Chapter CXLII: Section II

_Sequel of the Narrative by Antonio Zeno_.

Twenty-six years ago, four fishing boats, which had been overtaken by a violent storm, were driven out to sea for a great many days; and on the cessation of the tempest, they discovered an island called _Estoitland_, which lay above a thousand miles to the westward of _Frisland_. One of the boats, containing six men, was cast away upon this island; and the men, being made prisoners by the inhabitants, were conducted to a fine and populous city where the king resided, who sent for various interpreters, but none could be found except one who spoke Latin. This man, who, in like manner, had been cast by accident on the same island, asked them, by order of the king, from what country they had come; and being made acquainted with their case, the king ordered that the should stay in the country. These orders they obeyed, as indeed they could not do otherwise, and they remained five years on the island, during which time they learned the language of the people. One of them was in various parts of the island, and affirms that it is a very rich country, abounding in every commodity and convenience in life, being little less than Iceland, but much more fertile, having a very high mountain in the centre, from whence four great rivers take their source, and traverse the whole country.

The inhabitants are a very ingenious and sensible people, and have arts and handicrafts of every kind as we have; and it is highly probable that they formerly carried on some traffic with Europe, as this man says he saw Latin books in the kings library, but which at present they do not understand; for they have a language of their own, and peculiar letters or characters in which it is written. They trade with _Engroveland_ or Greenland, and get from thence furs, brimstone, and pitch. To the south of _Estoitland_ there is a very large and populous country, which abounds with gold. The people sow corn, and make the liquor called beer, which is drank by the people of the north as wine is among us in Italy. They have large and extensive woods; make their buildings with walls; and have a great number of towns and castles. They build ships and navigate the sea; but they have not the loadstone, and know nothing about the use of the compass; on which account these fishermen were held in high estimation, insomuch that the king sent them with twelve ships to the southward to a country called Drogio. In their voyage thither, they had such contrary winds and stormy weather that they thought to have foundered at sea; but escaping that death, they met with a fate still more dreadful, as they were made prisoners by the savages, who are cannibals, and most of them were devoured. But the Frisland fisherman and his companions, by teaching these barbarians the way to catch fish with nets, saved their lives. This man used to go every day to the sea or the rivers, in which he caught vast quantities of fish, which he gave away among the principal people of the country; by which means he got into such high favour that he was beloved and respected by every body.

The fame of this man spread abroad through the whole country; and one of the lords, being very desirous to have him, that he might see and learn this new and wonderful art of catching fish, made war against the lord with whom he lived, and prevailing in consequence of his superior power and greater skill in war, the fisherman and his companions were given up to him as the price of peace. During thirteen years that he resided in these parts, he says that he was transferred in this manner to twenty-five different lords, as they were continually at war with each other to procure possession of him; so that by wandering about the country in this manner he became perfectly well acquainted with every part of it, He says that it is a very extensive country, and as it were a new world; but that the inhabitants are a rude unpolished people, without the enjoyment of any convenience of life; for, although they take or kill many wild animals in hunting, they have not the sense to make their skins into garments, but all go naked, and are miserably pinched with cold. They are besides extremely uncivilized and savage, continually engaged in wars against each other, in which they commit horrible ravages, and devour their prisoners. They know not the use of any metal, and live by the chase, being armed with spears of wood made sharp at the point, and use bows, the strings of which are made of slips of hide. They are divided into small tribes, each of which has its lord or governor, and the laws or customs of the several tribes differ much from each other. Farther to the southwest, however, the manners are more civilized in proportion to the increasing mildness of the climate; and there the people are not without some degree of knowledge, making use of gold and silver, and having cities and temples dedicated to idols, in which they offer up human sacrifices.

After residing many years among this savage people, the principal fisherman became desirous of returning into his own country, but his companions being without hope of ever seeing it again, wished him prosperity in his attempt, and resolved to remain where they were. Bidding them farewell, he fled through the woods, in the direction which led towards _Drogio_, and was received with great kindness by one of the lords of that country who knew, him, and who was a determined enemy to the lord from whence he had escaped. Thus passing from one lord to another, with all of whom he was well acquainted, as he had formerly resided with them all, he at length, and with great difficulty, arrived in Drogio, where he stayed three years. Then fortunately hearing that some small vessel had arrived on the coast, he went thither, and learned, to his unspeakable satisfaction, that they were from _Estoitland_. Upon this, he earnestly requested to be taken on board, which they did very willingly; and as he understood the language of the country, which the others did not, he became their interpreter. He afterwards made repeated voyages from _Estoitland_ to _Drogio_ and acquired great riches. After which, he equipped a bark of his own, in which he returned to _Frisland_ where he made a report to his lord of all that had befallen him, and of the discovery he had made of an extensive and wealthy country.

As this strange and marvellous story was confirmed by the testimony of the sailors he had brought along with him, it gained full credit; and accordingly Zichmni determined to send me, Antonio Zeno, with a fleet into these parts; and so great was the desire among the people to embark in this expedition, that our fleet was well manned and equipped without expence to the public. I accordingly set sail with a great number of ships and men, but not commander in chief as I expected, for Zichmni went in person on the expedition. Our great preparation for the voyage to _Estoitland_ began in an unlucky hour as, three days before our departure, the fisherman died who was to have been our guide; yet Zichmni would not give up the enterprise, but took for, his guides several of the sailors who had returned with the fisherman from _Estoitland_. Shaping our course to the westwards, we passed several islands subject to _Frisland_, and arrived at _Ledovo_, or the Lewis, where we staid a week to refresh ourselves, and to provide the fleet with necessaries. Departing thence, we arrived on the first of July off the island of _Ilofe_, or Islay; and the wind being favourable, did not stop there but stood on our voyage. Not long afterwards, being in the main sea, we were overtaken by a dreadful tempest, which tossed us to and fro, at the mercy of the winds and waves for eight days, so that we knew not whereabouts we were. By the violence of this tempest, we lost many of our vessels, but after the return of good weather, we collected the remains of our shattered fleet, and having a fair wind, we stood on to the westwards, and at length descried the coast of _Estoitland_, and arrived in a good and safe harbour. Here we saw an infinite number of armed men running furiously towards the shore, apparently for the purpose of defending the island. Upon this, Zichmni commanded signs of peace to be made, and the islanders sent ten men to us who could speak ten different languages; but we could understand none of these, excepting one man who happened to be an Icelander. This man was brought to our prince, and gave the following account of the country; and people.

The land was called _Icarta_, and all its kings were named _Icarus_, after the name, of its first king, who was the son of _Daedalus_ king of Scotland. This _Daedalus_ had discovered and conquered the island, and after instituting the body of laws by which they are still governed, had left them his son to be their king. After this, _Daedalus_[1] sailed in quest of farther discoveries, but was overtaken by a violent storm and drowned. In memory of which, they named their island Icaria, the sea surrounding it the _Icarian_ sea, and all their successive kings _Icarus_. He stated, moreover, that they were perfectly contented with the state in which they had been placed by Providence, and not choosing to make the smallest change in their manners and customs, would admit no strangers into their land; and therefore requested the prince not to attempt violating the laws of their king, of glorious memory, as any such attempt would turn to his manifest destruction, since they were resolved to sacrifice their lives in defence of their laws. They were willing, however, to receive _one_ of our men, who should be advanced to the rank of a chief, on purpose to learn our language; having already received _ten_ different men with that view from ten different nations.

Upon this _Zichmni_ sailed from the harbour, as if meaning to go away from the island; but being in want of wood and water, he skirted along the coast at some distance, and put into another harbour on the eastern side of the island with all his fleet. Here the mariners went on shore, and procured the necessary supplies with all possible speed, lest they might be attacked by the natives. This precaution was by no means unnecessary, for the inhabitants near this harbour made signals by fire and smoke to the rest of the country; and taking to their arms, were soon joined by others, and came down upon our men with bows and arrows, and other weapons, and in the conflict, many of them were killed, and others dangerously wounded[2]. We were therefore obliged to depart, and made a large circuit round the island, always accompanied on the shore and on the hills by a vast number of armed men to oppose our landing. Seeing that nothing could be done here, Zichmni set sail to the eastwards with a fair wind; and after six days sail, we came in sight of land, which we found to be a very good country, with an excellent harbour. We descried a mountain at a considerable distance, which emitted smoke, and Zichmni sent an hundred soldiers to explore the country, and to inquire if it were inhabited. In the meantime, we took in wood and water, and caught vast quantities of fish and sea-fowl, and procured immense numbers of eggs; so that our people, before almost famished, had now more provisions than they could eat. To this harbour, we gave the name of port _Trin_, and the point that stretched out into the sea was named Cape _Trin_. The soldiers who had been sent out to examine the country, returned at the end of eight days, and reported they had been all through the island, quite to the smoking mountain, and that the smoke we saw proceeded from a fire at its bottom, where there was a spring of liquid pitch which ran into the sea. They said likewise, that the interior of the island was inhabited by a wild people, who were very short in stature, and timid, and hid themselves in, caves.

On receiving this piece of intelligence, and considering that the island was blest with a pure and wholesome air, good soil, fine rivers, and many other advantages, Ziehmni resolved to people it and to build a town at Port Trin, and took, great pains to discover the whole of it, and to explore the seas on both sides of _Engroveland_, or Greenland. But many of his people began to murmur, being quite wearied with so tedious a voyage, alleging, that as the winter was fast approaching, they should not be able to return home before the ensuing summer, if they made any longer delay. On this account, retaining only the row-boats, and as many men as were willing to stay with him. Zichmni sent away all the rest of the people with the ships, giving the command to me, Antonio Zeno, much against my will. Taking therefore our departure, we sailed twenty days to the eastwards, without seeing any land; on which we shifted our course to the south-east, and after five days, we came in sight of the island of Neome[3], so that we passed Iceland without seeing it. We here procured refreshments from the inhabitants, who were subject to Zichmni, and sailed thence in three days to _Frisland_, where we were received with great joy, as the people thought, in consequence of our long absence, that their prince and the whole armament had been lost.

As to the particulars concerning the people and their customs, the animate, and the productions of these countries, I have written all these in a separate book, in which I have described the country, and the wonderful fishes of _Frisland, Estland_, Norway, _Estoitland, Drogio, Icaria_, and _Engroveland_, on both its sides. I have composed likewise, the life of my brother Nicolo Zeno, with an account of his discoveries; and a history of the life and acts of _Zichmni_, a prince as worthy of immortal fame as any that ever lived, having been famous for his valour, enterprising spirit, and humanity.

[1] Or Icarus, for the language in Forster is ambiguous, and does not
clearly fix this important historical fact!--E.

[2] The expression is here so equivocal as to leave in doubt whether the
killed and wounded were _Icarians_ or _Frislanders_, or part of
both.--E.

[3] _Neome_ seems to be the isle or Stromoe, one of the Faro Islands; as it
is in fact to the southward of Iceland, and only three days sail from
the Orkneys, the Faras-islands, or _Frisland_ of this author.--Forst.

CHAP. XVI.

_Travels of John Schildtberger into Tartary, in 1394_[1].

John Schildtberger, a native of Munich in Bavaria, went with the army of King Sigismund of Hungary, against the Turks in 1394. In 1395, being taken prisoner, he was sent by Bajazet, whose name he always writes _Weyasit_, into Asia. In the great battle, in which Bajazet was defeated, and taken captive by Timur, Schildtberger was again made prisoner, and accompanied that conqueror in all his expeditions, till his death in 1405, at Otrar or Farab, though Schildtberger says that he died in his capital of Samarcand. After the death of Timur, he entered into the service of Shah-Rokh, and was left by that prince among the auxiliary troops, which assisted his brother Miran-Shah against Kara-Joseph, a Turkomanian emir of the black-weather tribe. Miran-shah having been made prisoner and beheaded by Kara-Joseph, Schildtberger followed the standards of Abubekr, the son of Miran-shah.

At this time, there lived in the court of Abubekr, a prince named Zegra, a son of the khan of Great Tartary, to whom Ideku[2] sent word that he would resign to him the sovereignty of Kiptschak. Zegra accordingly set out for Great Tartary, accompanied by Schildtberger, and four others. Their route lay through _Strana_[3], which produces good silk; then through _Gursey_, Gurghia, or Georgia, which is inhabited by Christians; after this, through the country of, _Lahinsham_[4], where silk is cultivated; and through _Schurban_, or Shirvan, where the silk is produced from which the silk stuffs of Damascus and _Kaffer_[5] are made. They next passed through _Bursa_[6], which is situated in Turkey, and from whence the fine silk, of which velvet is manufactured, is sent to Venice and Lucca: This is an unhealthy country. Their route next lay through _Temur-capit_, Demir-Kapi or, Derbent, which signifies, in the Tartarian language, the Iron-gate, and which separates Persia from Tartary. They then went through a town of great strength, called _Origens_[7], situated in the middle of the _Edil_. After this, their way was through the mountainous country of Setzalet, in which there are many Christians, who have a bishop and some Carthusian monks, who perform the service in the Tartarian language, that the common people may understand what is sung and read. They were now arrived in Great Tartary, at the camp of Ideku, who had just assembled all his forces and was going to march into the land of _Ibissibur_[8]. In this expedition, they employed two months of continual marching; in the course of which, they crossed a range of mountains, thirty-two days journey in length, and at their extremity, there is a desert, which is the end of the world[9]; which desert is uninhabitable from the number of reptiles and wild beasts with which it is infested. These mountains are inhabited by roaming savages, who are hairy all over, except their faces and hands[10], and who subsist on green leaves and roots, or whatever they can procure. In this country, also, there, are wild asses as large as horses. The inhabitants employ dogs, as large as asses, to draw carts and sledges, and some times feed upon them. They are Christians, and they bury, their young people who die in celibacy, with music and rejoicing, eating and drinking at their graves. In this country they cultivate nothing but beans, and they eat no bread. Having made a conquest of _Bissibur_, they marched into. _Walor_[11], which they also conquered, and then returned into Kiptschak.

At this period, there was a high officer of state among the Tartars, called Obmann, who had usurped the power of nominating and deposing the khan, and to whom all the lords or chiefs were subservient. This anomalous dignity was now held by Ideku; who, as has been already mentioned, had invited Zegra to accept the dignity of khan. This Ideku, with the khan, all the nobility, and the whole people, wandered continually up and down the country, with their wives and children, their cattle, and whole property, to the number of about 100,000 people, having no fixed abodes, but dwelling in moveable huts, at all seasons of the year. At this time there was a king in Tartary, named _Schudicho chey_ or _Kom_, or Schadibeck-knan, the son of Timur-Utluck, grandson of Timur-melik-aglen, and great-grandson of Urus- Khan, This Schadibeck reigned from 1401 to 1406. Immediately on hearing that Ideku was approaching, he took to flight; but was pursued, and killed in a skirmish. Ideku appointed _Polat_ or Pulad-khan, the son[12] of Schadibeck, to be his successor, who reigned a year and a half, between 1406 and 1408. After him _Segel-Aladie_, or Zedy-khan, the son of _Tokatmysch_ or Toktemysch-khan, got possession of the throne; but he was soon expelled by Timur-Khan, the son of Timur-Uduck, and brother of Pulad- Khan, who reified fourteen months. Thebak, the brother of Pulad-khan, took the field against Timur-khan, and killed him, but was unable to attain the sovereignty, as his brother Kerunhardin ascended the throne, which he only held for five months. Thebak again endeavoured to dispossess his brother Kerunhardin, but was unable to effectuate his purpose; for at this juncture, Ideku interposed, and conferred the sovereignty on Zegra, in the room of both. Zegra, however, continued khan only for nine months, when Mohammed-khan, son of the before-mentioned Timur-khan, and grandson of Timur Utluck, gained a pitched battle against Ideku and Zegra, in which Ideku was made prisoner, and Zegra fled into a country called Descht-Kiptscha. Mohammed was in his turn driven from the throne by Waroch; from whom Mohammed soon after retook his dominions. He was again driven out by Doblaberd, who only kept possession for three days, when he was in his turn dethroned by Waroch. He again was soon afterwards slain by Mohammed, who a third time attained the sovereign power. After these repeated revolutions, Zegra made ah unsuccessful attempt to recover the throne, in which enterprize he lost his life.

On the death of Zegra, Schildtberger, and the other four Christians who had been in his service, attached themselves to Manustzusch, who had been counsellor to that prince. This person went upon a journey to Kaffa in the Crimea, where six different religions are professed among the mixed inhabitants of that peninsula, a part of whom are Christians; After a residence there of five months, Manustzusch crossed the straits of Zabake in the country called _Zeckchas_ or Zikchia, where he sojourned for six months. But the sultan of Turkey sent a message to the sovereign of that country, requesting that Manustzusch might not be allowed to remain there any longer; and upon this he removed into the land of _Magrill_[13].

Schildtberger and his Christian companions, reflecting that they were now only three days journey from the Black Sea, formed a resolution to endeavour to return into their own country. With this view, having taken leave of Manustzusch, they went, to the capital of the country of _Bathan_[14] whence they requested to be conveyed across into Christendom, but were refused. Upon this they rode four days journey along the coast, when at length they espied a ship at about eight Italian miles from the shore. They made signals to the people on board by means of fire, and a boat was sent to inquire their purpose; and having convinced the boats crew that they, were Christians, by rehearsing the Lords prayer, Ave Maria, and creed, and these people having reported an account of them to the captain, of the ship, boats were sent back to bring them, on board. Having escaped many dangers, they landed at Constantinople, where they were well received by John Palaeologus, the Grecian emperor, who: sent them by sea to the castle of Kilia, at the mouth of the Danube. Schildtberger here parted from his companions, and went with some merchants to Akkerman[15] in Wallachia. From thence he went to _Sedhof_ Sutschawa the capital of Moldavia, or the lesser Walachia. Hence to _Lubick_ called otherwise Lwow or Lemberg, the capital of White Russia, where he was detained by illness for three months. From that place he went to Cracow, the capital of Poland; and by Breslau in Silesia, Misnia, Eger, Ratisbon, and Freysingen, back to Munich, having been absent for more than thirty-two years.

[1] Forster, Voy. and Disc. in the North, p. 158.

[2] About this period, many abuses subsisted among the Golden Tribe on the
Wolga. Mamay and Ideku, or Yedeghey-khan, called Edigi by
Schildtberger, had not the title of great khan of the Golden Tribe in
Kiptschak, but held in fact the supreme power in their hands, and set
up khans from among the royal family, or deposed them at their
pleasure.--Forst

[3] The names are much disfigured, and the commencement of the journey is
not mentioned; but, from the course afterwards, this may be some
corruption for Armenia, or one of its districts.--E.

[4] Perhaps a corruption for Daghistan.--E.

[5] Perhaps Kahira, or Cairo.--E.

[6] Schildtberger, or his transcriber, calls this the town of Bursa, by
mistake for the mountain of Al-Burs.--Forst.

[7] Probably Agrachan; as both Astracan and Saray had been demolished by
Timur. As to his saying that it stood in the middle of the Edil,
Etilia, or Wolga, that may be a mistake; but at any rate, Edil
signifies any river whatever.--Forst.

[8] Bissibur or Issibur, is the ancient Russian town of Isborsk.--Forst. It
would appear that the present expedition was into Siber, or Siberia
--E.

[9] This appears to refer to the Uralian chain, and the frozen regions of
the north of Russia.--E.

[10] A mistake, by confounding close-made dresses of fur with the notion of
naked men, covered all over with shaggy hair.--E.

[11] Probably Wolgar, Bulgar, or Bulgaria, is here meant.--E

[12] From the sequel he appears rather to have been his brother.--E.

[13] This is probably a corruption for Mangrill, or Mingrelia.--E.

[14] Forster explains this by substituting the names of Bebian and Bedias
as synonymous. No such name occurs in our best maps; but there is a
place near the country of Mingrelia in Guria on the Black-Sea, named
Batum, which may be here indicated--E.

[15] This place is called in the text Weisseburgh, signifying the White
Town, otherwise named Akkerman or Akkiermann, Asprecastro,
Tschetatalba, and Belgorod.--Forst.

From the concluding sentence, Schildtberger, who began his travels,
or rather captivity in 1394, must have returned to Munich about 1426
or 1427--E.

CHAP. XVII.

_Travels of the Ambassadors of Mirza Shah Rokh, King of Persia, from Herat to Khanbalek in Katkay, in 1419_[1].