l
accident attended me, only in the passing or fording a small river, my
horse fell, and made me free of the country, as they call it; that is to
say, threw me in: the place was not deep, but it wetted me all over: I
mention it, because it spoiled my pocket-book, wherein I had set down
the names of several people and places which I had occasion to remember,
and which not taking due care of, the leaves rotted, and the words were
never after to be read, to my great loss, as to the names of some places
which I touched at in this voyage.

At length we arrived at Pekin; I had nobody with me but the youth, whom
my nephew the captain had given me to attend me as a servant, and who
proved very trusty and diligent; and my partner had nobody with him but
one servant, who was a kinsman. As for the Portuguese pilot, he being
desirous to see the court, we gave him his passage, that is to say, bore
his charges for his company; and to use him as an interpreter, for he
understood the language of the country, and spoke good French and a
little English; and, indeed, this old man was a most useful implement to
us every where; for we had not been above a week at Pekin, when he came
laughing: "Ah, Seignior Inglese," said he, "I have something to tell
you, will make your heart glad."--"My heart glad," said I; "what can
that be? I don't know any thing in this country can either give me joy
or grief, to any great degree."--"Yes, yes," said the old man, in broken
English, "make you glad, me sorrow;" sorry, he would have said. This
made me more inquisitive. "Why," said I, "will it make you
sorry?"--"Because," said he, "you have brought me here twenty-five days
journey, and will leave me to go back alone; and which way shall I get
to my port afterwards, without a ship, without a horse, without pecune?"
so he called money; being his broken Latin, of which he had abundance to
make us merry with.

In short, he told us there was a great caravan of Muscovy and Polish
merchants in the city, and that they were preparing to set out on their
journey, by land, to Muscovy, within four or five weeks, and he was sure
we would take the opportunity to go with them, and leave him behind to
go back alone. I confess I was surprised with this news: a secret joy
spread itself over my whole soul, which I cannot describe, and never
felt before or since; and I had no power, for a good while, to speak a
word to the old man; but at last I turned to him: "How do you know