‘The perillous and most unhappy voyages of John Struys, through Italy, Greece, Lifeland, Moscovia, Tartary, Media, Persia, East-India, Japan, and other places in Europe, Africa and Asia. Containing, I. Most accurate remarks and observations of the distinct qualities, religion, politie, customs, laws and properties of the inhabitants: II. A due description of the several cities, towns, forts and places of trust, as to their site and strength, fortifications by nature, or art, &c. with other things worthy of note: and III. An exact memorial of the most disastrous calamities which befell the author in those parts (viz) by ship-wrack, robberies, slavery, hunger, tortures, with other incommodities and hardships’ [‎174] (223/470)

The Voy ages of V o y. III .
yum and falling dowaagain into gaps like a ferpent when he creeps. Al-
m 2- though the Rujfes as alfo the "inhabitants tell us a Fable of a famous
Cavalier who went out to kill a monftrous Animal like a Snake , that
wafted all the Countrey round about,and devoured every day 5 o Men
foraBreak-faft. The Knight having killed the ferpent it was meta-
morphofed into a Rock which is now this Mountain.
The day following we came before where we caft anchor,
This City lies in 52 degr. 1 z win in a valley upon a Branch of the
Wolgt , on the larboard fide in failing down, and is only inhabited by
a Military Officer and a Garrifon of Soldiers to free the River and
Counfrey of the Coficks and whofe Countrcy is
bounded here. Thefe Calmucks are the moft ougly and miftiapen
People in the World , worfe favoured by far than the H-otemts or
Moors , which are Angels in Comparifon of thofe. Their Faces are
broad and almoft four fquare , their nofes flat, their mouths reaching
almoft from one ear > to the other, their Eies long and fmall, upon
their Heads they wear a Quoif}the reft of their Habit is Efficiently
denoted in the following Plate. They feldom go afoot but moftly on
Horfeback, as if they were Centaurs, for fome of them do not only eat
and drink but alfo lleep u pon their Horfes. Their only weapons is the
Long-bow which they ufe with an admirable Dexterity. There is a
continual enmity between thofe and the Nagayatts , for they perpe
tually fteal one anothers Children and Cattel; which they bring to
Jjirachanto Market, for there they have 3 feveral market days , one
for the Rupam themfelves , another for the T^gayans , and another
for the Calmuc-Tartars , which 2 laft-namedmay not come together,
altho they be both Mahometans 3 and under the J urifdiclion of the
great Duke. The Calptuksdwell not in Towns as other People do,but
travail all over the Countrey, pitching their Tents where they find
a fertile fat Soil , which when their Horfes , Camels , Cows and
fmall Cattel have eaten bare, they break up and march forward to
find outfome other place, as Hiftorie records of the Scythians , who
without difpute were the fame People. Their chief and choice Diet
is Horfe-flefh , which they eat raw after they have rode a litle upon it,
thruftin g it between the Sadie and the Horfe.
Upon the 15 of Auguft we failed paft 2 Iflands, to wit, Criufna and
Sapmufka , as alfo by the Hill Soloitogory , which is as much as to fay