A Collection of Curious Travels and Voyages, Volume 1 · Part 2 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
Of the Inhabitants of the Mountains, and the great Wilderneſs we came through to Deer: Of their ancient Origination, and miſerable and laborious Livelihood.
UPon this good and ſevere Command of the Baſhaw, Son of Mahomet Baſhaw, we were acquitted of our long Arreſt, and went away about Noon on the 27th. of September; we went again from thence through ſuch great Deſarts, that for ſome Days we ſaw nothing worth relating, but here and there little Huts made of ſome erected Boughs, and covered with ſome Buſhes, wherein the Moors with their Families live, to ſecure themſelves from the great Heat, Rain and Dews that are in theſe Parts moſt violent, ſo that I admired how theſe miſerable People could maintain themſelves and ſo many Children in theſe dry and ſandy Places where nothing was to be had. Wherefore theſe poor People are very naked, and ſo hungry that many of them if they ſaw us afar off, would fling themſelves into the great River, and ſwim to us to fetch a piece of Bread. And when we flung at them whole handfulls, they would ſnap at it juſt like hungry Fiſh or Ducks, and eat it: Others did gather it and put it into the Crown which they make neatly of their Sheets on the top of their Heads, and ſo ſwim away with it. After theſe ſandy Deſarts had continued a great while, we came at length out of them between high, rough and bare Hills, which were ſo barren, that there was to be ſeen neither Plough-Lands nor Meadows, neither Houſe nor Stick, neither High-way nor Foot-path, wherefore thoſe People that live there, have no Houſes, but Caves and Tents, as they have in the great Deſarts, where becauſe of the great Heat and Drineſs, the Soil is ſo barren, that they cannot ſubſiſt in a place for any conſiderable time, nor have Villages or certain Habitations: Wherefore they wander up and down, fall upon the Caravans and plunder them, and make what ſhift they can to get a livelihood. Theſe Mountains, as I am informed, reach to the River Jordan, the Dead and the Red-Seas, &c. wherein are ſituated Mount Sinai, Horeb, &c. and the Town Petra, which by the Prophet Iſaiah is called Petra of the Deſarts. The Arabians that live in theſe Deſarts, and round about them, are extraordinary Marks-men for Bows and Arrows, and to fling Darts which are made of Canes: They are a very numerous People, and go out in great Parties every where almoſt: they are a very ancient Nation, and come from the Sons of Iſhmael, but chiefly from his Eldeſt Son Nebajoth, and were anciently called the War-like Nabathees, and their Country, the Land or Province of the Nabathees, which Joſephus teſtifieth in Book I. Chap. 21. where he ſays, that the Twelve Sons of Iſhmael, which he had by an Egyptian Wife, (his Mother Agar, from whom they were called Agarens, as you may ſee in the firſt of the Chronicles and the ſixth Verſe, being alſo of the ſame Country▪) were poſſeſſed of all the Country between the Euphrates, and the Red-Seas, and called it the Province of the Nabathees. The Midianites that bought Joſeph of his Brethren, and carried him into Egypt, may alſo be reckoned among theſe. This ſame Country is alſo chiefly by Pliny (becauſe thereabout are no other Habitations, but Tents, wherein the Inhabitants live) called Scenitis. From this we may conclude that the Prophet Iſaiah in his 60th. Chapter, and David in his 120th. Pſalm did ſpeak of them, when chiefly the latter maketh mention of the Tents of Kedar, whereby he underſtands a Country that is inhabited by ſuch a Nation as liveth in Tents, and is derived from Kedar the Son of Iſhmael, whom his Father Abraham as a ſtrange Child, born by his Maid Agar, did thruſt out together with his Mother into the Deſarts; his words are theſe, Wo is me, that I ſojourn in Meſheck, that I dwell in the Tents of Kedar. In our times theſe and other Nations are called the Saracens, which have very much encreaſed under Mahomet (which by his Mother was an Iſhmaelite) and did ſpread very much; and ſo they were in David's time a very ſtrong Nation, wherefore he prayeth very earneſtly (in his 83 Pſalm) that God would puniſh and ſlay and diſperſe them, as Enemies of his Holy Church. But that I may come to our former Intention again, here the Arabians asked us very often again, where their King was at that time, ſo that our Maſter had buſineſs enough to anſwer them; whereby you may obſerve what great Reſpect and Love they have for their King. But that they might not altogether look upon us as Outlandiſh Men, nor preſently diſcern us to be Strangers, we did ſometimes when there was occaſion for it, change our Turbants, and let one end thereof according to their Faſhion hang down, which they do to make themſelves a Shade againſt the Heat, that is very cruel in theſe Countries. But yet if any body, be he who he will, doth enquire after their King, and wants to come before him, to preſent him with a Suit of Cloaths, &c. or to deſire a Paſs from him, or if one ſhould go about to hire one of them, to ſhew him the way to a certain place, or through their Country, (which he may do for a very ſmall price,) he would ſoon find one or other that would be ready to do it; but among the Turks there is no ſuch Obedience; for if you ſhould deſire any thing of them to do, in the Name of their Sultan, they are not willing to do it, except it would redound to their great Profit. Wherefore a Turkiſh Guide to conduct you would coſt you a great deal more than one of them. Beſides, they alſo remember their Maſter daily, and hardly ſpeak of any thing but of him, his great riches, &c. but with ſuch Pride and Greatneſs, chiefly when they ſpeak of his powerfulneſs, and enlarging of his Kingdom, as if ſome ſhare of theſe were belonging to them, and that they muſt be reſpected for it. In this Navigation through the great Deſarts, we two did not ſpend much, becauſe the Towns were at ſo great a diſtance from one another that we could not reach them, to provide our ſelves daily with Neceſſaries (as we do in our Country on the Danube and Rhine) or Lodgings. We were neceſſitated to be contented with ſome ſlight Food or other, and make a ſhift with Curds, Cheeſe, Fruits, Honey, &c. and to take any of theſe with ſome Bread for a good Entertainment. The Honey in theſe Parts is very good, and of a whitiſh colour, whereof they take in their Caravans and Navigations, great Leathern Bottles-full along with them; this they bring you in ſmall Cups, and put a little Butter to it, and ſo you eat it with Biskets. By this Diſh I often remembred St. John the Baptiſt, the fore-runner of our Lord, how he alſo did eat Honey in the Deſarts, together with other Food. Beſides this when we had a mind to Feaſt our ſelves, ſome ran, as ſoon as our Maſter had landed at Night, to fetch ſome Wood, and others in the mean time made a hole in the Ground on the Shoar, in the nature of a Furnace, to boil our Meat. So every Company dreſſed accordingly what they had a mind to, or what they had laid up in Store; ſome boil'd Rice, others ground Corn, &c. And when they had a mind to eat New Bread inſtead, or for want of Biskets, they made a paſte of Flower and Water, and wrought it into broad Cakes about the thickneſs of a Finger, and put them in a hot place on the ground, heated on purpoſe by Fire, and covered it with Aſhes and Coals, and turned it ſeveral times until it was enough. Theſe Cakes were very ſavory and good to eat. Some of the Arabians have in their Tents, Stones or Copper-Plates made on purpoſe to bake them. On the 4th. Day, being the laſt of September, about Noon, we came to the end of the Mountains, before which without, on this ſide, lieth a very ſtrong Citadel, on a high Hill, built three ſquare, by the Inhabitants called Seleby, whereof two Points go downwards towards the River, and the third upward a great way on the Mountain, ſo that in its ſituation it is very like unto Baden in Switzerland. Although it is demoliſhed, yet it is ſtill very ſtrong in its Walls, that are to be ſeen at the top and on the ſides, chiefly towards the Hills, and the River ſide, to hinder the Paſſage both by Water and Land. There are alſo ſtill ſtanding ſome Watch-houſes without, as you come towards it near the Mountains, which may hold three or four Souldiers: yet it lieth ſtill to this Day in ruins, and ſo deſolated, that nothing but Birds and Beaſts inhabit it; whereof a great many appeared on the Rivers ſide, as Herns, Ducks, that were very large and of a delicate Colour, and others, among which were ſome of a white Colour, called Pelicans by Ariſtotle, and Onocrotali by others, which are as big as Swans; the Prophet Zephaniah maketh alſo mention of them in his ſecond Chapter, when he prognoſticated the puniſhment that was to come to the Ninevites, Aſſyrians and Moors; there alſo appeared ſome quite black, with long Necks; whereof I did ſee abundance in my Travels into the Land of Promiſe, and eſpecially near Acon, among the Rocks and Crags of the Sea; as far as I could diſcern them at a diſtance, they ſeemed to be a kind of a *I gueſs them rather to have been Cormorants; no Eagles having long Necks.Sea-Eagle, that feed more upon Fiſh than any thing elſe. Six Miles lower, and at the other ſide of the Euphrates, lieth ſtill another Fortification which is called Subian Seleby, that is lower Seleby, on a very high Bank, and ſeeing that we ſailed very near it, I could not well diſcover it. Of theſe two which way they were beſieged and taken; and alſo of the way of Government, or ruling of the Kings of Arabia, &c. I ſhould have been very glad to have been a little better informed, but the Language wherewith I was not well acquainted, did hinder me. And ſuppoſe I ſhould have underſtood it very well, or enough to have made an enquiry after thoſe Particulars, yet I could not have done it without great Danger, to have been taken for a Spy; for they ſoon ſuſpect Outlandiſh Men on every little occaſion, which thoſe that Trade in theſe Parts have often experienced not without great Loſs and Danger. Beyond the Mountains in the low Country we ſaw more tilled Grounds, and Habitations of the Arabians than we had done before, wherefore our Maſter landed ſooner than he uſed to do, near a Village, to take in Proviſion for our further Journey, where the People brought Fleſh and Indian Melons to us to ſell. Here it happened, that about Midnight, one of the Turkiſh Souldiers went out to eaſe himſelf to the River ſide; and when he was buſy about it, a Moor came creeping along to him, and thruſt him into the River before he was aware of it, and run away. The Turk finding himſelf in the Euphrates, fell a crying out for help; I hearing him, ſtanding Sentinel that Night, did not fail him, but made what haſte I could, with my Scymeter in my Hand, followed his Voice, and came to the place, although it was very dark, drew him out, and brought him into the Ship, which was ſo kindly taken by the reſt of the Turks, that I got mightily into their Favour, and received many Kindneſſes of them all the way until we came to Bagdet, the Garriſon which they went to reinforce.
The firſt of October when our Voyage went on again, there came early in the Morning a Poſt of ſix Arabians on Horſe back to the River ſide, to enquire of us whither their King was gone, or where we thought they might find him, they had received Letters for him from the Sultan, wherefore they muſt follow him until they found him. The Maſter of our Ship told 'em (and ſo he did to every body that asked him) that we had ſeen him in Meſopotamia, which Province he called Amanachar, that he was broken up with his Men to go back into Arabia, where they would find him. After this relation they departed, and we went on our way, and ſoon ſaw below a Town to our right at a diſtance, called Seccard, very well ſituated on an aſcent, belonging to the King of Arabia, wherefore ſome of the Turks ſaid, that none but Haramiquiber, that is great Thieves lived in it, which they do out of ſpite to all them, that are ſubject to any other Maſter, than their Sultan. This Town we paſſed by, and went directly towards Deer another Town, whence we were then three Leagues diſtant, yet they do not accompt their diſtances by Leagues, for they know little or nothing of it, but rather reckon by Days Journeys, for their Towns are ſo ſituated, at ſuch a diſtance, that they have ſometimes to go through divers Wilderneſſes, ſeveral Days, more or leſs, before they arrive there. Before we came thither, one of the Ships in our Company did go too much toward one ſide, toward a Branch of the River, that runs by the Town, (for it divideth it ſelf into ſeveral Branches) where it got into the Mud and ſtuck. Our Maſter ſeeing this, landed immediately, and did ſend his Men to help them. So I got time to look after the ſtrange Plants, and found there about the River many great Tamarisk-Trees, and alſo a peculiar ſort of Willow, which the Inbitants ſtill call by its ancient Arabian Name Garb. Theſe Trees do not grow high, but ſpread very much; the Twigs thereof are ſtronger and not ſo tough, as to make Bands or Withs as ours will; the Bark is of a pale yellow Colour, and ſo are the Leaves, which are long and about two Fingers broad, and at the edges round about crenated, ſo that they are very much differing from the reſt of this kind. I found them to be of a pretty drying and aſtringent quality. Of their Flowers and Fruit (whereof Avicen maketh mention in his 126 and 686 Chap.) I can ſay nothing, becauſe I ſaw none. Hereabout the Turk (that would not ſtay until we were cleared, but went away before us) did ſuffer Shipwrack, and ſo loſt a great deal of his Corn, that he intended to carry to Bagdet (called Baldac) to ſell it in the great Scarcity, which was occaſioned for want of Rain, for there fell none in the ſpace of two Years and a half. And yet, as they ſay, if it raineth but twice or thrice a Year, they have enough to ſupply themſelves. After our Men had wrought longer than an hour together with theirs, until they had emptied the Ships, they came to us again to go that Night to Deer. But there being ſeveral Rocks before it, which were very dangerous to paſs, ſome of their Pilots, that underſtood the depths, came out to meet and did help us, ſo that we got ſafe there. The Town of Deer, which is not very big, and belongs to the Sultan, is ſituated on this ſide of the River, on an aſcent, and is pretty well built with Houſes (whereon ſtood great Numbers of People when we went into it, to ſee us) but as for the Walls and Ditches, they are but very ſlight. At our firſt arrival, we thought we ſhould ſoon get clear for the Cuſtom with the Armin, and ſo Ship off again, but he was not in Town, ſo that we were forced to ſtay three Days for his coming. In the mean time we got acquaintance with the Inhabitants, which were handſome, luſty and well-ſet, and white, and more mannerly than the reſt; they viſited us frequently, and ſpoke kindly to us, ſo that we found a vaſt Difference between thoſe and the former. The Armin alſo (who was no leſs civil) we preſented at his return, with a great diſh fill'd up with Cibebs, and ſeveral ſorts of Confectures, and laid round about with Soap balls (as is the Faſhion in theſe Countries) but to them that were with him and of his Family, we gave ſome Sheets of white Paper, which they willingly received, and were ſo well pleaſed with it, that ſome of them (as the Children do in our Country when we give them ſomething that is ſtrange or pleaſing to them) ſmiled at it as often as they looked on it. The Country there about is pretty fertile and plentiful of Corn, Indian Millet, Cotton, &c. and they have alſo between the Rivers very good Gardens for the Kitchin, with all ſorts of Plants and Fruits in them, viz. Colliflowers, Citruls, Pumpions, Cucumbers, Anguriens, or Water-Melons, which they call Bathiecae, whereof they have ſo many, that you may buy forty great ones for one Aſper (whereof three make a Medin) much about the value of our Penny. There were alſo ſome Date Trees, Limon and Citron, and other Trees, which I could not diſtinguiſh at a diſtance.