University of Virginia Library

Chapter XVII.

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8

How captaine Smith escaped his captivity; slew the
Bashaw of Nalbrits in Cambia; his passage to
Russia, Transilvania, and the middest of Europe
to Affrica.

ALL the hope he had ever to be delivered from this thraldome,
was only the love of Tragabigzanda, who surely was ignorant of
his bad usage; for although he had often debated the matter with
some Christians, that had beene there a long time slaves, they could
not finde how to make an escape, by any reason or possibility; but
God be- ∥ yond mans expectation or imagination helpeth his servants,
when they least thinke of helpe, as it hapned to him. So long he lived
in this miserable estate, as he became a thresher at a grange in a great
field, more than a league from the Tymors house; the Bashaw as he
oft used to visit his granges, visited him, and tooke occasion so to
beat, spurne, and revile him, that forgetting all reason, he beat out
the Tymors braines with his threshing bat, for they have no flailes;

and seeing his estate could be no worse than it was, clothed himselfe
in his clothes, hid his body under the straw, filled his knapsacke with
corne, shut the doores, mounted his horse, and ranne into the desart
at all adventure; two or three dayes thus fearfully wandring he knew
not whither, and well it was he met not any to aske the way; being
even as taking leave of this miserable world, God did direct him to
the great way or Castragan, as they call it, which doth crosse these
large territories, and generally knowne among them by these markes.

In every crossing of this great way is planted a post, and in it so
many bobs

with broad ends, as there be wayes, and every bob the
figure painted on it, that demonstrateth to what part that way
leadeth; as that which pointeth towards the Cryms Country, is
marked with a halfe Moone, if towards the Georgians and Persia, a
blacke man, full of white spots, if towards China, the picture of the
Sunne, if towards Muscovia, the signe of a Crosse, if towards the
habitation of any other Prince, the figure whereby his standard is
knowne. To his dying spirits thus God added some comfort in this
melancholy journey, wherein if he had met any of that vilde generation,
they had made him their slave, or knowing the figure engraven
in the iron about his necke, (as all slaves have) he had beene sent
backe againe to his master; sixteene dayes he travelled in this feare
and torment, after the Crosse, till he arrived at Æcopolis, upon the
river Don, a garrison of the Muscovites. The governour after due
examination of those his hard events, tooke off his irons, and so
kindly used him, he thought himselfe new risen from death, and the
good Lady Callamata, largely supplied all his wants.

This is as much as he could learne of those wilde Countries, that
the Country of Cambia is two dayes journy from the head of the great
river Bruapo,

which springeth from many places of the mountaines
of Innagachi, that joyne themselves together in the Poole Kerkas;
which they account for the head, and falleth into the Sea Dissabacca,
called by some the lake Meotis, which receiveth also the river Tanais,
and all the rivers that fall from the great Countries of the Circassi,
the Cartaches, and many from the Tauricaes, Precopes, Cummani,
Cossunka, and the Cryme; through which Sea he sailed, and up the
river Bruapo to Nalbrits, and thence through the desarts of Circassi
to Æcopolis, as is related; where he stayed with the Governour, till
the Convoy went to Coragnaw; then with his certificate how hee
found him, and had examined with his friendly letters sent him by
Zumalacke to Caragnaw, whose Governour in like manner so kindly
use him, that by this meanes he went with a safe conduct to Letch,
and Donka, in Cologoske, and thence to Berniske, and Newgrod in
Seberia, by Rezechica, upon the river Niper, in the confines ∥ of
Littuania; from whence with as much kindnesse he was convoyed in
like manner by Coroski, Duberesko, Duzihell, Drohobus, and
Ostroge in Volonia; Saslaw and Lasco in Podolia; Halico and Collonia
in Polonia; and so to Hermonstat in Transilvania. In all his life
he seldome met with more respect, mirth, content, and entertainment;
and not any Governour where he came, but gave him somewhat
as a present, besides his charges; seeing themselves as subject
to the like calamity. Through those poore continually forraged
Countries there is no passage, but with the Carravans or Convoyes;
for they are Countries rather to be pitied, than envied; and it is a
wonder any should make warres for them. The Villages are onely
here and there a few houses of straight Firre trees, laid heads and
points above one another, made fast by notches at the ends more
than a mans height, and with broad split boards, pinned together
with woodden pinnes, as thatched for coverture. In ten Villages you
shall scarce finde ten iron nailes, except it be in some extraordinary
mans house. For their Townes, Æcopolis, Letch, and Donko, have
rampiers made of that woodden walled fashion, double, and betwixt
them earth and stones, but so latched with crosse timber, they
are very strong against any thing but fire; and about them a deepe
ditch, and a Palizado of young Firre trees: but most of the rest have
only a great ditch cast about them, and the ditches earth is all their
rampier; but round well environed with Palizadoes. Some have
some few small peeces of small Ordnance, and slings, calievers, and
muskets, but their generallest weapons are the Russe bowes and
arrowes; you shall find pavements over bogges, onely of young Firre
trees laid crosse one over another, for two or three houres journey,
or as the passage requires, and yet in two dayes travell you shall scarce
see six habitations. Notwithstanding to see how their Lords, Governours,
and Captaines are civilized, well attired and acoutred with
Jewells, Sables, and Horses, and after their manner with curious
furniture, it is wonderfull; but they are all Lords or slaves, which
makes them so subject to every invasion.

In Transilvania

he found so many good friends, that but to see,
and rejoyce himselfe (after all those encounters) in his native Country,
he would ever hardly have left them, though the mirrour of
vertue their Prince was absent. Being thus glutted with content, and
neere drowned with joy, he passed high Hungaria by Fileck, Tocka,
Cassovia, and Underoroway, by Ulmicht in Moravia, to Prague in
Bohemia; at last he found the most gracious Prince Sigismundus,
with his Colonell at Lipswick in Misenland, who gave him his Passe,
intimating the service he had done, and the honours he had received,
with fifteene hundred ducats of gold to repaire his losses: with this he
spent some time to visit the faire Cities and Countries of Drasdon in
Saxonie, Magdaburgh and Brunswicke; Cassell in Hessen; Wittenberg,
Ullum, and Minikin in Bavaria; Aughsbrough, and her Universities;
Hama, Franckford, Mentz, the Palatinate; Wormes,
Speyre, and Strausborough; passing Nancie in Loraine, and France
by Paris to Orleans, hee went downe the river of Loyer, to Angiers,
and imbarked himselfe at Nantz in Britanny, for Bilbao in Biskay, to
see Burgos, ∥ Valiadolid, the admired monasterie of the Escuriall,
Madrill, Toledo, Cordua, Cuedyriall, Civill, Cheryes, Cales, and
Saint Lucas in Spaine.