t is so far out
of the road of commerce, that I know not how it should be much talked
of. We were now come to a very small caravan, being only thirty-two
horses and camels in all, and all of them passed for mine, though my new
guest was proprietor of eleven of them. It was most natural also, that I
should take more servants with me than I had before, and the young lord
passed for my steward; what great man I passed for myself I know not,
neither did it concern me to inquire. We had here the worst and the
largest desert to pass over that we met with in all the journey; indeed
I call it the worst, because the way was very deep in some places, and
very uneven in others; the best we had to say for it was, that we
thought we had no troops of Tartars and robbers to fear, and that they
never came on this side the river Oby, or at least but very seldom; but
we found it otherwise.

My young lord had with him a faithful Muscovite servant, or rather a
Siberian servant, who was perfectly acquainted with the country; and who
led us by private roads, that we avoided coming into the principal towns
and cities upon the great road, such as Tumen, Soloy Kamaskoy, and
several others; because the Muscovite garrisons, which are kept there,
are very curious and strict in their observation upon travellers, and
searching lest any of the banished persons of note should make their
escape that way into Muscovy; but by this means, as we were kept out of
the cities, so our whole journey was a desert, and we were obliged to
encamp and lie in our tents, when we might have had good accommodation
in the cities on the way: this the young lord was so sensible of, that
he would not allow us to lie abroad, when we came to several cities on
the way; but lay abroad himself, with his servant, in the woods, and met
us always at the appointed places.

We were just entered Europe, having passed the river Kama, which, in
these parts, is the boundary between Europe and Asia; and the first city
on the European side was called Soloy Kamaskoy, which is as much as to
say, the great city on the river Kama; and here we thought to have seen
some evident alteration in the people, their manners, their habit, their
religion, and their business; but we were mistaken; for as we had a vast
desert to pass, which, by relation, is near seven hundred miles long in
some places, but not above two hundred miles over where we passed it;
so, till we came past that horrible place, we f