as that we met the three hundred elephants I spoke of
before. We made long marches, travelling without any halt from four in
the afternoon to eight in the morning.

Arriving at a valley where travellers seldom escape being plundered, we
were obliged to double our pace, and were so happy as to pass it without
meeting with any misfortune, except that we heard a bird sing on our left
hand--a certain presage among these people of some great calamity at
hand. As there is no reasoning them out of superstition, I knew no way
of encouraging them to go forward but what I had already made use of on
the same occasion, assuring them that I heard one at the same time on the
right. They were happily so credulous as to take my word, and we went on
till we came to a well, where we stayed awhile to refresh ourselves.
Setting out again in the evening, we passed so near a village where these
robbers had retreated that the dogs barked after us. Next morning we
joined the fathers, who waited for us. After we had rested ourselves
some time in that mountain, we resolved to separate and go two and two,
to seek for a more convenient place where we might hide ourselves. We
had not gone far before we were surrounded by a troop of robbers, with
whom, by the interest of some of the natives who had joined themselves to
our caravan, we came to a composition, giving them part of our goods to
permit us to carry away the rest; and after this troublesome adventure
arrived at a place something more commodious than that which we had
quitted, where we met with bread, but of so pernicious a quality that,
after having ate it, we were intoxicated to so great a degree that one of
my friends, seeing me so disordered, congratulated my good fortune of
having met with such good wine, and was surprised when I gave him an
account of the whole affair. He then offered me some curdled milk, very
sour, with barley-meal, which we boiled, and thought it the best
entertainment we had met with a long time.

CHAPTER XIV

They are betrayed into the hands of the Turks; are detained awhile at
Mazna; are threatened by the Bassa of Suaquem. They agree for their
ransom, and are part of them dismissed.

Some time after, we received news that we should prepare ourselves to
serve the Turks--a message which filled us with surprise, it having never
been known that one of these lords had ever abandoned any whom he had
taken under his protection; and it is, on the contrar