be governed by his rider, though the fellow sat well enough too,
but away he flew, and carried him quite out of the pilot's reach; and at
some distance, rising upon his hind legs, threw down the Tartar, and fell
upon him.

In this interval the poor Chinese came in who had lost the camel, but he
had no weapon; however, seeing the Tartar down, and his horse fallen upon
him, away he runs to him, and seizing upon an ugly weapon he had by his
side, something like a pole-axe, he wrenched it from him, and made shift
to knock his Tartarian brains out with it. But my old man had the third
Tartar to deal with still; and seeing he did not fly, as he expected, nor
come on to fight him, as he apprehended, but stood stock still, the old
man stood still too, and fell to work with his tackle to charge his
pistol again: but as soon as the Tartar saw the pistol away he scoured,
and left my pilot, my champion I called him afterwards, a complete
victory.

By this time I was a little recovered. I thought, when I first began to
wake, that I had been in a sweet sleep; but, as I said above, I wondered
where I was, how I came upon the ground, and what was the matter. A few
moments after, as sense returned, I felt pain, though I did not know
where; so I clapped my hand to my head, and took it away bloody; then I
felt my head ache: and in a moment memory returned, and everything was
present to me again. I jumped upon my feet instantly, and got hold of my
sword, but no enemies were in view: I found a Tartar lying dead, and his
horse standing very quietly by him; and, looking further, I saw my
deliverer, who had been to see what the Chinese had done, coming back
with his hanger in his hand. The old man, seeing me on my feet, came
running to me, and joyfully embraced me, being afraid before that I had
been killed. Seeing me bloody, he would see how I was hurt; but it was
not much, only what we call a broken head; neither did I afterwards find
any great inconvenience from the blow, for it was well again in two or
three days.

We made no great gain, however, by this victory, for we lost a camel and
gained a horse. I paid for the lost camel, and sent for another; but I
did not go to fetch it myself: I had had enough of that.

The city of Naum, which we were approaching, is a frontier of the Chinese
empire, and is fortified in their fashion. We wanted, as I have said,
above two days' journey of this city when messengers were sent express to