame.
After we had landed there, the Receiver of the Cuſtom came on Horſe-back to the ſhoar, and deſired the Maſter of the Turkiſh Ship, to deliver his Arms, Lances and Bows, who abſolutely denied it, ſeeing that it never had been a Cuſtom before; whereupon they fell about this into ſuch a hot Diſpute, that they began to draw upon one another, and had not we timely put in between them, it would have cauſed a great Tumult. The reaſon why this Man behaved himſelf ſo ſtrangely, was becauſe we did not go with our Goods to Carahemit (which Town is diſtant four Days Journey, and ſituated on the rapid River Tigris) to have laid there upon that River, where he would have received a great deal more Cuſtom, that alſo belonging to him. But the Turk not mattering him, having nothing in but Corn, which he would not carry, he let him alone, and came to us as Strangers, thinking to make up his Loſs from us, and to frighten us out of it. He ſtaid all Night in the Ship, and lay between us (fearing that we ſhould hide ſome Goods from him;) and ſometimes he came upon us with big Words, ſaying, Seeing that it was not allowed to us Out-landiſh Men to travel in theſe Parts, therefore he could not but take us to be Spies, that came to diſcover, rather than for any thing elſe, wherefore he had reaſon enough to take our Goods in Arreſt, and to ſend us two as Spies to Conſtantinople, to make us Slaves to his Maſter, the Great Sultan. After we had heard this his unreaſonable Diſcourſe, and were alſo ſenſible of his Intention to cheat us, we were not preſently frightned, but drew out our Paſs we had from the Baſhaw and Cadi of Halepo, and ſhewed it to him. He looked it over, and after he underſtood that he durſt not very well act againſt it, he went away from us with a deal of Indignation, and immediately he began to quarrel with all the Merchants of the two Ships, and deſired of them an unreaſonable Sum to pay him as Toll, whereof they complained heavily; but he went on and would accept of no reaſonable Conditions, but took away our Rowers from our Ships, to hinder us from going away, to ſqueeze us the more. But the Merchants although they ſaw his earneſtneſs, they did not matter it, but ſent on the 11th. of September one of them with a Moor to Carahemit, to the Great Baſhaw, which was the Son of Mahomet Baſſa, to complain to him of theſe Impoſitions and Extortions. When the Toll-keeper did underſtand this, he followed them with his Son immediately. But becauſe he did not find the Baſhaw (which was then in another place called Giſelet, whither our Friend was forced to follow him three Days Journey from thence) he returned again immediately. Although he did not ſpeak with the Baſhaw, yet he falſly told us, that it was the Baſhaw's Order that we ſhould pay him Ten Ducats per cent. Notwithſtanding that, ours did not know any thing, yet they would not truſt him, but had carried the beſt and greateſt Part of their Goods out, before he came into the Ships to ſearch, and alſo ſome thereof they buried in the Sand by Night, where the Turks and Moors went over by Day Light, and yet they could find none of theſe hidden Goods. The next morning early the Publican came with his Crue, and ſearched every thing with a great deal of Care, as if he had a peculiar Command for it, but did not find any thing near (as you may think) what he expected. When he was thus very buſy in exerciſing his Office, our Friend came in at laſt, and told us, that the Baſhaw was very much diſpleaſed, that the Publican did deal ſo unjuſtly with us, contrary to the Orders and Law of his Maſter the Grand Signior, and did keep us ſo long, and hinder us in our Navigation. Wherefore he had writ to the Sangiack in our behalf, and ordered him on pain of Death, to take all Care that we might not be detained any longer, but to take the Publican Priſoner, and to ſend him to Conſtantinople, to have him tried at the Court kept for that purpoſe every 15th. Day, and that he feared very much, that he would pay for this his Miſdemeanour with his Life.
In the mean time we were thus detained Priſoners on the Rivers of Babylon, expecting with a deal of Patience the time of our Deliverance, it happened, that the King of Arabia broke up with his Retinue from here-about on the 21ſt. Day of September, and travelled towards the South in great Numbers, to find better Paſtures for his Beaſts, as Horſes, Aſſes, and Camels, that they might the better ſubſiſt; for in theſe Places there are not ſo many Villages, Towns and Market-Towns, where they might have their continual abode. Neither do they love Farming nor Trading, but are contented, if they have a great Stock of Cattle, and good ſtore of Graſs for them, that they may keep them. So if they come to a Rivolet, where a little Herbage or Graſs groweth, they immediately erect their Tents there, to ſtay there till want forceth them to remove, and to look out for another Place. When they break up, they take along with them Man, Maid, Beaſts and all their whole Subſtance, as I did ſee them remove at this very time, and come towards this Town in great Numbers, ſo that the Turks kept their Gates ſhut up for four Days, until they were all paſs'd by. On Horſe-back they are armed with Darts and Bows, &c. and alſo if they ride on Camels, whereof they have a very great Number, chiefly when the King is moving from one place to another, as ſome of them did relate to me, where generally are imployed 150000. I my own ſelf have once ſeen at one time together about the number of 3 or 4000 Camels. They are ſtrong and hardy Creatures, fit to carry heavy Burthens, and alſo to ſubſiſt without Drinking in the greateſt Heats for Three Days together. They ſtale out between their hind Legs, ſo that thoſe that go in Caravans behind them muſt have a great Care, that they be not hit by them, and ſo become all bedaubed. Their Horſes are very Noble, Neat, and fit for buſineſs; they ſeldom feed them more than once a Day, altho' they ride them very hard all Day long through the Wilderneſſes. They commonly cut off all the Hair from their Mains and Tail, ſo that their Tails remain very naked, and look ſomething like the Tail of a Lion. They put their Wives on little Aſſes, and alſo upon high Camels with their Children, three or four of them together in Boxes, as it is the faſhion in theſe Countries. They are of a brown Colour like unto our Gypſies, and almoſt the fourth Part of them black, which difference of Colour proceedeth from that in travelling up and down, to places where Blacks are. They ſometimes leave their own there, and take Blacks in the room of them. The King of Arabia is always encamped in the Fields, and never cometh into a place that is ſhut up or encloſed; and this the leſs now, after the Miſchance of loſing his Son that retired into one, happened; ſo he goeth from place to place like unto the Tartars, ſo that often it is not known where he is. In the Summer time he goeth further to the North, and in the Winter to the South, to avoid both the Heat and Cold, and to have better Subſiſtance and Proviſion for himſelf, his Men and Cattle. So it hath happened ſeveral times, that the Arabians in their march have come too near to the Turks Dominions, and the Turks again to his, from whence aroſe between theſe two great Princes ſuch Differences, that they are come to great and bloody Wars. And yet for all this (as I am credibly informed) they have now both made a peculiar League and Contract between them, wherein it is agreed that if the Grand Turk ſhould go to a War with his Neighbours, then the Arabian King will Aſſiſt and Defend him, wherefore the Grand Signior writes to him as his Couſin and good Friend, and is to pay him the ſum of 60000 Ducats yearly as his certain Salary or retaining Fee. And beſides all this, the Sultan ſends to the New King of Arabia after the Deceaſe of the Old one, a Standard with his Coat of Arms in it, which together with other Preſents he ſends him, with uſual Ceremonies, to congratulate him on his happy coming to the Throne, and to renew and confirm their Alliances. Their Religion doth contribute not a ſmall matter to this, which (together with all their Ceremonies, and all other Points) is the ſame almoſt they profeſs in both Nations: And they take as many Wives as the Turks do, neither do they extol or magnifie one before the other, becauſe they come from better Parents, being they buy them all from them. And therefore none of them is excuſed, becauſe ſhe cometh from a greater Extraction, from doing the Family-buſineſs, nor hath a poor one more put upon her, becauſe ſhe came from mean Extraction. So one of the King of Arabia's Wives is a Daughter of a Man that keepeth a Sawing-Mill at Racka, which by him (although of a mean Extraction) is as much reſpected as any of the reſt. Her Father and Brothers are very good People; they came very often to us, and ſhewed great Compaſſion, for that we were ſo abuſed by the Publican. His Milk is not drawn by Horſes as ours are, nor by Water, (for they know nothing of that) but two of them cut the Wood with great hand-labour. During our ſtaying there, a Young Arabian Gentleman, nearly related to the King of Arabia, came very often to us to the Water-ſide, who was always accompanied with Twenty Servants with Bows and Darts; he had a delicate white Turbant on, and a long Violet, coloured Caban made of Wooll, but his Servants went pretty bare, for ſome of them wore black Caps and long Indigo coloured Shirts with wide Sleeves, which they girt up with broad Leathern Girdles, wherein ſtuck bended Daggers or Bagonets, as it is their uſual Cuſtom. It once happened, that ſome of us being upon the High-Town Walls together, from whence we had a pleaſant Proſpect down into the Valley to the great River Euphrates, this ſame Gentleman came to us again, and ſeated himſelf with his Retinue over againſt us, and preſented us with ſome dried Cicer Peaſe (whereof I have made mention before) and ſome Cibebs mixt together, which we thankfully received; and to ſhew our thankfulneſs, we preſented him again with ſome Almonds, Figs, Nuts, and ſome very good Sweet-meats we had brought with us from Halepo, which he alſo received very kindly. So we all began to eat each of us part of his Preſent, and drunk with it ſome Water of the Euphrates. After we had eat them all, and we thought the time to be long, he beckon'd to one of his Muſicians, and bid him to divert us with his Inſtrument, which he pulled out preſently (which about the Neck looked very like unto a Cittern) and we expected to hear ſome rarity, but when I looked upon it, and ſaw it had but one String that was as big as a Cord of their Bows, he began to play ſome of their Tunes, but with what Art and Dexterity you may eaſily fanſie. He did this for almoſt two Hours, and according to his Opinion very harmoniouſly, but we thought the time ſo long, that we were very glad when he had done.
About the River I found that ſort of Acacia that beareth roundiſh and brown-coloured Pods, called Schock and Schamuth by the Arabians: Some Thorns called Algul, whereon the Manna falleth, chiefly in the County of Coraſcen, as Avicen tells us. Chameſyces, ſome ſtrange kinds of Moſſes, which are very much differing in bigneſs: Among the reſt I ſaw the low prickly Herb, by ſome eſteemed to be the Tragun of Dioſcorides. Below, cloſe to the River, I found the Herba Sacra of Dioſcorides, which the Learned Carolus Cluſius hath accurately deſcribed in his Second Book and the 45th. Chapter of his Hiſtory of Out-landiſh Plants; and juſt by theſe, more ſtrange ones, chiefly a delicate one growing plentifully there in the Sand, which had from Five to Eight tender Stalks, which ſpread themſelves into others, that were very full of Joints, ſo that it crept rather on the Ground than grew up; by each of them ſtood three or four roundiſh Marjoram or Origanum Leaves together, and above between them ſome Star like white Flowers, with ſix pointed Leaves like unto our Ornithogalum, each of them on a peculiar Footſtalk, the Seeds thereof I have not ſeen, but the Roots are ſmall and fibrous, which together with their ſmall bitterneſs, have a pretty exſiccating quality; and ſo in this reſpect are very like unto the Polycnemon of Dioſcorides, but whether it be the ſame or no, I leave the learned to decide. Beſides thoſe before as we came down the River, I ſaw a great many large Tamarisk Trees, and abundance of a certain kind of Agnus Caſtus, almoſt like unto the other, only a great deal leſs, and it had no more but three ſtrong claver Leaves; but above all the Galega, called Goats-Rue in our Language, which in theſe Parts groweth very high, and in ſo great plenty, that on the River ſide I could ſee nothing but this for ſeveral Miles together.