d a number of hollow copper
figures to be made, resembling men, which were stuffed with combustibles,
and set upon horses, each having a man behind on the horse, with a pair of
bellows to stir up the fire. When approaching to give battle, these mounted
images were first sent forwards against the enemy, and the men who rode
behind set fire by some means to the combustibles, and blew strongly with
their bellows; and the Mongal men and horses were burnt with wildfire, and
the air was darkened with smoke. Then the Indians charged the Mongals, many
of whom were wounded and slain, and they were expelled from the country in
great confusion, and we have not heard that they ever ventured to
return[2].

[1] Probably Tuschi-Khan.--E.

[2] It is needless to remark upon the confused and ignorant geography, and
the idle tale of a Christian empire in India in this section. The
strangely ill-told story of the copper images, by which the Mongals
were scorched with wild-fire, may refer to the actual employment
either of cannon or rockets against the Mongals in this invasion.--E.

SECTION XI.

_Of Monstrous Men like Dogs, and of the Conquest of Burithabeth._

In returning through the desert, we were told by some Russian priests at
the emperor's court, that the Mongals found certain women, who, being asked
where their men were, said that all the women of that country had human
shapes, but that the males had the shape of great dogs. After some time,
they met the dogs on the other side of a river. It being in winter, the
dogs plunged into the water, and then rolled themselves in the dust on the
land, till the dust and water was frozen on their backs; and having done
this repeatedly till the ice was thick and strong, they attacked the
Mongals with great fury; but when the Mongals threw their darts, or shot
their arrows at them, they rebounded as if they had fallen on stones,
neither could their weapons in any way hurt them. But the dogs killed some
of the Tartars, and wounded many with their teeth, and finally drove them
out of the country[1].

On their return home, the Mongals came into the country of Burithabeth, of
which the inhabitants are pagans, and conquered the people in battle. These
people have a strange custom of eating their kindred when they die. They
have no beard, for we saw some of them going about with certain iron
instruments in their hands, with which they pluck out any hairs they find
on their f