between
the wheel ruts of one of their waggons to be twenty feet, and when the
house was upon the waggon, it spread beyond the wheels at least five feet
on each side. I have counted twenty-two bullocks dragging one waggon,
surmounted by a house; eleven in one row, according to the breadth or the
waggon, and other eleven before these. The axle of this waggon was very
large, like the mast of a ship; and one man stood in the door of the house,
upon the waggon, urging on the oxen. They likewise make quadrangular
structures of small split wicker, like large chests, and frame for them an
arched lid or cover of similar twigs, having a small door at the front end;
and they cover this chest or small house with black felt, smeared over with
suet or sheeps' milk[1], to prevent the rain from penetrating; and these
are likewise decorated with paintings or feathers. In these they put all
their household goods and treasure; and they bind these upon higher carts,
drawn by camels, that they may be able to cross rivers without injuring
their contents. These chests are never taken down from the carts to which
they belong. When their dwelling-houses are unloaded from the waggons,
their doors are always turned to the south; and the carts, with the chests
which belong to each house, are drawn up in two rows, one on each side of
the dwelling, at about the distance of a stone's throw.

The married women get most beautiful carts made for themselves, which I am
unable to describe without the aid of painting, and which I would have
drawn for your majesty, if I had possessed sufficient talents. One rich
Moal, or Tartar, will have from a hundred to two hundred such carts with
chests. Baatu has sixteen wives, each of whom has one large house, besides
several small ones, serving as chambers for her female attendants, and
which are placed behind the large house; and to the large house of each
wife there belong two hundred chest-carts. When the camp is formed, the
house of the first wife is placed on the west, and all the rest extend in
one line eastwards, so that the last wife is on the east, or left of all.
And between the station of each wife there is the distance of a stone's
throw, so that the court of a rich Moal appears like a large city, but in
which there are very few men. One girl is able to lead twenty or thirty
carts; for the ground being quite plain, they fasten the carts, whether
drawn by camels or oxen, behind each other, and the girl s