y at a village called Plothus: nor did we make any long stop here,
but hastened on towards Jarawena, another Muscovite colony, and where we
expected we should be safe. But upon the second day's march from
Plothus, by the clouds of dust behind us at a great distance, it was
plain we were pursued. We had entered a vast desert, and had passed by a
great lake called Schanks Oser, when we perceived a large body of horse
appear on the other side of the lake, to the north, we travelling west.
We observed they went away west, as we did, but had supposed we would
have taken that side of the lake, whereas we very happily took the south
side; and in two days more they disappeared again: for they, believing we
were still before them, pushed on till they came to the Udda, a very
great river when it passes farther north, but when we came to it we found
it narrow and fordable.

The third day they had either found their mistake, or had intelligence of
us, and came pouring in upon us towards dusk. We had, to our great
satisfaction, just pitched upon a convenient place for our camp; for as
we had just entered upon a desert above five hundred miles over, where we
had no towns to lodge at, and, indeed, expected none but the city
Jarawena, which we had yet two days' march to; the desert, however, had
some few woods in it on this side, and little rivers, which ran all into
the great river Udda; it was in a narrow strait, between little but very
thick woods, that we pitched our camp that night, expecting to be
attacked before morning. As it was usual for the Mogul Tartars to go
about in troops in that desert, so the caravans always fortify themselves
every night against them, as against armies of robbers; and it was,
therefore, no new thing to be pursued. But we had this night a most
advantageous camp: for as we lay between two woods, with a little rivulet
running just before our front, we could not be surrounded, or attacked
any way but in our front or rear. We took care also to make our front as
strong as we could, by placing our packs, with the camels and horses, all
in a line, on the inside of the river, and felling some trees in our
rear.

In this posture we encamped for the night; but the enemy was upon us
before we had finished. They did not come on like thieves, as we
expected, but sent three messengers to us, to demand the men to be
delivered to them that had abused their priests and burned their idol,
that they might burn th