CALMUC TARTARY;

JOURNEY FROM SAREPTA

TO SKYFUAL

CALMUC HORDES

THE ASTRACAN GOVERNMENT:

FROM MAY 20 TO AUG 1 'ST 21, 1823.

UNDFRTAKF.N, ON 1,1 II* IF OF

THE RUSSIAN BIBLE SOCIETY,

BY^HENUY AUGUSTUS ZWICK
AND JOHNGOLFKIED SCHILL,

AVI) JIESCTIIBICD BY THE FORMER.

LONDON:
HOLDS WORTH AND BALL.
18, sr. Paul's cjiuitrH-AAitn.
1831.

w

CONTENTS.

LUiNLtuI-.' :
S'ltisrtib DY SAMUEL BKNTLEY,
Dorset Street, Fleet Street.

INTRODUCTION. CHAPTER I.

Page

Of the Moguls, and their first Acquaintance with
Christianity ....... l
CHAPTER II.
Of the Efforts of the United Brethren, at Sarepta, for
the Conversion of the Calmucs . . . 14
JOURNEY FROM SAREPTA.
CHAPTER I.
Object and plan of the Journey .... 25
CHAPTER II.
Journey from Sarepta to Tschornoija ... 29
CHAPTER III.
Entrance on the Steppes  31.
CHAPTER IV.
Journey over the Steppes to the Torgud Horde. Ar
rival on the 2nd of July  40
CHAPTER V.
Residence in Erdeni's Horde, from the 3rd to the
11th of July  66

Page 94

IV CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VI.
Migration with tlie Horde ....
CHAPTER VII.
Visit to the three brothers, Setter, Dschirgal, and
Otschir  155
CHAPTER VIII.
Journey to the Erkedan Horde, and residence in two
of its camps  183
CHAPTER IX.
Visit to the Yandykschan Horde, and the Princess
Nadmid ........ 204
CHAPTER X,
Journey to the Bagan Zocher Horde . . . 211
CHAPTER XI.
Journey along the left bank of the Volga . . 231
CHAPTER XII.
Residence in the Choschudan Horde of Prince Sereds-
chab  210
CHAPTER XIII.
Journey on the Aktubah ..... 248
CHAPTER XIV.
Return. News of the conflagration at Sarepta,
on the 21st of August  253

INTRODUCTION.

CHAPTER I.
OF THE MOGULS, AND THEIR FIRST ACQUAINT.
ANCE WITH CHRISTIANITY.

The inhabitants of the vast plains, or steppes,
which extend northward from the Black Sea and
Mount Caucasus, on both sides of the Volga, are
known, under the name of Calmucs, as western
neighbours of the Kirguses, and eastern of the
Don Cossacks. They belong to the great stock of
the Moguls, who inhabit the highlands of mid-
die Asia, between the 40th and 50th degrees of
latitude, and between the Chinese and Russian
dominions. The whole population of this great
territory may be referred to four principal tribes :
the Tunguses, the Tartars, the Thibetians, and

the Moguls. Of these last, the Calmucs form the
portion which approaches the most nearly to
Europe ; and hordes of hese, and similar tribes,
appeared with the Russian armies, in the revo
lutionary campaigns of 1813 and 1814. The
Moguls have more than once entered Europe as
warriors. First the Huns, who in the 4th century
swarmed from the borders of China, driving before
them the Goths and other Teutonic nations, to the
milder regions of Western Europe, and causing
that great migration which, in the 5th century,
changed the whole face of Europe. Hardly had
the Goths founded new states in the Western
Roman Empire, when the Huns, under Attila,
followed in destructive bands, till they reached, at
Chalons in France, their destined position. In
the year 453 Attila died, and the vast kingdom
of the Huns, which had stretched from China to
France, was quickly dissolved.
In the ensuing ages the Tartarian race had the
ascendancy. The Turks of Caucasus, who esta
blished themselves firmly in Western Asia, be
longed to this tribe. Their conquest of Palestine,
occasioned, in the year 1096, a crusade for the
recovery of the Holy Land ; and the discovery of

a Tartarian kingdom in Middle Asia, in which
Christianity was not unknown, was the consequence
of this event. The Nestorians, or Chaldeans, a
sect of Eastern Christians, who in the year 435
established themselves under a Patriarch at Ser
leucia, (in the Persian empire) had extended, by
means of missionaries, ever since the year 500, to
the Black Sea, and even to China; more espe
cially in a Tartarian kingdom of Inner Asia, whose
capital, at the time of the first crusade, is said to
have been Karakorum on the Chinese boundary.
This Tartarian sovereignty in inner Asia fell
about the year 1200.
The Moguls now rose again, under the
Prince of the Golden Horde, Temudschin or
Gengis-Khan. He made, till the year 1227,
extensive conquests in Asia, which his sons pur
sued into Russia and Poland. An end was put
to their incursions into Europe, on the 9th of
April, 1241, by the battle of Liegnitz. A monas
tery was afterwards built on the spot; but in
Asia, their dominion remained undisturbed, un
der the grandsons of Gengis-Khan Kajuk, who
reigned from 1245 to 1248, and Manku 1251-59.
At the death of the latter, the kingdom of the
B 2

Great Mogul was divided between his two brothers.
Hulaku governed Persia, and Koblai ruled from
1259 tc 1294, as Lord of the Kaptschek, or Mo
gul Empire, extending from Tonkin and Cochin-
China, on the eastern coast, over China and Mon
golia to Siberia, and from thence to Persia. Dif
ferent Mogul tribes, with their respective princes,
were attached as vassals to the Great Mogul;
Sarta, on the Volga, (for instance) and others.
The capital was Pekin, in China. This empire
flourished through the whole of the thirteenth,
and part of the fourteenth century. This was the
golden age of the Moguls, in every respect ; for,
under Koblai-Khan, the nation imbibed, from its
dependants and neighbours, its first tinge of civi
lization by literature and religion. This was de
rived especially from Thibet.
In that lofty tract of Asia, situated between
Mongolia and the East Indies, there was an or
ganized Mogul kingdom, 300 years before Christ.
After nearly 700 years, it imbibed from India the
religion of Buddh, which was there oppressed by
the Bramins, but from this time began to spread
over a great part of Asia, and became the religion
of all the Mogul race. It was brought (together

with the Thibet alphabet) to the Moguls of Gen
gis-Khan 's tribe, soon after his time, by Pandida
Lama. These uncivilized heathens became acquainted,
about the same period, with two other religions —
the Mahometan in Persia, and the Christian ; the
latter from two quarters, and of two different
kinds — -Nestorian, from the conquered Tartars
and other Asiatics, and Roman Catholic, from
European missionaries. These attempts at the
diffusion of Christianity amongst the Moguls, in
the fifteenth century, deserve a more detailed
account. The first intelligence of the Tartarian Princes'
at Karakorum, was brought to Alexander the
Third, by one " Master Philip," a Roman physi
cian, who professed to have travelled in Tartary,
and added many marvels of the might and do
minion of Priest John, the head of the church
at that place. At a time when the attention of
Europe was directed to distant lands, and the
spread of the Gospel, no more was required to
stimulate the zeal of Alexander, ever inclined, by
whatever means, to extend the dominion of St.
Peter's chair. He dispatched, in the year 1-177,

6

an epistle to Priest John in the East, in which he
set forth the supremacy of the Catholic Church'
and Apostolic chair. What effect the letter pro
duced is unknown, but the Oriental nations con
tinued for some time an object of attention.
In 1245, when the Oklai Moguls threatened
Europe with another deluge of Huns, Pope Inno
cent made an attempt to organize volunteers from
these wild hordes, as the Teutonic and Norman
tribes throughout Christendom had been formerly
enrolled. For this purpose, he issued two briefs
resembling that of his predecessor, the one to the
great Khan Kajuk himself, and the other to his
generals in Persia. Messengers were selected
from the newly established orders of Mendicant
Monks ; four Dominicans went into Persia, and
three Franciscans to Mongolia. The latter arriv
ed at the camp, in 1246, immediately after the
accession of Kajuk; they delivered the brief, and
obtained a reply, in which the submission of the
Pope, and the other Christian Princes, was requir
ed, and in case of refusal, they were threatened
with new swarms of invaders. The account of
this journey, by John di Piano Carpini, is still
to be met with. The chivalrous and pious

Louis the Eleventh, or St. Louis, of France,
in 2254, sent another embassy to Manku-Kkan,
and to his vassals Sartak and Katu-Khan, reigning
in Russia over the Don and the Volga. The am
bassadors were, again, three Franciscans, under
the direction of William Rubruguis, whose account
of his journey is also extant, and may be found
(like the preceding) in the " Recueil des Voyages
en Asie depuis le douzikme jusqiTau quinzidrne
sikle.n At the head-quarters of the Khan, Ru
bruguis saw Nestorian Priests, Mahometan Imams,
Budhian Lamas, all giving their blessing by turns,
and all in the undisturbed enjoyment of their res
pective religions. The Princes were not disposed
to become Christians themselves, but Manku per
mitted his Nestorian subjects to remain so, and
similar toleration was shown by Koblai, through
out his long reign. Towards the beginning of
it, two Venetian brothers, laymen, of the name of
Polo, settled in his territory for the benefit of
trade, and remained nineteen years. At their de
parture, they received from Koblai a commission to
the Pope, to send out one hundred wise men,
and learned in the doctrines of Christianity,
who might convince his Lamas of the superiority

of the Christian religion. Pope Gregory the
Tenth (in the year 1272) sent back these two
men with two Dominicans. Marco Polo, a youth
of eighteen, accompanied them, and from his ac
count it may be seen, that he was well received
by Koblai, remained with him seventeen years,
and was employed in state affairs, but without
effecting Koblai's conversion. His tolerant dis
position, however, and that of his son Timur,
(who reigned from 1294 to 1307,) were experien
ced by other missionaries of the Franciscan order,
in new missions and attempts at conversion. One
of these was John di Monte Corvino, who, after
ten years' labour amongst the Moguls, returned
to Europe, and was sent out again by Nicholas
the Fourth, together with a German brother of
his order, named Arnold. In two letters to Cle
ment the Fifth, dated from Pekin, in the years
1 305 and 1306, he writes of 6000 inhabitants of the
city, and 150 lads redeemed by himself from
slavery, whom he has instructed and baptized,
and who meet for worship in two churches.
He had also translated the New Testament, and
the Psalms, and had thein fairly transcribed.
He could have done yet more, if it had not been

9
for the secret machinations of Nestorian Chris
tians, &c. As a reward for his zeal, the Pope
appointed him, in his reply, archbishop of that
province. He died in the year 1330. Docu
ments of this nature cease from that time, and,
in all probability, the prosecution of missionary
labours from Europe ceased very soon after.
Since the termination of the Crusade, the nations
and princes of Europe had nearly lost sight of
these distant lands, and the Papal Court at
Avignon (from 1309 to 1378,) was too much en
grossed with gain and luxury, and the rest of the
cares of this world, to attend to the spread of the
Gospel. When there was no longer any effort
on the part of Europe, the Budhian religion, from
Thibet, gained the ascendancy amongst the Mo
guls in their native seat, and the Mahometan
amongst the Persian Moguls, and Nestorian
Christianity gradually disappeared from Upper
Asia. The popular superstition still shows many
signs of a Christianity which had been merged in
the religion of Buddh ; but the still received tra
dition of the incarnation of Buddh, (or the divine
essence,) in the person of the Lama of Thibet,
and the worship of him in lieu of the Deity, prove

10

11

how much Indian superstition preponderates over
Christianity amongst the Moguls. Pure religi
ous truth was less their object than plunder ; and
the attention bestowed upon Christian preaching,
was, perhaps, only the dictate of superstition,
attempting to conciliate the Gods of conquered
nations, or of those to be conquered hereafter.
At the close of the fourteenth century, the
Moguls appeared once more as invaders. The
kingdom of Kaptsahak, (or the Golden Horde,)
had been weakened by partition in the year 1340,
and the conquered nations revolted, the Chinese
especially, who, after driving out the Moguls, in
the year 1368, enjoyed their own rulers. Two
years after this time, the Mogul Timur-Khan, or
Tamerlane, began his conquests, which reached
from the high plains of Inner Asia, quite into
India. In 1404, he died, and his kingdom lasted
only in India. During his life, the Christians in
Upper Asia enjoyed less freedom ; he was him
self a Mahometan, zealous for his religion, and
intolerant towards the Nestorians. China, after
she recovered her freedom, discarded the religion
of Buddh, (or Fo, as it is there called,) and re
turned to her former Polytheism, and to the

I

*¦

lessons of Confucius, (who flourished 400 years
before Christ.) The hostilitity to Christianity,
in the meanwhile, did not abate, and here also it
disappeared, as amongst the Moguls.
In later times, (after the beginning of the
sixteenth century, that is to say,) these tribes
were gradually subjected to the two great neigh
bouring empires, the Chinese and the Russian.
The latter, which had been a powerful kingdom
since the year 843, and embraced the Greek form
of Christianity under the Czar Basilius, in 1016,
had been compelled to submit to the Mogul con
querors, and was first delivered from them by
Iwan Basilowitz, in 1462. Basilowitz the Se
cond, who reigned from 1549 to 1584, possessed
himself of Kasan, Astracan, and vast tracts of
land in Siberia, and thus became lord of many
Mogul tribes, including the Calmucs who range
over the Astracan steppes. The situation of
Russia, under Peter the Great, which concerned
the Greek Church, inasmuch as the Czar, in 1721,
transferred the ecclesiastical authority from the
Patriarch at Moscow, to the Synod at Petersburg!],
had a bearing also upon the condition of these
and other heathenish tribes ; for the holy Synod

12
decreed, in the year 1724, " that provision should
be made for the conversion of the same, and for
their reception into the Greek orthodox national
church." It failed however, at that time, of
being carried into effect.
In all Europe, there were then only a few in
dividuals, or small societies, whose attention was
directed to the preaching of the Gospel to the
heathen. The spirit of the age was disinclined,
or even hostile to Christianity; it was partly a
worldly spirit, absorbed in the cares of commerce
and political intrigue, and partly a spirit of scep
ticism and false philosophy. It was not till the
general confusion of the kingdoms of Europe
after the year 1789, (a confusion in great mea
sure to be ascribed to that destructive spirit,)
that the progress of the better spirit of Christi
anity became more and more manifest ; and so
cieties for the diffusion of Christianity, and the
dissemination of the Scriptures, arose here and
there, at the commencement of the new century ;
particularly after the general peace of Europe, in
1814. Even in Russia, the newly awakened zeal
for the Christian cause displayed its power — wit
ness the Russian Bible Society, which held its

' 13
first meeting on the 20th of September 1814,
and in the ensuing years showed its activity, by
translations of the Holy Scriptures into many of
Jp. the languages of that vast Empire. All Europe
received, in 1817, the declaration of the Emperor
Alexander : " I consider the progress of Bible
Societies in Russia and the whole world, and their
success amongst Christians, Heathens and Maho
metans, as a signal instance of the grace of God."
And, " that the saving light of Revelation might
extend to all the nations of the empire," the
Emperor then became a member of the Society,
and issued an ukase, in which the diffusion of the
Scriptures amongst the people, was enforced upon
the clergy as an imperative duty. To the general
activity of this spirit, throughout the Russian do
minions, may be ascribed the efforts of the Uni
ted Brethren at Sarepta,* (in their numble sphere)
and of these we must now give some account.
* Moravians.

14

CHAPTER II.
OF THE EFFORTS OF THE UNITED BRETHREN,
AT SAREPTA, FOR THE CONVERSION OF
THE CALMUCS.
AFTER the peace of Hubertsburg, in 176S, when
Catherine the Second was desirous of peopling
the uninhabited tracts of the Volga with German
colonists, an invitation was sent to the Directors
of the United Brethren ; and two delegates, Loretz
and Lairitz, having negociated preliminaries at
Petersburgh, in the year 1764, an establishment
was the following year begun, by five German
Brethren, at the confluence of the Sarpa and Volga,
and (with a reference to the First Book of Kings,
chapter seventeenth,) they named it Sarepta*
The situation of this place, on the confines of
* Alluding to the Widow's eruse and handful of meal in
the city of Zarephath. Translator.

15
Asia,, on the great commercial road from Moscow
tnreugfi Astracan to the interior of that quarter
of the glebe, was a memento for the revival of
former missionary schemes (regarding the Cal
mucs and other still more Easterly nations,) which
soon after the first re-appearance of the missionary
spirit, in the year 1731, had been formed at
Herrnhut, without ever having been carried into
effect. Half a century, however, rolled over Sa
repta, before the execution of this project. In
the year 1771 a large division of Cossacks, the
Great Horde, as they were called, migrated from
these parts to the borders of China, and only five
smaller tribes continued to range between the Don
and the Volga. Sarepta itself was at that time in
great danger from other neighbours. First from
marauding Kirguses, and afterwards from the re
bellion of the Cossacks under Pugatschef, in
1774. By the latter the settlement was plunder
ed, on the 9th of September, and would have
been wholly destroyed, but for the appearance of
Russian troops, who chased these wild bands and
quelled the revolt. With the assistance of the
Russian Government, and of the other United
Brethren, the inhabitants, at that time 200 in

16

number, repaired the damage- they had sustained
— trade and commerce flourished again, grazing
and husbandry prospered. Many Calmucs visited
Sarepta, and many of the brethren became ac
quainted with their language, and sought op
portunity to bring them to the knowledge
of the Scriptures ; their endeavours, however, and
individual attempts, (by the instruction of their
children, for example,) had no effect. The present
century, under the reign of the Emperor Alex
ander, brought many misfortunes upon Sarepta ;
commercial losses, fires, a bad state of trade, and
consequent diminution of external comforts ;
especially during the French war, and its results.
It was at this very time, that fresh missionary
zeal was alive at Sarepta. Others had preceded
in the good work. In 1802, the Scotch Mission
ary Society (instituted in the year 1797,) had
already founded an establishment amongst the
Tartarian tribes at Karass, and, in 1806, they

I

obtained an Imperial decree, enabling them to

receive into the Christian Church by baptism,
such heathens as were members of their colony.
A friendly correspondence had existed for some
time between Karass and Sarepta, when applica

tion was made by respected members of the Bri
tish Missionary Society to Sarepta, and to the di
rectors of the United Brethren, for a mission to
the Calmucs. A few of the Brethren at Sarepta,
who were disengaged and willing to labour in
this field, were to have opportunity of learning
the Cahnuc tongue first at Sarepta, then from
one of the hordes, and by this means to search
out whether any thing could be done for the
main object— and how — whether verbally, or by
means of the Holy Scriptures. Here, again, a
helping hand from without was offered to them
by the Russian Bible Society, who were then
translating some parts of the New Testament,
by their secretary, Isaac Jacob Schmidt at Peters-
burgh — a man well skilled in the languages and
history of the Moguls. These translations were
put to the press in 1815 ; and, in the same year,
the plan above-mentioned proceeded so far, that
in May, two of the brethren, Schill and Hiibner,
accompanied by their instructor in the language
of the Calmucs, (brother Loos,) set off to the
Coschudan horde, which is situated on both shores
of the Volga, 140 miles from Sarepta, and thirty-
five from Astracan. Prince Thummen received
c

18
them as guests, in consequence of a recommen
dation from Petersburgh, and he procured for
them, after the return of Loos, a teacher of the
language of the name of Schalz, who had been
formerly a chief of his tribe. At the end of the
year, however, signs of distrust began already
to show themselves amongst the chiefs and priests,
when two copies of the Gospel of Matthew were
sent to the former, through Prince Galitzin, the
minister. A hundred copies from the Russian Bi
ble Society followed soon after, to be distributed by
the hands of the Brethren. At first, a great many
of these were received, as Thummen at all events.
did not hinder the business ; but after his death,
which happened on the 11th, of July, 1816, and
the arrival of his son and successor, Schwedschab,
from Petersburgh, (September 5th,) great diffi
culties presented themselves ; particularly on the ;
following occasion. Towards the end of the year
1817, Nomtu and Badma, two nobles of the Buriat
Mogul race, had been called from Lake Baikal
to Petersburg!), to assist in translating the Bible
into tb^ir own dialect and character, which differ
somewhat from those of the Calmucs. In the
course of their labours, these men became con-

L

19
vinced of the truth of the Christian religion, and
declared their opinion to their countrymen by
writing. A copy of this letter came from Pe
tersburgh to the Coschudan horde. Prince, and
Lama, priests, and people, were astounded, but
they gainsayed— one man only, belonging to the
Torgusian tribe, who with his wife and family
was residing amongst the Coschudans— (Sodnom
by name) — one who had been before an attentive
hearer of the word, was so powerfully affected by
the letter to the Buriats, as to experience a lively
conviction of the difference between Christianity
and his own hereditary religion. The Brethren
led him forward in the knowledge of the Scriptures,
and began to hope, that from this first grain of
corn, a rich harvest would spring. He himself
expressed his blessed conviction, in letters to the
Buriats at Petersburgh and to the Brethren at
Sarepta, and also verbally to his countrymen ;
but he found their hearts shut. The Prince him
self, as little as he honoured the Priests, (for he
had reduced their number from 800 to 250,)
would not willingly either hear or speak of Chris
tianity. In the year 1818, Hiibner was relieved by
c 2

«20

21

Loos: Loos and Schill visited Sarepta in the
Easter of 1819, and returned with a third fellow-
worker, and in December of the same year, they
were visited by the narrator of this tour. He
became acquainted with the chief and others,
particularly with Sodnom, and carried home with
him to Sarepta a heartfelt love for the good work,
and for its first fruits. The progress in 1820
was encouraging; Sodnom's increase in grace,
and the knowledge of Christ, was strengthened
by a continued correspondence with the Buriats,
(especially with Bedma) which was kept up till
his death.*
On a visit which he made to his native (the
Torgusian) horde, accompanied by Schill, not
only his brother Schimba was brought to be like-
minded with himself, but also the family of Lurum,
and of his brother Oesk. All these settled amongst
the Coschudes; and a community of the Lord
appeared to be growing amongst the wild inha
bitants of the plains on the Volga, to the joy of
* He died on the 29th of October, 1822, having been
baptized in the name of John, a few days before at Peters
burgh, by one of the clergy of the national church. He
die'd in the 2«h year of his age.

the Missionaries, and of all far and near who par
ticipated in the work. Not long did it last.
In the year 1821, it became more and more
manifest that the opposers of the cause of Christ
had succeeded in rendering the chiefs of the
horde hostile to it; and in the autumn the con
verted Calmucs, and the three Brethren, received
an order to quit the horde. They departed with
out molestation, Sodnom and Schimba, Lurum
and his brother, with their families and herds, under
the guidance of Schill, and arrived, twenty-two in
number, on the shore of the Volga opposite Sa
repta. The two other brethren followed soon
after. This was in October, and the winter was
coming on. The island in the Volga, which be
longed to Sarepta, was at first assigned to them,
where they pitched their tents, and in the midst of
which a log house was built for their teachers. In
the Easter of the following spring, ] 822, their
habitation was appointed to them, on the west
shore of the Volga, near a mineral spring, a little
more than three miles from Sarepta. Here they
dwelt this year, and a part of the next, uncertain
as to their future fate and external condition, but
growing in the inner life, and full of longing to be

<J0

T

23

received into the union of the church of Christ,
by baptism. The first effect produced in 1820,
had already excited in the minds of the Society at
Sarepta, and of their Directors, a desire to obtain
from the Government some specific agreement ;
and the first steps had been already taken towards
this object at Petersburgh. A new. occasion was
now presented for renewing the negociation, by
the expulsion of the believers from their horde,
and their subsequent establishment upon land be
longing to the colony at Sarepta. It clearly ap
peared however at this time, (1822) that the
Established Church reserved to itself, exclusively,
the right of converting Heathens, and allowing
them to make an open profession of Christianity,
by being baptized, and that the only Christian
labour which could be carried on by those of
different persuasions, consistently with the law
of the land, was confined to the project of dis
tributing the Scriptures, with the co-operation of
the Russian Bible Society. No more was to be
thought of a mission from the Brethren to the
Calmucs, and of forming a Society from these
Heathens. The question — what was to become of
the exiles who had settled on the territory belong-

— A-

7

-ik

ing to Sarepta, (rendered doubly perplexing by
these circumstances) was decided in 1823, by the
event. On the 12th of October in that year,
fifteen Calmucs from the Derbodian tribe, headed
by a priest, made a plundering incursion upon
their believing countrymen. Lurum escaped with
difliculty from their hands. Nothing remained
for the oppressed,, but to put themselves under
Russian protection, at Zaritzyn. Sodnom and his
brother were baptized there, into the orthodox
Greek Church, (in November) upon application
to the Patriarch. So ended the attempts of the
Brethren of Sarepta for the conversion of the
Calmucs! And this too at a time, when the
colony itself had lost two-thirds of its dwellings,
by a fire on the 9th of August preceding.
Before this misfortune, and during the resi
dence of the believing Calmucs in their neighbour
hood, assistance had kindly been offered to them,
for the furtherance of the work amongst the five
hordes of wandering Moguls. The Petersburgh
Bible Society, at that time zealously active, had
sent to the Brethren at Sarepta, in the year 1822,
a considerable number of copies of the Calmuc
Gospel of Matthew, and other small Christian

tracts, with a commission to get them distributed
by Brethren sent out for the purpose. This was
the origin of the journey, on behalf of the Peters
burgh Bible Society, of which the account is now
presented to the reader. Detached portions, con
tained in the letters of brother Zwick, have at
ready been published in the memoirs of the Uni
ted Brethren (for 1823, Chapter 6, and for 1824,
Chapter 1.) It is here given as a whole, and its
connexion with the preceding labours of the Bre
thren amongst the Calmucs, appears from this
sketch.

»>!.--

JOURNEY FROM SAREPTA,

&c.

CHAPTER I.
OBJECT AND PLAN OF THE JOURNEY.
An application had been made to the Russian
Government, in the year 1820, for renewed letters
of protection, in behalf of the Brethren who were
then with the Cosehudan horde ; in consequence
of which, six sealed letters of protection and
recommendation, addressed to so many different
heads of hordes, were sent, through his Highness
Prince GaUtzin, from the minister of Asiatic and
foreign affairs, Count Nesselrode, to the society
at Sarepta, in 1822. Permission was at the same
time granted to the Brethren, to diffuse amongst
these tribes such portions of Scripture as had

26

been translated into the Calmuc language, but
with an annexed injunction from Prince Galitzin,
that they should confine themselves to the distri
bution of the Scriptures, and refrain from all com
ment ! A commission was given in consequence,
by the conference of elders at Sarepta (sanction
ed by the united conference of elders,) in May
1823, to brother Schill and myself, to undertake
a journey with the books of Scripture which had
been translated into the Calmuc language, to those
hordes to whom we had letters. We were to ac
quire, as far as was practicable, a complete know
ledge of the Calmucs in general, (for we had
hitherto been acquainted only with the Coschudan
horde, which is one of the smallest,) to observe
how far there might be any present disposition
to inquire into Christianity; and, whether there
was any spot where the Calmuc families who had
been residing so long on our land at Sarepta,
could be settled, and where a missionary station
might afterwards be established, if .the Govern
ment should permit.
We received the commission with joy, in the .
hope, that the Lord might be pleased, through
our humble efforts, to work out salvation for poor

27
souls now sitting in the dark and deceitful error of
Buddhaism, without the knowledge of the true
God, and of Christ whom He has sent for the
salvation of men.
It was desirable that the journey should take
place as soon as possible, both on account of the
scarcity of water on these desert plains, late in the
season, and of the removal of the hordes farther
to the south, where they take up their winter
quarters. All- preparations were therefore made
immediately, and in ten days we were ready to
start. We procured a small Russian vehicle,
called a kibitka, which served as a travelling
carriage for brother Schill, and conveyed our
baggage and utensils, together with a part of our
store of provisions, which consisted chiefly of bis
cuit and rice. To transport our copies of Scrip
ture, which were packed in chests, we bought a
couple of two-wheeled Tartarian carts, (called
arba,) with the requisite horses and tackle, and
hired two Tartars as drivers. They both under
stood Russian, aud Andra, the elder of the two,
was acquainted with the Calmuc tongue also. He
had been baptized into the Greek Church, in his
youth ; the other was a Mahometan. For my

28

own part, I travelled on horseback, partly be
cause I preferred it to using a coach on uneven
ground, without any regular road across these
desert plains, and partly because, in traversing a
country where every body rides, it was expedient
that one of the party should be on horseback, not
only to have a scout always on the alert, but to
procure information more easily, when it was
wanted, of Calmucs who might reside at a dis
tance.

CHAPTER II.

JOURNEY FROM SAREPTA TO TSCHORNOIJAH.

We set off from Sarepta on the 26th of May,
at seven o'clock 'in the morning, after having the
evening before commended ourselves earnestly to
the pious remembrance and sincere prayers of
the Society. The Brethren of the Conference of
Elders, and some other friends, accompanied us to
the boundary of the territory of Sarepta, where
they took an affectionate leave of us. We were
advancing to a doubtful fate, little knowing what
misfortunes might befal us on this long, (and on
account of the continual skirmishes between the
different hordes of Calmucs, I may say) danger
ous journey ; not knowing cither in what light

30

our errand would be regarded, by tribes whose
opposition to the diffusion of the Gospel our
Brethren had already experienced. We trusted
however in Him whose work we were upon, since
we were, in obedience to His command, proclaim
ing to men His holy and eternal word. Though
obliged to confine ourselves to the distribution of
the books of Scripture which had been printed,
and not at this time permitted to bear testimony
with our lips to what Jesus has done for us, we
were filled with fresh hope and confiding trust,
by this day's text for the Brethren. The words,
" they shall all be taught of God," promised us,
as applied to our journey, a blessed result ; while
the watch-word, " I will pour out my spirit upon
thy seed, and my blessing upon those that come
after thee, so that they shall spring up like grass,
like the meadows by the water-brooks," reminded
us, that the fulfilment might not appear till a far
distant day, when the seed now about to be
scattered by the promulgation of the Scriptures,
should bring forth its fruit.
We took our way first along the shores of the
Volga to Tschornoijah, where we were to get the
necessary passes for our Tartar drivers. After

31

leaving that place, we proceeded westward to tho
Torguts, who are commanded by Prince Erdeni.
We stopped at noon, at the Russian village
Schvatloyorskai, twelve versts* from Sarepta, in
the hut of a peasant, with whom we had some
acquaintance. After we had left it, we were ex
posed to a heavy storm for several hours, with
violent rain. Our carriages and baggage were
thoroughly soaked, and the roads for the rest of
that day, and part of the next, rendered exceed
ingly slippery, as the ground in this part consists
chiefly of clay. Through this heavy rain, I re
mained perfectly dry, excepting my feet, for my
good Tartar felt-cloak resisted all the attacks of
the wet. At eight in the evening, after a day's
journey of only thirty versts, (20 miles) we arrived
at the village of Rai-Gorodok, more commonly
called Popowitska, where we took up our abode
for the night on the landing-place of a Russian,
and enjoyed sweet repose.
The following day, May 27th, we travelled
through a country which appeared more fertile
than the neighbourhood of Sarepta. Grassy
valleys were seen here and there, and occasional
* A verst is about two-thirds of a mile.

:<2

tracts of arable land, with the produce of former
' years still standing in stacks. At eleven o'clock,
we dined in the village of Salnekovskoja, where a
strong body of Cossacks were quartering. This
detachment was on its way to the cordon on this
side of the Aktubah, to oppose the Kirguses, and
was halting here for a day's rest. In the after
noon we passed a fine valley, covered with the
most beautiful grass, which supplies all the neigh
bouring villages with hay. At eleven at night,
we reached the village of Vasovskoja, where we
had some difficulty in procuring a lodging, as
the inhabitants were all gone to rest. After
eating a scanty supper, we hastened to repose,
wearied as we were by the journey and the heat
of the day.
On the 28th, we were much annoyed by the
dust in the course of our journey ; it lay On the
roads four inches deep, and incessantly covered
us with its thick clouds. After eating our dinner
at Zaritza, which was founded only a few years
ago, but is no longer an insignificant village, we
pressed forward, that we might reach Tschornoija
that day, if possible. In the afternoon, we had
to our right a small ridge of hills, running

33

parallel to the Volga on our left, and which, in
remote antiquity, may possibly have formed the
western shore of that river. The view of the
Volga, which we enjoyed almost uninterruptedly,
was surpassing! Its waters had risen to their
greatest elevation, and overflowed the eastern bank
to a considerable distance, presenting an expanse
of water twenty or thirty miles wide, beyond
which- the eye could not reach. Long islands,
clothed in beautiful verdure, arose here and there,
and ships and boats, with and without sails, gilded
by the rays of the setting sun, glided amongst
them. We arrived at Tschornoija at nine in the
evening, and took up our quarters at a butcher's.
The whole of the following day was spent in this
town, in order to provide what was necessary for
our journey across the steppes, which commence
at this place.

34

CHAPTER IU.
ENTHANCE UPON THE STEPPES—DWCMPTIOK
OF THEM.

The steppes in the government of Astracan.
extending northward from the Caspian Sea, on
both S1des of the Volga, over which the Calmucs
and Tartars wander for pasture, are amongst the
*Host desert parts of the Russian empire. The
soil consists almost entirely of yellow clay, with
out stones, and abundantly impregnated with
various salts. This fact, as well as the pits and
salt lakes, and the great quantity of unfossilised
shells still to be found on the surface of the earth,
confirms the opinion of some of the learned, that
these steppes were formerly the bottom of a sea,
which in some convulsion of nature, has made
i^ way into the Mediterranean, by the Straits' of

35
Marmora. Supposing this to have been the case,
the Caspian, the sea of Asoph, the Black Sea, and
all the other seas in the neighbourhood, as being
the deepest parts of that primitive ocean, remain
ed when the waters had elsewhere run off. Ex
cept Mount Bogdo (which is noble) there are no
mountains amongst these steppes; they seldom,
however, present a complete plain, but are more
or less hilly, alternately rising gently, and again
falling in valleys, so that the prospect is always
confined, and seldom allows a view of many miles
in extent. Vegetation is exceedingly scanty, con
sisting chiefly of low-growing wormwood, inter
spersed with tufts of grass, which never fully
cover the ground, or form a uniform turf; these
two principal productions of the steppes grow
ing in solitary bunches, between which the yellow
ground is seen on all sides. In the valleys, there
are here and there places more fertile, but they
are commonly covered with salt herbs fit 'only for
camels. Many parts of the steppes are adorned,
in spring, with the brilliant flowers of the iris, the
tulip, and other bulbous rooted plants, till the
raging heat of the sun, which is intercepted by no
hill or tree, together with the scarcity of rain
D 2

36
during this scorching heat, kill? them all. In
the southerly steppes, the thermometer often re-
mains, for weeks together, at 30 degrees of Reau
mur, and not a single refreshing cloud appears
in the heavens. Overpowering as the heat is in
summer, it is not worse than the petrifying cold in
winter, when the thermometer is as many degrees
below the freezing point ; and this is felt the
more, because no mountains intervene to keep
off the cold air from the east, which comes from
the lofty ice-covered Mongolia, in an irresistible
stream. One of the marvels of nature, belonging
to these steppes, is the looming, which takes pkce
here in hot weather. The rays of the sun re
flected from the heated surface of the steppes, and
refracted by the slight dew which is drawn from
the earth, occasion an optical deception, by which
objects, not in sight, are pictured in the air, at the
edge of the mist, as if reared on a stream of water.
The images sink by degrees, lower and lower as
the spectator approaches, till at last the stream
vanishes, and the real landscape is seen, at a.
greater distance and smaller than it appeared on
the mist. If the weary traveller have hoped
shortly to reach the desired resting-place, he sees

«L~

37
it retreating the faster, the more eageriy he
stretches towards it. The animals inhabiting
these steppes, between the Taik and the Volga,
are wild horses, abundance of antelopes, (antelopa
sagax,) foxes, wolves, the dipus jerboa and the
mus jaculans. Serpents'and lizards are very com
mon. There are no bees, nor any of those in
sects which are beneficial to man, but many f
those which are hurtful. Swarms of those locusts
which devastate whole provinces, (for example)
and other less formidable varieties of the same
family, have their birth here, and often darken
the air with their rustling armies, laying waste
wherever they settle. Scorpions, I believe, are
confined to Mount Bogdo, but millepedes, six or
eight inches long, (scolopendra millepes) taran
tula, (aranea tarantula) and the still more poison
ous scorpion-spider, which the Calmucs call the
black widow, (belbussun charra) are every where
to be met with, and are much dreaded. These
steppes are, on the whole, rich in objects which
would be welcome to the cabinet of the naturalist ;
but on account of their difficulty of access, (which
even Asiatic hospitality cannot remedy) they are
seldom visited by Europeans, except by the few

38

whose office and duty compel them. In- a desert,
where for a day's journey together you find neither
the habitation of man, nor a pool of water, where
the pastoral tribes continually change their posi
tion, the traveller is in danger of perishing in
the wilderness, if he be not provided with an ex
perienced guide. The Russian cattle-dealers, and
pedlars, who are induced, by the love of gaina to
overlook danger and toil and wants of various
kinds, are the only people who are occasionally
tempted to enter these deserts.
The native inhabitants are Moguls, Tartars,
Kirguses, and pastoral Cossacks. The wealth of
this nation consists in their camels, horses, oxen,
sheep, and goats : these supply all their wants, or
the means of procuring from merchants what else
they require.
The Calmucs, to whom we were directing our
steps, are divided into five hordes, — in the Mogul
language orda. These are the Derbodian, (the
nearest to Sarepta) the Torgudan, the Erkedian,
the Baganzokhan, and the Coschudan, each under
its own khan or chief. The two first reside
usually on the east of the Don and Sarpa; the
two next between the Sarpa and Volga ; and the

39
last on the Aktubak, on this side of the Volga.
The winter quarters of some extend much farther,
for in the winter the Calmucs drive their herds
from the steppes, and withdraw to regions better
furnished with water. The Derbodians to the
Kuma, the Erkedian* to the well wooded shores
of the Caspian above Kislar-one part of the
Torgudans (the Yandykusches) to the same
neighbourhood, while the other division, under
the Khans Erdeni and Zerren Ubaschi, remain
in the Sarpa marshes. The camps of the two
Tartarian Princes, just mentioned, were our first
destination, after we had entered the steppes.

40

41

CHAPTER IV.
JOURNEY OVER THE STEPPES TO THE TOH-
GUDAN HORDE OF PRINCE (OR KHAN) ER-
DINI. ARRIVAL THERE.
It was on the 30th of May that we left Tschor
noija to proceed across the steppes, in a westerly
direction, to the Torgudan horde which was
encamped near the Sarpa. For a considerable
part of the way we were able to take advantao-e
of the road which leads from Zaritsin to the
Russian line of fortification at Caucasus. This
road branches off from the Astracan post-road at
some distance from Zaritsin : uncertain whether
it was the right, we inquired first of some Russian
children who were at hand, and afterwards of a
Russian whom we observed at a distance, but all in
vain, for the children did not know, and the man
would not speak; further on, however, we met

! /

with others, who satisfied us that we were right.
After travelling about twenty-five versts on this
road, we found in a hollow, by a pit of milk-white
water, the first Calmuc tent; we encamped near
it for our noon-day rest, and prepared our flesh
and rice for dinner. It was not till we had slaked
our thirst at this' muddy pool, that we perceived
it was full of (what we afterwards found, with the
help of a tea-strainer, to be) amphibious spawn ;
we did not suffer any inconvenience, however,
from having partaken of it. While we were halt
ing came a Calmuc from the Bagan Zocher horde,
with a led horse in his hand, in search of some
stray camels. He told us that the neighbourhood
was very unsafe, in consequence of the quarrels
of the Derbodians, and that he had brought two
horses, to secure his escape on the fresh one if
he should be in danger. The feud to which he
alluded, was caused by internal divisions in the
tribes to which we were going : we collected from
the Calmucs in different parts, the following
account of the quarrel. Erdeni, (or Ardani,) the
Chief of one division of the Torgudan horde,
married Zebeck, the sister of Erdeni prince of
the Derbodians. In the fortieth year, of her age

42

he sent her home to her father's tribe, in conse
quence of her infidelity. The Derbodians demand
ed restitution of the dower. The Torgudans re
fused it ; and hence arose between the two clans the
most violent animosity, the people on each side es
pousing the cause of their chieftain, and plunder and
murder ensuing. Though the Derbodian Erdeni
had died the autumn before, the feud was not
appeased, but was kept alive by his brother
Dschambe. The contest between the two hordes
would have been very unequal (as the Derbodians
were reckoned at ten or from that to twelve
thousand tents or families, and the Torgudans at
only 400,) but other hordes joined in the strife,
according to their connexion with the different
parties concerned. On the side of the Derbo
dians was the Tandykischan division of the Tor
gudan horde, 1000 tents strong, commanded by
the Princess Bogusch or Nadmid, sister to the
Derbodian prince. On the other hand, Zerren
Ubaschi, another Torgudan, with his horde of
800 tents, and the Bagan Zochars with 1700
tents, took the part of the Torgudan Erdeni,
because the chief of the three nobles, by whom
they were governed, was related to the Torgudan

43
prince. A third detachment of Torgudes, under
the command of three brothers, Dschirgal, Otschir
and Setter, ranged themselves nominally with
Prince Erdeni, and plundered friend and foe in
a most unruly manner. It was chiefly by this
branch of the Torgudan tribe, that many Russian
horsemen and Tartars were pillaged. Of all the
hordes on the steppes, but two remained neutral ;
the Erkedes, estimated at 1000 tents, and the
Coschudans, of the same strength ; the former on
the western, the latter on the eastern shore of the
Volga : so that of the 20,000 tents or families of
Calmucs, who inhabit the government of Astracan,
there were, at the time we were travelling amongst
them, only 2000 at peace, and 3000 were in arms
against about 15,000. The Torgudes, though in
number only a fifth of the Derbodians, had some
advantages in the unequal strife, which enabled
them to persevere with vigour. Their barren
waterless steppes, and constant change of position,
prevented them from being easily reached by
the Derbodians. The Torgudes are moreover a
hardy race, inured to privations, and subsisting
in summer by the chase of antelopes, which abound
on the steppes. For this reason, they are almost

u
universally provided with guns, which is not the
case with the less active and hardy Derbodians.
The Torgudan horses are also decidedly superior
to the Derbodian, both in swiftness and capability
of sustaining fatigue. They are fed upon worm
wood and other dry herbs, while those of the
Derbodians are accustomed to richer pasture,
and though apparently in better condition, are
not so strong. o
These feuds had now lasted and gained
strength uninterruptedly for three years. Go
vernment had not hitherto interfered with anv
severity, but had taken the tone of conciliation
and kindness. As this had proved unavailing,
and the Calmucs, after the Russian residents (or
Pristaws) were recalled from the hordes which we
were to visit, burst forth with, redoubled fury, on
being relieved from their troublesome inspectors,
it seemed probable that some important change
was about to take place in the state of the
tribes. As we could not but fear, under such circum
stances, that we might fall in with a skirmishing-
party, we made ready our arms, to be prepared
for the event. In the afternoon we saw many

45
antelopes, some solitary and some in herds. The
old ones were exceedingly shy, but the young
ones, who occasionally came very near us, were
stupidly fearless. One of them, apparently about
eight days old, (it was the size of a kid of a fort
night old,) came running directly up to our coach.
Our old Tartar, Andre, shot at it, when it was
about fifty paces from us ; he missed it however,
and did not even disturb its course, and it would
have waited for a second shot, if our coach-dog had
not run after it and frightened ih The way in which
these creatures bound, when they are beginning to
run, is exceedingly curious. When our dog, for
instance, came within twenty paces of this younw
one, it sprang up into the air, more than an ell
high, then ran quickly for a few steps, sprang up
again, and laying its head almost down to the
ground, it set off with incredible speed and was
soon out of sight. It is said that skilful riders,
well mounted, can sometimes tire the young ones,
so that they will lie down and let themselves be
killed, after they have run a few versts. We
often chased these creatures afterwards, with no
better success than this time, and not being pro
vided with musquets, we were forced to content

46

ourselves with admiring their leaps. At sunset,
we reached a long valley called Dalata, (the se
cluded) where we again found some Calmuc tents.
As there were few wells in this neighbourhood,
and those covered over, and the water bitter, we
proceeded without delay, hoping to reach a spot
called merchant's hill, which had been described
to us as having good water. Unhappily, we mis
sed this hill, and after riding till eleven o'clock at
night, and pretty well tiring our horses, we were
forced to pitch our tents for the night, in a very
desert spot, without having found any water.
We tied the fore legs of our horses with chains,
and then permitted them to seek what food the
desert afforded ; in the mean time, we betook
ourselves (with a remnant of black bread in our
hands, which we had brought from Tschornoija)
to our blanket spread under the waggon. We
had travelled about thirty-three miles on this, our
first day of crossing the steppes.
When we rose, and removed our blanket, at
six o' clock the next morning, we found several
tarantula, but they had not disturbed our repose.
In the course of a few hours, we reached some
muddy pits of water, where our thirsty horses

47

were allowed to drink, and in the next few hours
we found more than a hundred pits and wells,
from twenty to twenty-five paces in diameter, and
twenty or thirty feet deep. These and other wells
which may be found on the steppes, are most
likely the work of some ancient pastoral nation,
the former inhabitants of these regions, for at pre
sent the lazy Calmucs, though pressed by necessity,
will hardly take the trouble to keep them in order.
We found good water in some of these wells ; here
therefore we prepared our dinner, which consisted
of rice and a bustard (otis tarda). For fuel, we
made use of the dry dung which we found near
the wells ; a material which, in this barren place,
is the only one to be had for the purpose, and
supplies the place of wood very well, as it kindles
(like turf) with a slight application of warmth,
and gives out a great heat. In an inaccessible
hole, in the wall of a well, we saw the nest of a red
duck, (anas casarea) andcountlessswallows (hirundo
riparia) ; round about both far and near, herds of
antelopes were grazing. These wells, when they
are such as cattle can drink out of, and more
especially if they are in grassy valleys, are the
rendezvous of all the animals that inhabit the

-48

steppes. After travelling through a very barren
tract in the afternoon, without seeing a living
creature, except antelopes, and, occasionally,
eagles of different species, most commonly the
falco bucocephalus, we prepared our beds for
the night, at nine o'clock, near a muddy pit of
bitter water, which neither we nor our horses could
drink. In the night, we heard the cry of wolves
in the distance, but were happily spared a visi
tation. On the 1st of June, we set off, fasting, at five
o'clock, and after a couple of hours we came to
a deep well of good water, where we and our
horses quenched our thirst, and we filled a small
vessel to carry with us. In the steep sides of
this well, there were some great steps, on which
the Calmucs stand to reach the water for their
cattle, from one to another. On the lowest was
a flat vessel to drink out of. The Calmucs com
monly use, for their cattle, wooden troughs which
they buy from the Russians. These wells, of
such inestimable value in the barren waste, re
minded us here, and often afterwards, of the life
of the Patriarchs of the Old Testament : how Re
becca watered the camels of Isaac, and Jacob the

49

sheep of Rachael. Particular spots were then
described by the wells they contained, and these,
from their importance, often gave rise to strife :
at this day, we found the places on the steppes
almost exclusively named from their wells, and
there was no lack of dissension and feud in the
use of them.
About eight o'clock, we saw at a distance three
armed Calmucs to our right, and a gellong (or
priest) who rode with them. They were the
forerunners of a wandering troop belonging to
the horde of Zerren Ubaschi. When we had
answered their eager inquiries as to what we had
to sell, and presented them with a few leaves of
tobacco, we learned the present station of Prince
Erdeni, and we left, in consequence, the track we
had hitherto pursued, and stretched in another
course more to the West. Here we saw at a
distance, on a green mound, a few red ducks,
(anas casarea), and, on a closer inspection, we
found that they were sitting at the entrance of a
deserted wolfs den, where they had made their
inaccessible nest, as we saw by the footsteps into
the cave. At eleven o'clock, we again found a
few wells with a little water, and by them some
E

50
Calmuc tents. Here we halted to dine, and were
hospitably treated by the Calmucs with sour
mares' milk (or tschigan,) which we enjoyed the
more from having suffered great thirst in the
morning. At our departure, we gave them some
tobacco, and learned in return, that there was a
regular road not far off; (the lower of the two
roads leading along the mountains from Sarepta,
to the line of fortification at Caucasus;) we did
not reach it, however, for many hours, though
the Calmucs, with one voice, had assured us that
it was close to their doors. We experienced here,
as we afterwards- did on numberless occasions, that
the Calmucs never describe distance correctly, and
that they always abridge it. Their] measures are,
a day's march for a tribe, that is ten or twelve
miles ; a horseman's journey, which is sometimes
as much as 100 or 113 miles ; and a third mea
sure, which is taken from the distance at which
a man's voice can be heard, and which agrees
pretty well with a verst, (two-thirds of a mile.)
They are never exact, however, in the use of
these measures, because, when they are riding,
they do not notice a verst more or less. At the
point where we joined the road which I mentioned,

-F

51
we saw far off to the west, an arm of the Sarpa,
which refreshed our eyes with its green sedges,
after the dreary uniformity of the steppes. Far
ther still to the west, in deep blue, rose the chain
of the Sarpa hills, which extend from Sarpa to
Sarepta, and then disappear at the beginning of
the Reuben steppes. In pursuing our journey,
we kept the Sarpa constantly on our left. At
five in the afternoon, we reached a valley called
the Valley of Worms, because the water of a well
which it contains, is full of worms. Here we
found upwards of fifty tents of the Calmucs of
the horde of Zerren Ubaschi, who refreshed us
with tschigan. Whilst we were at this place,
a Gezull, (or priest of an inferior order,) who had
learnt the object of our journey, came to us, and
asked us jeeringly for religious instruction. We
replied that we should deliver our books to his
chief, and that if he wished to be instructed, he
might make application to him. Another Calmuc,
who had heard that some families had left the Cos-
chudau horde, at the instigation of the people of
Sarepta, took it into his head that we wanted to
increase our colony by an additional supply of
Calmucs ; he therefore let us know secretly, that
E 2

52
he was ready to steal a considerable number of
children for us, if we would pay him well.
Further on, we were followed by a well bronzed
old Calmuc on horseback, who probably expect
ed to obtain a few leaves of tobacco, under one
pretence or another; ihe turned back, however,
with horror, on seeing a moderate sized serpent
before us, (which we afterwards killed) ; it struck
his superstition as a bad omen. This afternoon,
we met some Russian merchants, and a company
of Astracan merchants, with their two-wheeled
carts. At six o'clock, we had the White Sea
(Zagen nuhr) to our left, reaching to the arm of
the Sarpa, and containing a multitude of little
islands. We afterwards bent our course more to
the right, by which we lost sight of the Sarpa
entirely, and were forced to pass the night in the
steppes, without water.
This night and the following morning, 2nd
of June, we had some light showers of rain, from
which, however, we found sufficient shelter under
the carts. At sun-rise, we stretched towards the
arm of the Sarpa, which had been described to us
as so shallow that we might cross it in carts : we
reached it at seven o'clock, in a part where it
forms a broad marsh of bitter water : here we

53
•topped and prepared our coffee, with some water
which our old Tartar fetched from a sweet well
on the opposite shore. With some difficulty we
crossed the marsh, and we found on the other side
nerds of camels, who had a plentiful provision in
'- sedges and saIt weeds of the ^ ^ &
^fflth-P;tJwecametotwoKurganes(astheRusstans call them,) or grave hillocks. Such tu
muh are every where to be found on tlie steppes,"
- l^T f^1^ °n the *i]W shores of
the Volga, the Sarpa, the Manitsch, the Kuma
theAktubah,&c. They probably belong to ^
ferent ages, and different races of men, but the
majority are undoubtedly to be ascribed to the
Tartars of the ancient Kamschatkan
wbe was ounded here. I ,w a great ^
of these lullocks, near the rui„s of their rf
cities Serag and Tschio-i, nn, PnnciP*'
nf U / J-scmgis. Others are probably
of older date. Those on which there are stone
puars,ln the Mogul style, appear to be of gre
antiqruty, as they were i„ existence long b!for
JetimeofRuisbroek5inth f
^n regarded as the graves of . nation which had
P-t away and been forgotten. From the a •
^yofthesegraveS,aad the Mogul stywt
Pilars, they may not improbably have belonged

54

to that tribe of Moguls, who were inhabitants of
this neighbourhood, in the fifth century, under the
formidable name of Huns. Two of these hillocks
exhibited the remains of a square building of brick,
which resembled the foundation of a Tartar mo
nument. From hence the whole country, which we
traversed for six hours, till we came to the camp
of Prince Erdeni, was sprinkled far and wide with
groups* of tents, and between them were herds of
camels, horses, oxen, &c. The greater part of the
hordes of the two chiefs, Erdeni and Zerren Ubas
chi, were here. After incessant inquiries, where
we should find the head-quarters of Erdeni and
after being led at one time considerably out of our
way, we arrived, at four o'clock in the afternoon,
at the Baktur Malep (or place of heroes' whips,)
where the Torgudan Princes were both encamped.
Their tents were about a quarter of a mile
asunder, and between them was a multitude of
tents and cars belonging to the Russian, Arme
nian, and Tartar merchants, forming the market,
or rather bazaar, of the horde. We halted in a
grassy place, about two hundred paces behind the
tent of Erdeni, and prepared ourselves for waiting
upon the Prince.

5.5

CHAPTER V.

The Calmuc huts or tents, in their own lan
guage gerr, and in the Russian kibitka, consist
of a number of parts, which are easily put
together, and taken to pieces. The tents are
round, with a funnel-shaped roof, and a blunt
point at the top of it. The frame-work, which
is of willow laths about an inch thick, carv
ed and painted in red stripes, forms a circular
wall of lattice-work, not quite the height of a
man ; this lower frame consists of seven or eight
parts, which can be taken up separately, and laid
flat upon one another, so as to be conveniently
moved. Where the laths cross, they are perfo
rated, and fastened with leather thongs. In
pitching the tents, six or eight compartments of
lattice- work are fastened together with woollen
bands, the door-way is then set up, which stands

56

by itself, and includes, in a wooden frame, two
small folding doors.
Upon this, the whole circle of lattice-work is
fastened, by broad woollen girths ; and from this
lower frame-work proceed poles on every side,
which tend to meet in a common centre above ;
these are intercepted by a wooden hoop or crown,
which holds them together, and upon which are
fixed the transverse hoops forming the blunt
point at the summit. A notch at the lower end
of these poles is adjusted to a projection in the
frame-work, and at the upper end they fit into
holes in the hoop, which are made to receive them.
Over these poles a few woollen girths are passed
cross-wise, and attached to the frame-work below.
The whole of this skeleton is covered with coarse,
porous, unfulled felts of considerable size. Four
of these are employed to cover the lattice-work
and about half of the roof; a third smaller one
hangs from the roof over the door, as a pro
tection from wind and cold, and this can be drawn
un at pleasure. All these pieces of felt are se
cured with woollen girths and bands ; and lastly,
a covering of felt is thrown over the hoops at the
top, and the long ends hang down to the frame
work. One of these ends is always turned up

57
(on the side least exposed to the wind) not only
to admit the light which is required in the hut,
but to make an outlet for the smoke.
Of such tents the camp of Erdeni consisted.
It stood in an inconsiderable valley, in the midst
of which were a few wells. To the north of
these were the royal tents, viz. that of Erdeni
himself, the hall of justice, and the tent of Princess
Mingmer ; to the south, the Churulls (or temples)
and the huts of the High Priest, or Lama.
Round these, in a wide semicircle, were the tents
of the inferior priests (or Gellongs,) and these
again were enclosed by the ministers and servants
of the Prince. The doors of all the tents were
directed towards the principal temple, and the
interior of the semicircle.
The tents of the Princes and Lama, and the
huts which are used as temples, are distinguished
not only by their commanding situation, but by
their size, and by the whiteness of their covering.
The residence of the Prince is marked by a lono-
spear projecting on the left of the door-way, from
the upper end of which hang two bunches of black
horse-hair, fastened with a band. A smaller is placed
in . the same manner over the hall of justice. It

58
is possible that these bunches of hair may for
merly have had some reference to the horse-tails,
the banner of the Tartars and Turks, who were
at one time neighbours of the Moguls. The
camp of Erdeni contained about 100, and that of
Zerren Ubaschi 1 50 tents. The arrangement was
the same in both, and in all the other hordes which
we afterwards visited, differing only in the number
of tents, which is proportioned to the size of the
tribe. Having learnt from the Calmucs, that the day
of our arrival (the 2d of June) was marked as
fortunate in their astrological kalendar, we hasten
ed to make our first visit to the Prince, the same
evening. When we approached the tent, a ser
vant came out to meet us, and inquired what we
wanted; we desired to be announced, as people
who had brought letters from the capital to the
Prince, upon which we were readily admitted.
We drew near to the tent from the right side, ac
cording to the Calmuc custom, for it is considered
unmannerly to advance directly to the door, or to
approach from the left side. We also took care
not to tread on the threshold, an old Mogul cere
monial, which Ruisbroek observed in the camp of

59
** ^mcerMendessuntabet..gerbu.ta?
Ar you quUe hale and well P» to which he re
phed«M„nde''(weli0afterwhichwewereob^- ostt cross-legged upon a carpet, i„ the As4
^•. ^e Prince sat in the same position,:
fccusbon -the interior of the tent, by his life
Dellek ; on their left was the little pri„l RascH
Wai Dordsche, attended by his nur
Erden11s1nhis42dyear,ofashortsquatfi
-d good countenance. He is intent, gU
natured, lively and agreeable. When we enled
bewasplaying onthe ^^^
H» wife Dellek is siX-and,we„ty, of . ^
%ure, ^and truly Calmuc face, with prominent
chek.bone, The Prince was dressed in a short
Calmuc coat of blue cloth, white trowsers, .
-ttled sdk waistcoat, and a thick velvet cap
trimmed with sable, and ornamented with a red
tassel and gold loop.
The Princess wore a blue and white dress, over
a red silk petticoat ornamented with gold flowers ¦
she had on her head a high square Calmuc cap 0;
Persian gold muslin, trimmed (like her husband's)
with sable, and with a large silk tassel. The ten

60

was about ten yards in diameter, and as many in
height, and furnished all round, in the inside, with
carpets, for the accommodation of visitors. Op
posite to the door, was the Prince's throne or
cushion, about an ell high, and covered with green
cotton, and over it a kind of canopy of the same
material. On each side was suspended an image ;
the left represented one of their dreadful idols
Bansarakza; the right was a collection of as
trological circles, and many figures of different
colours. Both were designed for the protection
of the young prince, and to shield him from evil.
To the left of the Prince's couch, was the altar
with a bench in front of it, and on the altar were
silver vessels, with rice and other offerings; be
hind it a number of chests piled upon one another,
and covered with a Persian cloth. Above was a
wooden shrine, with a well-formed gilt image of
one of their principal idol-deities, Schagdschamuni,
the founder of their religion. On the right of
the Prince, there was also a heap' of chests, co
vered with Persian cloth, on which stood a few
trinket boxes belonging to the Princess. These
chests probably contained the valuables of the
royal family, and those on the left of the throne,

61
the sacred writings, the idols, and other things
pertaining to the altar. In the middle of the tent,
there was a hearth, with a cresset and a common
tea-kettle ; on the left of the door stood a few pails
and cans ornamented with brass hoops, containing
sour mares' milk, or tschigan, the chief subsis
tence of the Calmucs at this time of the year.
Erdeni read the letter twice through with care,
and then asked us our names, and the immediate
object of our journey, which we endeavoured to
explain in the most satisfactory manner. He
next inquired, in a friendly manner, after his old
acquaintances,Brother Schmidt of Petersburgh, and
Loos of Sarepta, and rejoiced to hear of their
welfare. After we had been treated with Calmuc
tea and tschigan, we took our leave, and re
turned to our carriages.
This evening, and many times afterwards, we
were entertained tiU night with the loud music of
the Gellongs, accompanying their Tangud or Thi-
betian litanies; the drum, a kind of hautboy and
great horns predominate in this music, and we
could hear it distinctly from the churulls of both
camps. On the 3rd of June in the forenoon, we visi-

62

63

ted the bazaar, and bought a few things that we
wanted. At this time a thick smoke was seen
rising from a distanec, in the direction of the hills.
It was supposed to be a fire on the steppes, and
the Derbodians were suspected of having kindled
it, to injure the Torguds. These conflagrations
often rage with irresistible fury, laying waste
whole tracts of land with such rapidity, that a
man on a fleet horse can scarcely escape from
them. Anxiety about the approaching fire, now
put an end to the business of the bazaar, and
every one looked out from his hut, or from some
high spot of ground, to see which way the wind
blew. Orders were in the mean time issued by
the Prince, to stop the progress of the flames, and
troops of Gellongs and blacks (plebeian Calmucs,)
hastened with tent-stigks in their hands to beat
out the fire. They shortly returned unsuccessful,
with news that the flame was raging in the neigh
bouring sedges of a dry arm of the Sarpa, where
it was impossible to extinguish it. They related
to those who had staid at home, the incredible
multitude of creatures which had- been killed in
the fire ; birds who had made their nest in the
sedges, serpents, frogs, lizards, &c. They des

cribed the agonies of these animals very power
fully, with the liveliest colours, and not without
exaggeration. The most eager attention, and
entire sympathy with the sufferings of these crea
tures, was to be seen in every face, the more so
perhaps, as the Calmucs, from their belief in the
transmigration of souls, which is a tenet of their
religion, feel themselves more nearly connected
with all other animals. Their own loss they
seemed at this time entirely to overlook, though
the fire had consumed the food of that part of
their cattle, which, since the Derbodian feud, was
accustomed to winter there. Happily the con
flagration did not cross the arm of the river, though
it raged with great violence. When we came in
sight of this place, a few days after, it presented
white streaks as far as the eye could reach, inter
spersed with green islands, and when we left the
neighbourhood six days after, the fire had not
abated. On our return from the bazaar, we prepared to
make another visit to the Prince, and we laid out
the presents, which (according to the Asiatic cus
tom) we had brought for him and his wife : they
consisted of Sarepta cloth, tobacco, and "oinn-er-

*¦"?•»

64

bread. Just as we were about to set off, the
Prince sent a messenger to us, to inquire whether
we had brought any thing from Sarepta to sell.
Upon this we made over our presents to the
messenger, and desired him to follow us. Erdeni
and his wife were much pleased with the presents,
and each immediately smoked a pipe of the to
bacco. Half the gingerbread was sent to the
Lama, and a share allotted to all who were pre
sent, for according to their hospitable custom,
this article was to be fairly divided. Whilst we
were treated with Calmuc tea and tschigan, the
Princess Mingmer, the prince's daughter.entered
and welcomed us cordially. Mingmer is twenty
years of age, and was married not long ago to a
Coschudan prince, Bathur Ubaschi, who, for some
unknown cause, sent her home, keeping at the
same time her infant son. When she returned
she no longer found her mother Zebeck, who (as
I mentioned before) had been sent to her brother
the Derbodian prince; not being able to agree
with her new mother, who is only a few years
older than herself, and feeling on that account
more keenly the want of her own mother and of
her child, Mingmer secretly endeavoured to make

05'

her escape ; she was however brought back by
the Torguds who were sent in pursuit of her, d\ul
laid in chains in the Churull. After she was re
leased, she showed no farther desire to escape, and
seemed resigned to her fate. When the Prince
told her our names, and she heard mine, which
the Calmucs call- Zebih or Zebek, instead of
Zwiek, (because they find a difficulty in pronoun
cing two consonants together,) Mingmer exclaimed,
" That is my mother's name." This afforded
them amusement for some time, after which, our
dress, caps, neckcloths, &c. underwent a thorough
review, and the two ladies took paper models of
some of these articles, each vyeing with the other
in skill, and the Prince looking on, as an arbiter
elegantiarum. When this friendly diversion was over, we took
an opportunity of l-eminding the Prince of our
business, and of sounding his inclination on the
subject. We told him that the Russian Bible
Society were then translating books of holy writ
into the Calmuc tongue, and that it was the wish
of our pious Emperor, that all the nations of his
mighty empire should have access to the word of
life, and obtain from it health and salvation for
F

GO

their immortal souls : that, (as Count Nesselrode's
letter had already announced,) we were come to dis
tribute the Scriptures in his tribe, to all who were
desirous of receiving them, and that we implored
his gracious and speedy assistance, that we might
discharge our commission, and proceed on our jcuis
ney. He replied in a very polite manner, that,
before he could give his answer, he must confer
with Prince Zerren Ubaschi, and with his Lama.
When we had taken our leave, a servant followed
us to say, that the Prince had yesterday desired
his shepherd to send us a sheep, but that it would
not arrive till the next day, because the present,
according to the astrologers, was not propitious
for the purpose. Probably this was only an
excuse, and the intention had been formed after
receiving our presents.
Before this time, none of the Calmucs had
troubled themselves about us, except that some,
who were curious, inquired what we were come
for : now that they saw us honoured by the Prince,
they thronged to us, and sought our friendship.
This is quite the character of the nation .' they
regulate their behaviour slavishly by that of their

67
rulers, and if the latter be changed, the former
will speedily alter. They are, in general, distrust
ful of foreigners, and will not, in their presence,
depreciate their superiors, or betray any of their
misdeeds. To each other, they are exceedingly
faithful, particularly when the object is to conceal
from a foreigner the theft of a Calmuc ; if they
are pushed hard, they will make good the loss
themselves, and take their chance, rather than
give up the offender.
Amongst our other visitors, came the owners
of the neighbouring tents, illustrious officers of
the Prince's household, his Tschigaitschi, (or mare-
milker) his Temahlschi, (or camel-keeper) and
others, who were desirous of our friendship. With
many compliments, they invited us to a Calmuc
tea-party, at which they proposed, that as they
were so fortunate as to have us for neighbours,
we should form a lasting chottun (or society,)
with them; they assured us that even when the
horde migrated, they would not leave us, and only
entreated that if the Prince should honour us still
farther, we would not despise them, but continue
their friends. These people supplied us with
P 2

6S
milk for our tea, and for other purposes, as well
as their poverty would permit them, and, during
the ensuing marches, they kept us always in their
vicinity. At this tea-party, it was resolved to clear out
a well near our carriages, which had latterly been
choked up, and the pit used for other purposes.
Our Tartars began the work the following day,
and soon found some water, which however was
bitter : the Russians from the bazaar enlarged the
well afterwards, and at last, the Calmucs of our
chottun dug it still deeper, so that they had all
a claim to draw water from the well, which occa
sioned some strife. When this well, which was
about eighteen feet deep, was completed, they
bought some brandy at the bazaar with eighty
copecks, (which had been given them by a Gel-
long who was riding by, to reward them for their
useful work ;) and we were then invited solemnly
to pronounce a blessing over the well. They gave
us some of the water to taste, and we then took
a little of the brandy, and expressed a wish that
the well might be blessed. Immediately after
the ceremony, the cattle were watered from the
well, and water was given gratis to every one who
asked for it.

t

^

»M3fe -*r

69
After our tea visit, we waited upon the Prince
Zerren Ubaschi, and took with us the presents
which were designed for him, and which were of
the same sort as those which we had presented to
Erdeni. Zerren Ubaschi is about thirty years of
age, above the middle height, slender, and well-
looking. When we visited him, he wore a loose
violet-coloured robe of cotton ; he was sitting
upon a cushion in the interior of his tent, opposite
to the door ; the tent, which was roomy and clean,
without any splendour, was arranged for the most
part like that of Erdeni, but it was smaller, as the
Prince is a widower. After the salutation, he in
vited us to sit down, as we had done at Erdeni's,
on the right of the throne, on the same side with
the altar. After he had particularly inquired
our present business, our name and profession, he
appeared a little vexed that we had not brought
him a letter from the minister. He professed
also to be ignorant of the contents of the letter to
Erdeni, and wished us to let him see it, which we
could not do, as it was no longer in our possession.
We told him that Prince Erdeni had said, he
should confer with him, and his Lama, and that
we therefore commended ourselves to his gracious
assistance ; we added, that it was the wish of the

70

71

Emperor, that the Scriptures should be supplied
to all Calmucs who were willing to receive them.
His answer did not imply any opposition, but he
sheltered himself under the pretext, that he had
received no recommendatory letter from govern
ment. On being reminded that Erdeni's Lama
was to be a party to the deliberation, he answer
ed hastily, that he had nothing to do with that
Lama, and that there was no Lama in his own
tribe. After we had been treated with Calmuc tea,
and chatted a little about our past and future
travels, we took our leave. The same evening,
two horsemen came to us, with a fine sheep which
they had brought at Zerren Ubaschi's command,
though by Erdeni's account it was an unlucky
day for the purpose. We permitted the sheep
which Erdeni had promised, to stand over for a
time, till we were more in want of it. We were
surprised during our visit to Zerren Ubaschi, to
perceive a Testament upon the bench before the
altar. This was the only copy which met our
eyes during our whole journey, and we had no
opportunity of inquiring where it came from, All
the time we staid with the Prince, there was a

_L

Gcllong sitting behind us, (probably as a spy from
the priests) or busied in arranging the vessels at
the altar.
On the 4th of June, in the forenoon, we visited
the chief priest of the horde, (or Lama) and took
with us a present of tobacco and gingerbread.
He is about thirty, with a countenance indicating
at the same time good-nature and bigotry. Con
trary to the custom of other ecclesiastics of his
rank, who, to counterfeit sanctity, put on a grave
insensibility, and speak little and like an oracle, to
give themselves an appearance of wisdom, he was
both polite and conversable, without in any way
lowering his dignity. When we arrived he was
sitting cross-legged, on a high cushion, in a loose
yellow robe, with the red Orkimtschi (or scarf)
of a Gellong over his left shoulder, and a large
cap trimmed with fur on his head, like those which
the Gellongs usually wear. He was playing me
chanically with the beads of his rosary, without
seeming to know what he was doing. His hand
some tent was well furnished with religious vessels,
and on the splendid altar-table, besides cups, thero
was a stand for books, many beautiful Krudns
(or prayer machines) with Sanscrit characters in

gold, and some images and pictures of their gods.
On the carpets, which were spread all around the
interior of the tent, there were two rows of
Gellongs, clad according to their respective dig
nities, in red and yellow, and drinking tschigan
with great assiduity ; this liquor was supplied by
the Gezulls, from two large vessels full of it, which
stood in the middle of the hut. After the saluta
tion, the bald-headed Gellongs, at a wink from
their chief, drew their ranks closer to make room
for us, and we were treated with tschigan, out of
cups of honour of maple wood. The Lama pre
tended to be ignorant of the object of our journey,
though he had no doubt been informed of it, both
by his watchful servants, and by the Prince him
self ; for it is seldom that any thing is determined
in a horde without the advice of the Lama, and
the business in question belonged especially to
his own department. It seemed however to all
the rulers of the horde, a matter of considerable
importance, and therefore they endeavoured, each
to shift the responsibility to another. When we
had explained to the Lama the cause of our visit
he turned the conversation, and inquired after
Brother Loos, whom be had known many years

73
ago, and then asked if we meant to leave the
orde the next day P We replied, that our pIans
fended upon the Prince's answer, and that we
were therefore ullabIe to fix the time of our de
P-ure. The sign was then given, by . few
^-onametal basin, in the neighbouring
otw ^ ^ t0 — ^-ook
»hic„ «,. r , rcI'g"m °f Buddl,,
, , '^ Cal"""» P»*»= "A will .l„ow,„Y
* £**-***, estsbli8h„mt> JZ
its founder, Sch,„ « I y '""' "
^be^t^rcY"ho,ivedi"M»
instruct™, „hicn ™ °' ^ *"« *™™>
Lama, » ¦ ' "'"'"' °f '" I>lie*'» ™
rr m its native- country

by the Bramins, (so called from their GodBrama,)
it was propagated the more extensively in the
neighbouring countries, and now reigns in China
and Japan, in Thibet, (which is its throne,)
and over all Mongolia. It was established in
Thibet 400 years before the birth of Christ ;
thence it made its way, in 1250, to the Moguls,
and soon became the sole and universal religion
amongst them.
Buddhaism knows nothing of one Almighty
God, the Maker of heaven and earth ; in its creed,
God is one with the world, and every thing was
produced out " of the Eternal existence of the
Universe." From infinite space, (in the Mogul
language, Chagossun Agur,) every thing that is
and was, material and immaterial, animate and
inanimate, arose by circular motion ! Highest in
the scale of spiritual existence, is Buddha, (in the
Calmuc Burchen,) the Divine Being, who is mani
fested in many Buddhas or Burchans, some com
plete, but most of them incomplete. Next in order
are the six classes of pure spirits, (Tangri,) amongst
whom is Chormuzd, the guardian angel of the
earth ; the impure and unfriendly spirits (Assuri) ;
the pure inhabiting the summit, the impure the

7.'5

foot of Mount Summer, in the centre of ihe
earth's surface, and waging ceaseless war against
one another. These are followed by men and ter
restrial animals, and these again by the monsters
of purgatory, (Birid) and the hellish brood of
the interior of the earth. These six classes of
living beings continue in regular and unalterable
order, that is to say, in a regular gradation of
good and bad; but the separate individuals of
each class, in the perpetual transmigration of
souls which takes place, change from one class
to another. This circle of migration is called, by
a metaphorical image, Ortschilang, the infinite
stormy ocean. On its shore, that is exempt from
farther migration, are the complete Buddhas.
All other beings, from the highest of the Tan
gri, to the lowest of the hellish monsters, are des
tined to reach the shore from the Ortschilang, that
is, to rise by transmigration to the ranks of Budd
has, If this should be accomplished by all, in the
Galap or Kalpa (the complete period containing
one million years;) if all creatures have become
united with Buddh, then Buddh himself is to be
again swallowed up in the eternal and original
universe. We are now in the fourth period,

76
under the direction of the Buddh Schagdschamu-
ni. At its commencement, this god left his di
vine abode, and was born in the kingdom of Ma-
gad in India, that he might be an instructor and
saviour of all beings, by freeing them from the
Ortschilang. Eighty years after, when he had
perfected himself as a Buddha, he left this dis
guise, to govern the world for a period of a
thousand years. He sent the divine Chomschin-
Bodhissadoa, into the snowy Tangut, (or Thibet)
to whom he imparted his instructions, and parti
cularly the formula Om-ma-ni-pad mel-chum, the
meaning of which nobody has ever revealed ; it is,
however, the root of all knowledge, the path of
salvation for all creatures, and the mere repeti
tion of it, though it be but once, is an infinite
merit in the estimation of the Buddh Schankiamu-
ni. Chomschin is the most reverenced of all the
Buddhs in Thibet, (except Schagdschamuiji him
self,) since it was he who undertook the conver
sion of the nation, and introduced the form of
prayer which is for ever on the lips of all the
Buddhaists. He is at all times incarnate in the
person of the Dalai Lama, who lives (as Chom
schin once did in his own person,) in a temple on '¦

77
the Thibetian Mount Putala, where he receives
d.viue honours. Another Bogdo, or grand Lama,
(a title which is taken by all the high priests of
rhibet,) lives at Teschilunbo, and is also an incar
nate Buddh ; indeed, the soul of a Buddh or Bur-
chan, ,B considered to be united to every Lama
The Gellongs also, and the Khans or Princes
have souls of a higher order; the » blacks," or
common people, of an inferior; but all souls, in
the process of transmigration, may rise by good
works, or fall by bad. Self-inflicted tortures and
penance, such as the Hindostan Faquirs endure,
are not accounted meritorious by the Buddhaist'
as they are by the disciples of Brama; but good
works of mercy towards all living creatures, with
out limit or exception, such as preserving the life
of an animal instead of putting it to death; also
the strictest observance of the written rules, and
more particularly the frequent repetition of the
above-mentioned form of prayer, and a great ve
neration for the priests. The three costly jewels,
(Ardani) or the summary of all that deserves'
respect, according to the doctrine of the Buddhaist
priests, are Burchan, Religion, and the Ecclesias
tical order; a„d these three are all united in the

78
Lama. The poor man is accordingly directed
to reduce his complex system of theology -to an
attachment to the three jewels Toth.tsadd^d
many a popular superstition, handed down by the
poets of Tangris and Assuris, domestic and moui,
and Lerfering with a beneficent or mah ou
influence, in all human affairs; of the ^ ou
Mount Summer in the centre of the surface of *
earth, surrounded by seven golden hills and fou
continents, some inhabited by men, and some by
matures resembling men, of different forms and
habits of life; of the earthly parade (or he
kingdom of Suckawadi,) west of Thibet, the
heaven of distinguished saints, .ho have risen to
the rank of imperfect Buddhas, and can only des
cend to earthly existence, in the person of a Khan
or a Lama; of the dwelling of the Assun (Erhk-
Chan) in the interior of the earth, in a palace
With sixteen iron walls, surrounded by the purga-
torial fires of Bind, and of the hell beneath, he.
The ecclesiastics of this religion are high
priests or Lamas, priests or Gellongs, Gezulls or
ministers, and Manschi or pupils: they are all
unmarried, and are reverenced by the common

79
people, as beings of a higher order. Their learn
ing, amongst the Calmucs at least, is confined to
reading prayers and holy writings in the Thibet
language, which few of them understand. They
are very numerous in all the hordes.
In the afternoon of the 4th of June, a Sais-
sang (or noble) presented himself to us, with
some attendants leading a camel, upon which, by
command of Prince Erdeni, they had brought
us a tent. It was forthwith set up, and we took
possession of it. This hut was one of the smallest
and worst in the Torgudan horde, and betrayed
its age, by its disposition to come to pieces. It
had been fetched from the shore of the Sarpa, and
belonged to the horse-keeper of the Churull. The
diameter might be four short paces, the height
about as much, and the door was not quite two
feet high ! We were, nevertheless, happy to find
our outward condition so much improved, for
we had more room than in our carriage. Wc
had scarcely established ourselves with our goods
and chattels, when a servant arrived, with a
wooden can of tschigan, which the Prince had
sent as a welcome. According to the Calmuc
custom, we each of us drank three cups, in honour

80
of the giver, and what remained supplied us for
the rest of the day. Such presents, which were
exceedingly precious to us, on account of the heat
of the weather, were sent almost daily from the
Prince, by which he did us real service.
As we had not received the promised answer
from Erdeni, were solved, on the 5th of June, to
pay him an afternoon visit, but we found only
the Princess and her servants at home : the Prince
himself, with a numerous company of Gellongs
and nobles, was playing at cards in the hut of
justice, a few steps from his tent. They drank
tschigan in great abundance, and this liquor taken
to excess, produces a slight intoxication. The
Princess took the opportunity of bringing out her
ornaments for our admiration. Amongst these,
we particularly noticed a golden ear-ring, with a
fine pear-shaped pearl, of the size of a large hazel
nut : this, she said, was an heir-loom in her family.
We also perceived a beautiful rosary, made of the
smooth black kernels of an unknown fruit, with
coral and round onyx-stones interspersed. In
showing us a richly-embroidered purse, and a pair
of red Morocco boots, the Princess asked us if the
German ladies had any ornaments to compare with

:'

81
hers, which we were compelled to answer very
humbly. The conversation afterwards fell upon
images, and she took the opportunity of inquiring
whether the images of our gods were as splendid
as theirs. We informed her, that we had statues,
but that we did not worship them, but addressed
our prayers to the Supreme Being, in spirit, and
with the heart. She replied that it was the same
amongst themselves ; but as the senses could not
reach the invisible Deity, they liked to have a
visible representation before them in prayer, but
that this was not essential, and that, in cases where
they could not have the images, (in travelling
across the steppes for example,) they were accus
tomed to worship without any symbol addressed
to the senses. " For," said she, " the All-wise
knows and sees every thing, even the interior of
the heart, and observes whether we pray to him,
at home, or on the steppes, with an image, or as
the Invisible." After this, when we were convers
ing about the formation of the world, the Princess
expressed a wish to see a map, which we promised
we would show her before long. During our stav
the Prince took so much notice of us, as to leave
his game for a few moments to welcome us ; apolo-

gizing at the same time for not receiving our visit,
as he was eager to join a party in the next hut.
After he returned, the company became loud and
riotous, upon which the Princess seemed uneasy,
and looked often through the lattice-work of her
own tent, into the hut of justice, which she could
easily do, as the lower felts of both tents were
turned up, to let in the air. She said once to her
nurse, "The tschigan has made them merry
over there ; the Germans will think they are all
drunk !" We were obliged to take our leave for
this time, without any farther conference with the
Prince, and to wait for a better opportunity. On
the following day, the 6th of June, it presented
itself. We took with us the promised maps
(some good surveys of these steppes,) with which
the Prince, his wife, and daughter, were all highly
delighted. Dellek looked for her early home, on
the Volga, by the Bogdo mountain, where her
father, a petty prince, fed his herds; Mingmer
wanted to see the situation of the Coschudan
camp, into which she had married ; and Erdeni,
the position of his own horde, and the road by
which we had reached it : they were all amazed
to find these places correctly laid down. I pre-

i i

L

83
pared a copy of this chart for the Prince, at his
request. We had thanked him for the sheep,
and for the loan of the tent, at the beginning of
our visit, and before we left, we took an opportu
nity of inquiring the. result of the conference with
• Zerren Ubaschi and the Lama, about our affairs,
as we presumed it had, by that time, taken place.
The Prince answered politely, that the consulta
tion had not yet taken place, and that the Sais-
sangs must also be convened, that he might be
able to give a considerate, clear, and prudent re
ply. We were therefore obliged to take patience,
as the Prince had given us a favourable reception,
but had not sanctioned us in distributing the
Scriptures amongst his people. If we had at
tempted to do this without the Prince's permis
sion, (although he had not expressly forbidden it.)
his influence would have operated in secret, and
we should by no means have effected our purpose,
for not one of his subjects would have received a
book from us, without the decided permission of
the Prince, or the certainty of his approbation.
Moreover, we could neither have explored the
wide steppes in search of the scattered, detach
ments of his tribe, without guides, nor found our.
g 2

84
way to one of the neighbouring horde?. For al!
these reasons, we determined to wait, with all pos
sible patience, for the Prince's decision, and in the
mean time to leave nothing undone which might
further our object; particularly, as we saw that
our success in this instance would very much
affect our reception in other hordes, because Er
deni is the oldest of the Torgudan princes, and
has the reputation of being a shrewd and experi
enced man.
m the afternoon, we visited many of the Gel
longs in the ecclesiastical circle of huts, and
amongst many ignorant, we found one, a young
man of nine-and-twenty, who was particularly
distinguished by his acutencss and learning.
When we entered his hut, he was employed m
translating a Thibet book into the Calmuc lan
guage, and two Gezulls, his pupils, were looking
over him. In conversing about the Tangud lan
guage and character, he tried our skill in reading
both that and the Calmuc, and paid us many eomt
pliments on our proficiency, as few (even of the
Gellongs) of his own nation possess this know
ledge. He begged that we would grant him our
friendship, for, said he, "As we have similar

/

JJ*,-^*!!*^

85
iMn,i'» " «> «'t«l .o I* friends." T„ ,„ ,„
¦ *.age, .c Aned ,lim ,hc. w,s Jf
^;:?ue.f hePatn, ^ -
' , ' I""* "e '—^-J <™*M cor.
'«"/ .n.o the Cl„uc , ^ J'
. *£+, This „„ |he ^
= -d wh.ch « met Bith du
" " ™* ^ °»»* «***>*. « .he Cahonc
P»»seMl>u.very indifferent assistance for the
quisilton of dm latw-TOK Th„ T , , C"
terisd„.i j, 'he Tangud charac-
,,..""' "»"«'«" fe". left to rig,,.. Exeep
Jn this particular it k ^*cept
much resemblance to the rh.i.1
Most of .1. ¦ ¦ Chaldean or Hebrew.
Most « fc,,lw „hich ^
Mosul .nbes, are i„ „,9 T , f' "'
*«-. because the M„g„Is derivcd J^ ^
^Oter „i,b ,heir relig].oni "-•
ereforebehoresever^o^ceelesiasdetole™
• , » fi many, more is not >-»
'l™»°faen,,a„di,is.tarethi "~
" °*"a' ^"' - — - LrLe IT

Sf>

ancient and rare historical writings excepted, it
consists of translations from the Tangud. The
greater part of the Gellongs are ignorant of the
Mogul or Calmuc character ; and they even boast
that they know nothing of the Mogul, (which is
the character of the blacks, or plebeians,) and only
understand the Tangud, the character of the
priests and the learned, which is so highly
esteemed that it is unlawful to use it on com
mon occasions.
Our learned Gellong informed us, that the
Lama had some old Burat-Mogul writings, which
nobody in the horde could read. For that reason
he wished us to give him an alphabet of this cha
racter, but we had not one with us.
During these few days, our Tartars had dug a
new well, because there was endless discussion
with the Russians and Calmucs, about the use of
the old one. They found, at the depth of about
eighteen feet, three springs of sweet water, which
soon filled the well, five or six feet deep. Their
joy was the greater, as the water in the old well
had become bitter. Every body came to our well,
and tried to make friends of our people, that they
might have some of the water. Unluckily, our

87

triumph was soon over, for in a few days, the
water of the new well was the bitterer of the
two,, owing to a vein of blue marl over which it
flowed. Both these wells were called by the Cal
mucs, Nemeseh Chuduk, (German wells,) in ho
nour of us, and the name will probably be retained
for generations, as a memorial of our visit.
On the 7th of June, the horde of Prince Zerren
Ubaschi separated from that of Erdeni, and
withdrew towards the hills, on account of the
small-pox and measles, which had shown them
selves in the tribe, and are greatly feared by the
Calmucs. In a cleft called Selme, Zerren Ubaschi
(as we were informed by Erdeni,) offered certain
well formed clay cones, which the Gellongs pre
pared in copper moulds, and which they call
Zaga; this ceremony was probably intended to
appease the Gods, and induce them to remove
the disease from his people.
As the object of our mission began now to be
generally known, we were often beset with jesters,
who asked us sneeringly, if we wanted to make
them into Russians or Germans.
In the cool of the evening, Erdeni amused him
self not far from our hut, with shooting at the

88
hirds who flew over his head, with his bow and
arrow; he failed however of doing them any
damage. He seems to have been very fond of
the chase in his youth, and possesses a number
of Turkish muskets, inlaid with silver and gold,
which he once showed us.
On the 8th of June, there was more music
than ever, from the Churull, this being one of
their fast-days, of which they have three every
month ; the 8th, 15th and 30th, according to
the.r manner of reckoning, which differs from
our's, as they always begin the month at the new
moon. As we had heard that Erdeni's horde was also
about to migrate, we went to the Prince in the
afternoon, to learn whether this was true, and also
to mquue about the answer, which he had pro
nnsed to give us. He excused himself on the last
head, by the absence of Zerren Ubaschi, which
he said, prevented his giving us a decisive „
and he proposed that we should proceed with our
journey to the other hordes, and return to him
again, as he meant to winter near this part of the
Sarpa. We could not adopt this plan, and we
pressed him more earnestly, to declare whether he

8.0
would permit UE (in pursuance of our commission,
from a higher quarter,) to distribute the Scriptures
amongst his people, or not. He endeavoured to
avoid a direct answer, and sheltered himself again
under the pretext of Zerren Ubaschi's absence,
adding at last, that before we left his horde, he
would receive books from us, and give us a written
engagement, that they should be read by his
subjects. We assured him, that we required no
such certificate, and only desired that the Scrip
tures should be disseminated amongst his people
and that we wished to know how many conies
would be wanted for his horde. To our surprise
he asked for tivo, one for himself and one for the'
Lama, and he added that this would be sufficient,
as the common people were occupied with their
work, and the care of the cattle, and the priests
were only acquainted with the Tangud character
As this did not content us, we besought him to
give us a letter to his subjects, stating that every
one might receive books from us without fear and
we would then travel through his horde with' this
letter, and offer the Holy Scriptures to the people
He willmgly acceded, and promised to prepare
such a document at his new camp, at present he

00

was not at leisure — he therefore requested that
we would accompany him in his inarch, and the
rather, as it is not customary among the Calmucs
for friends to separate shortly before a removal of
the camp. For this reason, he had already ordered
a man and a camel to be in readiness to transport
our tent. As we did not see any other plan we
could adopt, nothing- remained but to migrate
with the horde, though our visit, which had
already lasted a week, must necessarily be much
protracted by it. The Prince now entered upon
other topics, and inquired after the affairs of
Germany, France, and England. One of his at
tendants, who had been at Paris in the war of
1814, under the command of Seredschah, (who had
many Calmucs under him) now related much of
what he had seen in foreign countries. The
circumstance that in Germany the horses' shoes
often strike fire whilst they are running, excited
the wonder of all who were present, and we were
obliged to confirm it by our testimony. It is a
sight which can never be witnessed amongst the
Calmucs, because they do not shoe their horses ;
the soil of the steppes, which is generally clay, and
occasionally sand, does not require it. Amongst

91
other inaccuracies, this man attested that the
English had wings, as he had seen, by pictures of
them in France ! He had no doubt mistaken
" angels" for " English." lie farther declared,
that in France he saw the moon so low down in
the heavens, that one would have thought, one
might throw a Zalina (or noose for horses) over
its horns. This occasioned some inquiries from
the Prince, about the astronomical knowledge of
the Germans, and particularly about the fabulous
Mount Summer, which, according to Cahnuc
science, is the pillar of the universe. Wc des
cribed to him in a few words, the theory of
the heavens, and of our earth, on which no
Mount Summer has ever been found, though the
Europeans have acquired an extensive knowledge
of its surface, and sailed round it often. We
told him also, that the European nations were well
acquainted with India, (which the Calmucs call
Emlkah) and had considerable possessions in that
country ; but that the Asiatics are at present
inferior in knowledge, and particularly in astro
nomical knowledge, to the Europeans ; as an in
stance of which, we mentioned the , calculation of
eclipses, which the Asiatics do not Attempt.

92

The Prince heard us with great attention and
wonder, and at last observed, that the Buddhaist
sages of former times, who resided in India, had
possessed much astronomical knowledge, which
was afterwards lost,— that they were aware of the
present superiority of the Germans, in this respect,
and that it was owing to their descent from the
Indian Bramins, who had taught them their
science. This genealogy is recorded in their
sacred books ; and it is remarkable how prevalent
a saying it is amongst the Calmucs, that the
Germans are descendants of the Bramins. There
is also a tradition amongst the Tartars, that the
Germans had migrated, in remote antiquity, from
the Persian province of Kermann. It is possible
that the appellation of Germanni, by which they
were known to the Romans, coming to the know
ledge of these tribes, may have occasioned this
tradition, by the similarity in sound, to the name
of the province Kermann. I did not however see
any of the documents, on which this assertion is
grounded. Whilst we were with the Prince, a Russian
merchant appeared at the door, and having re
ceived a sign to approach, he dropped on one knee

on the outside of the tent, and explained to the
Prince in the Calmuc language, that some horses
had been stolen from him, although they were
shut up. He pointed out some of Erdeni's sub
jects, whom he suspected of the theft, because he
had heard that they meditated a marauding expe
dition against the . Derbodians, for which object
they had very likely taken his horses. This man
had been amongst the Derbodians, and to the
Russian Ober Pristaw, after he had lost his
horses, but had not been able to hear any tidings
of them. The Prince received his testimony gra
ciously, and gave immediate orders that search
should be made for the beasts.
Towards evening the sky clouded, and the air
became cooler ; a change which was celebrated
openly, as the work of the Gellongs, for the ac
commodation of a Tangud Prince of the Tandik
horde, who was travelling to Astracan. We were
frequently asked, on this occasion, whether the
Germans could also alter the state of the weather.
A few Gellongs of the class of Surchai-schi (or
professors of astrology,) pretend to this art, and
beguile the ignorant multitude by this means, of
their offerings. They give out that it is exercised

—r

1)4
!>.V reading certain Tangud incantations, and other
jugglery; and that if the legend of the Mogul
Gezur-Chan be read in harvest, it will cause a fail
of snow and a storm. When the desired state of
weather is not likely to follow, they are cunning
enough to excuse themselves under various pre
tences, that the reputation of the art may not
suffer. In summer for instance, it is a great sin
to change the heat often, for coolness or rain, be
cause a number of tender insects (who, according
to their theory of transmigration, are nearly con
nected with themselves,) must be destroyed by it.
The Calmucs consider that the Kirguses are
their superiors in this art; and they ascribe to
their agency, the terrible snow-storms in winter,
which are commonly driven to them from the
east. The Kirguses are generally at war with
the neighbouring Calmucs, on account of their
perpetual depredations.

CHAPTER VI.
-JOURNEY WITH THE HORDK EROM THE J2m
OP JUNE, TO THE SRD OF Jt;LV.
The 9th of June was appointed for the
migration of the horde, and as we had not been
able to learu at what time of day this was to com-
nienee, we held ourselves in readiness from an
early hour in the morning, till two o'clock, when
the whole camp was in motion. The Lama, with
l»s priests, headed the march, after which, every
one followed according to his wi]I and coavei)i_
ence. The Prince and his family remained bv
the side of their tents and goods (which were
packed up on cornels,) until the whole camp had
broken up; he then followed rapidly, and took
h.s place in the van. We mingled with the crowd
and permitted our tent, which had been packed

06
upon a camel, by the Prince's order, to go on be
fore us ; the camel-driver hatl taken his place on
the beast, and the unevenness of the steppes pre
vented us from keeping up with these long-legged
animals. The main body of this moving multi
tude extended more than a verst in breadth, and
consisted of single columns of camels, bearing
tents, household goods, and children, who were
stowed in baskets; next followed troops of
horses, cattle and sheep, with a few drivers
on horseback. Nobody performs a migration on
foot ; indeed, the Calmucs arc seldom induced to
walk any great distance — men, women, and elder
children, all ride ; we even saw mothers on horse
back with infants, who were hardly out of the cradle,
and babes at the breast. Elder boys and girls
ride sometimes at full gallop, run races with one
another, and practise hunting with dogs, and fen
cing. Sometimes a company of girls purposely
wait till the whole train has left them behind by
several versts, and then run races to join them.
These marches are a kind of general show and
rejoicing to the Calmucs, in which every one has
an opportunity of displaying his wealth and splen
dour. The men ride forward in groups, dressed

97
in their state clothes, and armed with musquets ;
when they have considerably outstripped the main
body, they encamp on the steppes till it overtakes
them. The matrons ride in their best clothes on the
finest horses, in front of the troop, and hold in
their hand the bridle of the first camel, to which
all the others are fastened. Large Persian or Rus
sian carpets are spread over the packages on 'the
camels, and hang down almost to the ground on
both sides ; the animals themselves are frequently
ornamented with red ribbons. Poorer families
who possess no camels, load their cattle with chil
dren and goods, and ride upon them themselves.
Some few employ Tartar cars, (or arbas,) to con
vey their moveables. That part of Erdeni's horde
which had encamped to the west and north of
us, not thinking themselves safe from the Derbo
dians when we were gone, had joined the detach
ment ; we could form no proper estimate of the
numbers of the united troop, as we could not,
at any time, see the whole of it, but with this
reinforcement, it was undoubtedly very numerous.
There might be about five hundred camels, which
were employed in carrying burdens. Wc halted
at half past eight in the evening, on an arm of
H "•

98
the Sarpa, along which we had been travelling
twenty or twenty-five versts in a southerly direc
tion. As we were to proceed on our journey the
next morning, only the upper part of the tents
was set up ; and we followed the example of the
Calmucs in this respect, as we must otherwise
have unpacked the whole load of the camel, every
time we stopped for the night. A few showers
of rain had fallen in the course of the day, and
the moisture evaporated so quickly from the
heated earth, that it formed a complete mist in
our little enclosure, and compelled us to open our
felt-covering, and let in the fresh air. This day
was (for us,) a regular fast ; in the morning we
had prepared no food, on account of the uncer
tainty of our departure, and at the place where
we encamped in the evening, we could find no
sweet water to boil for our tea. Our little store
of bread and biscuit had failed us long since :
our only provision was the remnant of beef which
we had brought with us, mutton (commonly dried
in the sun,) and Calmuc tea, or sometimes coffee,
with which we had Russian biscuit, made of wheat
flour unsalted.
Tschigan we could not now procure, for the

1

1

K

99
Prince himself was but sparingly provided with it.
The food of the Calmucs, at this time, was simply
and solely sour milk — the rich had tschigan or
mares'-milk — the poor, airak or cows'-milk. None
but the Prince, and the great men, had flesh in
their kettles, for the whole wealth of the nation
consists in their flocks and herds, and they are
forced to use them sparingly. In winter, when
they are short of milk, they buy meal from the
Russians who inhabit the shores of the Volga, and
of this they make thin porridge, (called buden)
which is to supply the place of milk. The Calmuc
tea, which I have so often mentioned, is prepared
from a sort of tea which is unknown in Europe ;
it is imported from China, to Siberia, and consists
of the coarse leaves and stalks of the plant, which
are formed into cakes sixteen inches long, eight
inches broad, and more than an inch thick. A
portion of this is cut off with a knife, and boiled
with butter, or fat from the tails of their sheep,
a little salt is added, and sometimes milk. Before
these last ingredients are put into the kettle, the
settlement of the tea is fished out with a bag and
an iron hook, (a good deal like a fish-hook) and
these leaves are added on the next occasion to the
H 2

100
fresh tea. When all is ready, tea is ladled out of
the kettle, with a wooden spoon, and served in the
common wooden bowls or cups which the Calmucs
use to drink out of.
We started again on the 10th of June, at four
in the afternoon. We had already made tea and
coffee, in the hope of carrying a portion of the
latter with us on our journey. Our Tartars
fetched water for us from the arm of the Sarpa,
which here forms a chain of lakes connected with
one another, and overgrown with sedges, the habi
tation of crowds of water-fowl : they found that
the water in the deeper parts of the river was less
salt and bitter than that near the shore ; but we
could hardly eat our rice, on account of its strong
bitter flavour. At this place the Prince begged
to borrow our fowling-piece, that he might have
a few birds shot. After a few hours he sent it
back with thanks, and with a goose which had
been shot. The servants had killed two swans,
and some geese. The shores of the dike were
here overgrown with salt herbs, amongst which we
spied many tarantula holes, and disturbed some of
these creatures, which were of incomparably bright
er colour than those we had seen at Sarepta.

t

101
During the afternoon's ride, we suffered greatly
from thirst, but I was so fortunate as to obtain a
cup of airak from an old Saissang, who belonged
to the Toin, (or ecclesiastics,) and this refreshed
me for a time. To get this airak, I rode with
the old man by the side of the troop, for a couple
of versts, till we. came up with his camels. The
good woman of the family then stopped, at the
command of the Saissang, the camel which bore
the leathern milk-vessel, knelt down, and I got
the airak. A crowd of thirsty travellers throng
ed round in an instant, claiming hospitality, and
not inclined to rest till they saw the milk-vessel
emptied. At nine o'clock in the evening, when
it Was nearly dark, we halted at a spot entirely
unprovided with water, and as it was too dark to
collect the dry dung, no fire was kindled. One
family, who usually encamped in our neighbour
hood, had reached the place some time before us,
and contrived to make tea, with water procured
from a distance, and we were invited to partake of
this tea. As we were to set off early the next
morning, we did not use the roof of our tent, but
passed the night in the open air.
On the 11th of June, at sun-rise, we renewed

102
our journey;, We had been flattered yesterday
with the. hope of soon finding water, but it was
not till 11 o'clock, after we had travelled about
20 versts, that we came to a well, called Nasir's
Well, by ; which there was also a little lake with
good water, Here we slaked our own thirst, and
our horses' to our hearts' desire, and made tea, as
soon as we had set up our tent—Our horses were
very much fatigued with this journey over the
rugged pathless, desert; and they had suffered
greatly from thirst during this hot weather.
There seemed to be water enough for the troop
in .this place for several days, but firing and .food
for the cattle were so scarce, that after a short
rest, it was found desirable to proceed. We now
made an unhappy discovery, that our store of
brandy, which was intended to last through our
travels, was by this time entirely spoiled with the
heat and the journey. It had acquired an un
pleasant turpentine or resinous smell and flavour,
was milk white, and deposited a dirty sediment.
This was probably the consequence of its having
been adulterated by the Russian merchants at
Zaritzin. We portioned some of it out, amongst
the Calmucs who had rendered us any service ; but

**"****,

103
even they (who are by no means fastidious in such
matters,) did not relish our brandy. In the evert
ing, we received the sheep which the Prince had
promised us; and the next day, (the 12th of
June) our old Tartar killed it. As the flesh was
not likely to keep sweet, on account of the heat,
(the thermometer standing at twenty-nine of
Beaumur,) we had it cut up into long strips,
soaked in salt water, and tied upon strings in the
shade of the tent, after which it was chopped
into small pieces, and stowed in a leathern bag, as
provision for the journey. We learnt this me-
thod of preserving it from the Calmucs, and
experienced its utility. The flesh, when it came
to be cooked, was tough it is true, but it was
eatable almost to the end.
¦ In the forenoon, (the 12th of June) we paid
a visit to the Lama, but we found him very re
served. After he had exchanged a few words
with us on indifferent subjects, he asked us if we
had any request to prefer to him; we replied
that we had not, but that we had made applica
tion to the Prince, (of which he had doubtless
heard) and was now expecting an answer. He
would not allow that he had received any infor-

10*

mation, and pretended that he had only heard a
report, that we had brought some writings about
the religion of Jesus ; he inquired why we had
come to them first, instead of the larger hordes,
and why we had not sent notice of our intention
beforehand, that the Princes and Lamas might
have agreed together, what line of conduct they
were to take. We replied, that we came to them
first, because the horde was nearest to us on our
way; and that a command had been issued the
year before, from Count Nesselrode to the Cal
muc Pristaw, to inform the princes that we were
coming. He did not seem to be aware of this, but
immediately turned the conversation, and asked
us whether we would wait for tea, or whether we
would come again another time to drink tea. We
took the hint which he designed, and withdrew.
A visit which we wished to pay to the Prince, was
frustrated, by its being a lucky day for cutting
and dressing the hair. This fortunate opportu
nity was embraced by all the family, and in the
Prince's tent as well as the others ; we were there
fore requested by a servant to postpone our visit
till evening. When we were at last admitted, we
found him busily engaged in writing, because he

105
had just received letters from the head Pristaw,
m which he was required to send troops to the
cordon on the frontier. The Prince sat on a
cushion, at the open lattice of his tent, near the
door, and laid his writing on the right leg, (which
is the custom of the Calmucs,) filling his pen from
time to time, from a paint-brush which he held in
his left hand. When the letters were ready, a
servant lighted a splinter of wood, and the Prince
sealed them with his ring, on which was his name.
While we were served with tea, the Prince told us
that the march would be renewed the day but one
after, because there was poor pasture here, and
too little water ; he added, that if he did not find
good pasture, and good water nearer, he should
proceed to the Caspian Sea. We now reminded
him of the promised letter of permission, but he
put us off till the next encampment ; he would
then exchange his letter for our Scriptures. When
we were going away, he called after us through
the lattice, that if we wanted any thing, he would
supply us. From the behaviour of the Prince,
and his conversation up to this time, as well as
from that of the Lama, we saw very plainly that
we were by no means welcome guests, but that

106

they were afraid to break with us, as we had been
recommended by Government. We continued
however to pay our visit3 to the Prince and La
ma, with the same regularity ; partly to show
them the honour which was their due, and partly
to remind them of our business, and learn what
was their intention respecting it.
A Russian from Tschorniya, who had been
some time in the camp, on account of a debt which
he came to claim of the Prince, paid us a visit
this day, because he had heard of us continually,
(through his interpreter) and was curious to see
what sort of people we were. On this occasion,
he learnt for the first time, that there was a Bible
Society, and the Bible itself, except the Psalter,
was wholly unknown to him.
On the 13th of June, the camp still remained
at Nasir's well. In the evening, about 6 o'clock,
when the thermometer was twenAy-seven of Reau
mur in the shade, and in a current of air, violent
gusts of wind came on, which made us fear
that our tent would be overset ; we fastened it as
well as we could with pegs and bands, and were
obliged to remain a good deal under its shelter.
This tempest of wind continued the following day,

107

(the 14th of June) on which we continued our
march at seven in the morning. As our camel
was brought to us rather late, we were almost the
last of the train. On our march, the Prince's
camel-keeper, who was riding beside us, dressed
in black velvet, beheld a ferret, on the steppes
before us, — an unlucky omen on a journey. He
immediately rode at it, and tried to kill it with
his horse, that he might not incur the guilt of its
death. As he did not accomplish it to his satis
faction however, we came to his help, and dispatch
ed the creature with the butt ends of our whips.
That he might have some hand in the affair, he
now got off his horse, but it so happened that in
stead of a bit he had only a string in the horse's
mouth, and as he forgot this in dismounting, it
fell out and the beast left him hehind. In this
way the sight of the ferret was undoubtedly
unlucky to him, for there he stood by the dead
animal, with the string in his hand, without any
horse. With the help of some other Calmucs,
he was soon mounted again on his horse. At 10
o'clock, after a journey of about ten versts, we
reached the place where we were to encamp : it
was provided with a number of wells, called the

108
Chaltarihn Burra Chuluk, (or yellow grey wells,)
which had no doubt been used by the Tartars,
and other earlier nations. One of these wells had
been formerly lined with wood, but was now in
ruins. The water had an orange tinge, (from
which the welis might derive their name,) and
though rather thick, tasted well. On account of
the high wind, which had not abated, we found it
very difficult to manage our cookery ; we did not
want a fire in our tent when the thermometer was
twenty-nine, and if we lighted it in the open air,
we were in danger of setting fire to the steppes :
we succeeded, however, with much caution and
watchfulness, in keeping a fire in a hole dug for
the purpose. On the following morning, the wind
continuing to blow violently from the east, the
thermometer at eight o'clock was twenty-seven of
Reaumur ; at noon it rose to thirty, and at seven in
the evening it was still twenty-eight. We learnt
this day that a young Calmuc, who had been left
behind on our yesterday's march, with a broken
arba, while his mother went to fetch help, was
carried off by a party of Derbodians, probably
with the hope of obtaining as a ransom, some

-v

109
goods which had been taken by the Torguts. By
this time it was evident that tho Derbodians hung
on our rear, but we heard nothing more of them,
not even when Erdeni had issued any orders in
consequence. We were told by Astracan and Norgaid
Tartars, who cross these steppes with wine from
Taganrog to Astracan, and whose road lay by
our wells, that the Derbodians were behind us, on
the lower Sarpa, and on this side of the hills near
the Don. If we had resolved to travel back to
join the Derbodian horde, we should in the mean
time have missed the other hordes who were then
pasturing between the Volga and Sarpa, and who
usually withdrew, later in the year, to the south
and south-east. We saw that we could not con
veniently visit all the Calmuc hordes, in one route ;
and we therefore determined to leave the Derbo
dians for the present, and to take all the other
hordes in the neighbourhood, according to their
position. In the camp we found a few locusts, the first
we had seen on our journey. In the evening, till
late at night, we heard the screaming prayers of

110

the Gellongs, which were now without any accom
paniment, and sounded so much the shriller and
more monotonous.
The 1 6th of June was a Calmuc festival, for
which the labours of the priests the evening
before, were most likely preparatory. This day,
their clamorous prayers and litanies, (accompa
nied by music,) resounded from break of day till
late at night. Two great white banners, inscribed
with Tangud characters, and ornamented with red
ribbons and bows, were mounted a few steps from
the tent of the. Prince. The Calmucs call these
banners Dazza. This feast-day, fast-day, or holy-
day, consists much more in invocations of the
idols and saints, and other ceremonies perform
ed by the collected multitude of priests, than
in the real fasting of the people, (to which the
Calmucs are by no means inclined.) Every pious
Calmuc endeavours, in a special manner, to recom
mend himself, on such days, by good works, and
to abstain from causing the death of an animal.
The prayers and litanies, which are addressed by
the priests to the idols and saints, are of different
kinds, according as the day is awarded, to a good
or evil being. In the last case, the praying must

111
be incessant and as boisterous as possible, accom
panied by the wildest music, so that the character
of the idol may be inferred from the sound of the
prayers, which are much more moderate when
they are addressed to a good deity.
The water was now beginning to fail here also,
and what there was,' being surrounded by the
Churuls and royal tents, and guarded, was diffi
cult to get at. Our old Tartar succeeded in fill
ing his can by the help of a stratagem. He went
to the well, which was guarded by one of the
Lama's servants, who forbade him taking any
water. After much parley, he permitted him to
draw a very small quantity. When the Tartar
got down into the well, he asked the Gezull who
guarded it, if he had ever heard a particular story,
which he named. This excited the curiosity of
the Gezull. The Tartar began to weave a tale
of wonder, and the deluded watchman perceived
too late, that the Tartar had completely filled his
vessel. Horses and cattle were compelled to water
from a well, at the distance of several versts; and
many of our neighbours, in consequence, removed
from this part. Whilst we were dining upon rice
and dried flesh, a Gellong arrived from head-quar-

112

US

ters, with a Derbodian prisoner of distinction :
their business with us, was to get our seal and
signature, as witnesses to an engagement, that the
Derbodian, when set at liberty, should return
thirty horses, which had been taken from this
Gellong by a party of Derbodian marauders.
The Prince, who had been first applied to, re
fused to be witness, because, as an enemy to the
Derbodians, he was not an impartial person, and
he had referred them to us. As we also declined
to meddle with the matter, the Gellong was forced
to return with his prisoner, without despatching
the business. The Derbodian had already re
mained thirty days in the hands of the Gellong,
who chained him up every evening ; as nothing
could be got from him, and the revenge of his
tribe became every day more to be dreaded, he
was set at liberty the next morning, upon which
he paid us a visit and wished us good-bye. As
the more distant wells were now exhausted
also, our Tartars, on the 17th of June, at
tempted to clear out an old well in the camp, in
which they found water enough for us and our
horses. The Prince had already resolved to pro
ceed with his march, but he was forced to wait

i I

some time, because those of his subjects who
were to supply him with camels (for the Prince
has none of his own,) were encamped at a dis
tance. Even tschigan began now to fail so uni
versally, that the scarcity was felt in the Prince's
tent, and many of his servants came to us, in
hopes of sharing our meals, which were by no
means plentiful. If we had not laid in a sufficient
store of rice, we should have suffered from the
scarcity of provisions at head-quarters, a scarcity
which could only be relieved by killing sheep, of
which there was no great abundance. In this
condition the caravan proceeded, at sun-rise on
the 18th of June, towards a new place of
encampment. Our old Tartar had drawn water
for the journey, out of the Prince's well, in the
depth of the night. We marched east-south
east, through a very uneven country, which every
where presented the appearance of waves on the
sea, but afforded better pasture than we had
lately met with. Our troop occupied, as usual,
many versts in length, and also in breadth, and
we had seldom a perspective of more than a hun
dred paces. Here and there we spied on the
heights a column, which was almost immediately
i

114

115

hid again in a valley, our own route varying in
the same manner, so that we found ourselves
sometimes in an elevated position, sometimes in
a defile, other groups appearing unexpectedly, and
again disappearing. We were reminded of a voy
age on a stormy ocean, when a convoy bound to
the same port, and separated by the waves, are
descried at intervals. Wells have formerly been
dug in these parts, as we could see by the ruins
of those which are now nearly filled up ; the Cal
mucs, however, think it too much trouble to clear
them for use, Thisf. neighbourhood has, probably,
been much more inhabited in former times than
it is now, which may be inferred from the many
remains of roads, and the number of grave hil
locks. Far off on the left, we saw a Calmuc
chapel, or Zaza, which was built as a memorial
of a Torgud Lama. On this journey, the Prin
cess Mingmer lost a large silver bell, which had
been fastened to the trappings of her horse, and
though a multitude of Calmucs went to search
for it, the bell could nowhere be found. At half
past ten, we reached Ulahstin, (or Meadow-well,)
where we were to encamp ; the thermometer was
then thirty degrees of Reaumur in the shade and

J_

4 \

in a current of air ; at noon it was thirty-one in
the shade, and thirty-eight in the sun, though
a brisk east wind was blowing across it. Brother
Schill had been seized, on the march, with a vio
lent head-ache, and great weakness. Our first
care therefore, was to pitch our tent and prepare
his simple couch. The Prince designed to remain
in this place, but there were few of his subjects al
hand, except those belonging to the household,
and the wells afforded little water. Our servants,
and the neighbouring Calmucs, cleared out an
old well, and found a tolerable supply of water.
On the 19th of June, in the forenoon, we made
an attempt to negotiate with the Prince about the
introductory letter which he had promised, but
there were so many Gellongs about him, that we
thought it an inauspicious moment for our busi
ness, and therefore postponed it till the afternoon.
According to his desire, we presented him with
two small volumes, containing the Gospels, the
Acts of the Apostles, and two little tracts. These
were the contents of all the other books which we
had brought. When the Prince saw the books, he
asked, if we intended to give all his subjects as
many as we had given to him. We replied, that
I 2

116

we should only trust books to those who could
read : if we found learned men who wished for
more than one book, we should willingly bestow
more, but that the learning which was essential
to salvation, was to be found in every one of
them. After he had read a little while atten
tively, with his wife, he laid the books away, and
asked us if we meant to force these books upon
any one ; which we answered in the negative. He
then said he would examine their contents, and
consult with the Lama and Saissangs, before he
gave us any farther reply, and he proposed that we
should, in the mean time, visit some other horde.
Wc told him that our time would not allow us to
do this, and that we wished much to despatch our
business in his horde, in order to proceed to
another ; we therefore reminded him again of his
long promised introductory letter. He showed
great willingness on the subject, and conversed
for some time, to our full satisfaction, on the form
in which it ought to be drawn up ; at last, how
ever, he put us off till the next morning, that he
might consult with the Lama. An old Gellong,
who during our visit sat by the altar, carelessly
twitching with his left hand the string which

117

set in motion the Prince's Kurdu, (or prayer-
machine) and with his right was telling the
beads of a rosary, then addressed himself to the
Prince, and said, " If you take these books, all
your subjects will take them." The Prince upon
this seemed thoughtful, and said he would consult
the Lama, whether he should receive the books or
not. So powerful is the influence of the Priests
amongst these people 5
Just as undecided and cautious as the conduct
of the Prince and Lama in this transaction, was
the behaviour of the people towards us — full of
prejudice against the object of our mission, and
ever observant of the countenance of their supe
riors. Even raillery was not spared ; the com
mon remarks which we heard on all sides from
Priests and people were these : " We have Nomm
(religious instruction) enough of our own, such as
our fathers had before us, and want no new teach
ing. Our own Nomm is good, for it was taught
and given by the Gods themselves, and therefore
we must not forsake it. The new Nomm comes
from Russia, and the Germans are the ministers
of it ; if we attend to this new Nomm, our fine
old Nomm, and all the splendid religious ceremo-

118
nies which belong to it, will fall to the ground ;
our priesthood (our support with the Gods) will
come to an end ; and we shall lose our freedom
and independence. If we receive these books,
they will send us Popes from Russia, to teach us
more, and to try to lead us from our old faith.
They will not let us be herdsmen any longer, wc
shall be forced to drive the plough, like the Rus
sians ; then we shall be made to pay taxes, and be
enrolled for soldiers, like the Cossacks; in a
word, we shall be ruined if we suffer ourselves to
be taken in by the seemingly innocent proposition
of the Germans."
No wonder we were pursued with insult and
raillery, if our undertaking was considered in this
point of view. Here also, as in the other hordes,
which we afterwards visited, the most absurd
reports were propagated about us ; for instance,
that every one who received a book, was also to
receive a sum of money, and that we then register-
ed the name of the recipient, by which he was
bound to become a Russian (that is a Christian,)
&c. The Kurdu, or prayer-machine, which I have
mentioned more than once, is peculiar to the Bud-

119
dhaists. It consists of hollow wooden cylinders, of
different sizes, filled with Tangud writings. The
cylinders are painted with red stripes, and adorn
ed with handsome gilt letters, in the Sanscrit
character, commonly containing the formula Om-
ma-in-bad-mse-chuin ; each of these is fixed upon
an iron axis, which goes through a square frame ;
this frame is capable of being shut up flat, and is
formed upon a small scale, much like a weaver's
sheering machine. Where the lower parts of the
frame cross, there is a hole, in which the axis of
the cylinder turns ; by means of a string which is
attached to a crank in the spindle, the machine
can be kept in motion, so that the cylinder turns '
in the frame like a grindstone (only upright) upon
its axis. Before the fire at Sarepta, we had two
large Kurdus of this kind, with Tangud writings
of all sorts, rolled one upon another round the
spindle, in the inside of the cylinder, to the length
altogether of some hundred feet. These prayer
mills perform a much more important office than
a rosary, which only serves to assist the person
who prays. The Moguls believe, that it is meri
torious respectfully to set in motion (whether by
the wind or otherwise,) such writings as contain

120

prayers and other religious documents, that the
noise of these scraps of theology may reach to the
Gods, and bring down their blessing. As these
prayer-machines usually contain the Tangud for
mula, which is serviceable to all living creatures,
(repeated it may be ten thousand times, so that
there is a multiplication of power like that in the
English machines, equivalent to the labour of so
many individuals,) — as prayer can, in this manner,
be carried on like a wholesale manufactory, it is
not very surprising that prayer-mills are so com
monly to be found in the houses of the Moguls.
An ingenious contrivance this, for storming Hea
ven with the least possible trouble.
This evening, when we returned to our tent, we
found a sheep tethered near it, which the Prince
had sent during our visit.
On the 20th of June, Brother Schill was again
very unwell ; the symptoms of the day but one
before, returning with redoubled violence. This
prevented us from applying for the Prince's
answer, whether he chose to keep the books and
o-ive us the introductory letter, which he had
promised he would this day determine.
Our Tartars, who went about for the first time

121

to look at the camp, chanced to go by the hut of
the Lama, and were compelled to enter ; he ques
tioned them about our mission, and the Gellongs
on this occasion declared loudly, that our object
was no other than to bring the Calmucs more
into subjection to the Russians. Some of the
Gellongs, who had learnt that one of us was sick,
inquired mysteriously and with minuteness about
the symptoms, giving it to be understood, that
this illness was the effect of their own incanta
tions. Some of the medical Gellongs afterwards
paid us a visit, and showed great curiosity about
Brother Schill's illness; but not meeting with
much encouragement from us, they begged some
of our medicine, and we gave them what we could
spare. A Calmuc of the name of Dadwa, a neighbour
of ours, rode out in the morning with his gun, in
pursuit of the antelopes ; none of which came in
his way. On his return he met a she-wolf, to
which he gave chase with great zeal, aud pursued
her for thirty versts on his fleet steed. Wearied
out at last, she lay down, and the Calmuc suc
ceeded in shooting her, first through the right ear,
and again through the breast. This expedition

122

took place at mid-day, when the thermometer was
thirty degrees in the shade, and thirty-eight in
the sun. When the Calmuc was blamed on his
return, for risking his good horse in the heat, for
the sake of killing a wolf, he replied, that he
took the chance of the consequences very will
ingly, because it would bring him into notice.
At some distance from our tent, we found the
corpse of a Calmuc woman, laid out in a fur dress,
and covered with coarse felt. Wooden drinking
vessels, and other unimportant utensils, were laid
by her side. This is the common way of dis
posing of the dead, amongst the Calmucs of in
ferior rank, so that the bodies are usually de
voured by dogs and vultures. A few days after
this time, the bones of this corpse were pretty
well stript of flesh, and scattered about here and
there on the steppes. The dogs who had par
taken, however, paid dear for the feast, for being
betrayed on their return by the smell, they were
chased from home, as unclean, by their masters.
The custom is different as respects the Princes
and Lamas. Their bodies are burnt with great
solemnity, and the ashes mixed with mortar, are

123

employed in building a chapel or tomb, on the
site of the funeral pile.
Towards evening, the Prince was visited by his
brother-in-law, the Saissang Onker. He is the
first of the three rulers of the Bagan Zocher tribe,
to whom we were to deliver a letter from the
Minister, when we arrived at their horde. The
Prince sent to us at eleven o'clock at night, to beg
a little brandy, that he might treat his guest with
suitable distinction ; the said brandy was entirely
spoilt, but it would still pass for European
brandy. On the 21st of June, Brother Schill's illness
continued, and during the night, which I passed
in watching him, he was almost incessantly de
lirious. Destitute as we were of medical assist
ance, it now behoved me to inquire, with all dili
gence, into the nature of the complaint ; from
uncertainty about which, I had hitherto not dared
to apply any remedy. I was now convinced that
the disease was an inflammatory fever, the con
sequence, in all probability, of the excessive heat ;
and I applied remedies which had the desired
effect.

124

Previous experience had taught us, that we
should require another horse (at least) for the
prosecution of our journey, as our own had been
much enfeebled by want of food, and by the hard
ships they had encountered, and there was no pro
bability of our lightening their load, by any great
distribution of books in this horde. We therefore
took advantage of an opportunity which presented
itself, to provide ourselves with another horse, so
that we had now seven. Towards evening an
Astracan Tartar, and later still a Russian from
Zaritzin, with some trifling articles of commerce,
arrived, and took up their quarters close by our
tent. On the 22d of June, we united in spirit, with
the whole Eastern church, then engaged in celebra
ting Whitsuntide, and we invoked the spirit of
power, with all fervour, that a joyous Whitsun
tide might hereafter appear for the heathen tribes
amongst whom we were then residing, filling them
with the spirit and with salvation which is from
above. Head -quarters were this day changed a
verst farther westward, and the Prince gave us
our choice, whether we would accompany him or
stay where we vere, As Brother Schill was still

\m

weak, and a removal would occasion him much
inconvenience, we determined to remain. In the
evening, when the moon was about twenty degrees
high, there was a storm at some distance from
us, and beneath the moon, presenting a curious
spectacle. Though the priests were now a verst
from us, we heard their clamorous prayers in
anticipation of the next day's fast, which was ap
pointed for the 15th, according to the Calmuc
method of reckoning.
On the morning of the 23d, a party of
cranes (the two parents and two young ones,)
paraded in front of our tent, searching for food :
their principal subsistence on these barren steppes
is a sort of lizard, which is very abundant. Our
old Tartar Andre!, when he saw them, took the
gun and gave chace. At first they escaped very
swiftly, but the old Tartar continued to pursue
them, and the young ones did not get on very fast ;
at last the father turned round upon the enemy,
hissing and flapping with its wings, till it was
laid on the ground by a well directed shot. The
rest of the family in the mean time escaped.
Many of the Calmucs who had witnessed this
scene from a distance, were greatly shocked, that

126
our Tartar should have shot at creatures whom
ancient superstition had ever held sacred. They
quoted an old proverbial saying, that the man who
had killed a crane, would be punished by fate,
and the Astracan pedlar, who had arrived the
day but one before, (to conciliate goodwill and
promote the sale of his wares,) took their side of
the question, reproached the Tartar on his return,
and embittered his triumph. The Calmucs pro
phesied heavy mishaps, sooner or later, in requital
for this deed; and the Tartar maintained that
Mahomet also forbad the destruction of cranes.
Our Andre, who had been baptised into the
Greek Church in his youth, but had a leaning to
wards Mahometanism, (of which he knew about as
much as he did of Christianity,) endeavoured to
justify himself by the practice of his countrymen
the Casan Tartars. When his antagonists had
withdrawn, he was seized with a superstitious fear,
that these people might chance to be right. I show
ed him the absurdity of the notion, and explained,
that in the sight of God all food is lawful and
clean, if it be partaken of with a grateful mind.
I enforced this by the 15th chapter of the Gospel of
Matthew, where Jesus declares that a man is not

Ju_

127
defiled by food, but. by the deeds of his own wicked
heart. The old Tartar was now happy again, and
he praised the beauty of the Gospel, of which he
and our other Tartar most likely heard, at this
time, the first specimen. We dined upon the
crane with all possible satisfaction, stuffed his soft
feathers into the cushion of my saddle, and cleared
the others out of the way, that we might give no
farther offence. It is curious to find amongst
the Calmucs this indefinite traditional veneration
for the crane, which resembles the Egyptian
superstition about the ibis. Probably this inha
bitant of the marshes was esteemed sacred in India
as well as in Egypt, for the religious customs of
the two nations clearly indicate one common
source. Such animals must have been serviceable
in both countries, by the destruction of amphibi
ous reptiles, after the retreat of the Nile in one
case, and the Ganges in the other, and gratitude
might occasion them to be held sacred, and by the
Egyptians embalmed. In the dry deserts of the
Moguls (where indeed the species is rare,) their
use was less obvious, the claim to homage was
weaker, and dwindled at last to an uncertain
tradition.

128

In the afternoon, stormy clouds obscured the
horizon, and the Calmucs were busily securing
their tents with additional bands, in expectation
of one of those tempests which rage in these plains,
and often overset and damage their huts. Wc
followed their example, but neither storm nor
tempest arrived. Although Brother Schill was
still very weak, we accepted an invitation from the
Prince, on the 24th of June, in eager hope of his
announcing at last the result of his deliberation.
It was a festal day, and his only thought seemed
to be to show us his gaily decked tent ; all
round the interior, it was hung with flowered silk,
and besides the usual pictures of the Gods, a
number of others were unrolled. Amongst them
was the image of Schag-dschamuni, of Chomschin-
boddi-sadoa, and of Amida the illustrious Burchan ;
also the twelve signs of the Zodiac over the plain of
the earth, the latter supported by a tortoise, which
being fixed to the bottom of the sea, by an arrow
of the Burchan Mansuschari, carries the world.
The Prince conversed with us in a most friendly
way, and tried our skill in interpreting the mytho
logical pictures, and in reading the Tangud cha-

129

racters over them. He showed us also a good
sized kaleidoscope, presented to him by a Russian
merchant ; this was broken, but as it needed very
little repair, I mended it for him, upon which
he, his wife, and daughter, were highly delighted.
A well cut piece of white marble, about as long as
one's hand, and something like a weaver's shuttle,
and a small oblong of marble by its side, attract
ed my attention. The Prince had inherited them
from his ancestors, by whom they had been handed
down, from the time of the royal horde (the great
horde which had migrated into China in 1770),
and he did not know what use to make of them.
He thought that these pieces, which appeared to
have belonged together, might have been the lock
and bolt of a palace of marble, which, as their
accounts say, belonged to the Khans. He fancied
that in a marble palace, all must be marble.
Though I could not assign the exact use of these
two fragments, I thought it probable, from the
beauty of the work, that they descended from
the Tartars, and had a Greek origin. That the
Greeks had penetrated into those parts, I was
convinced by an alabaster slab with a Greek
inscription,, which was found at Aktubah. This
K

130

131

curiosity perished in the fire at Sarepta, but the
inscription is preserved in Hammer's Remains of
the East. Business was not brought forward at
this visit, and when we tried to allude to the
subject, the Prince anticipated us, by proposing,
with great apparent cordiality, that we should call
upon him for that purpose the next day. De
ceived in our expectation, we returned home with
fresh hope that we should receive a final answer.
on the morrow. On our return, I found that the
cattle of our Calmuc neighbours, who collected in
groups to seek shade from our tent, had played
me a trick, whilst I was in attendance on the
Prince. By way of amusement, they had twitched
through the lattice the right leg of my travelling
pantaloons, which were hanging up within, and
they had nibbled off a good yard of cloth !
On the 25th of June we set off to Court by
times, but the Prince was from home. As he
was expected shortly, we visited his wife and the,
Princess Mingmer in the mean time, and they
took counsel of us about needlework. 1 had
already drawn a pattern for embroidery, at Deleck's
request, and as I conformed as much as possible
to the Calmuc taste, it was approved by the

J

Princess. She now wanted me to trace patterns
on velvet, but I took care not to busy myself too
much with this employment, that I might not be
engaged in an affair which had nothing to do with
our main object. The mutual distrust of the two
females, showed itself strikingly on this occasion,
(trifling as it might seem ;) each hid her work,
and the patterns she had obtained, from the other,
so that not a glimpse could be had of what she was
doing. The Prince returned after a. little while, accom
panied by two attendants, and coming from the
neighbourhood of the Lama's tent. From his first
entrance and salutation, we perceived signs of ill-
humour, which he had never shown before, and we
guessed, not altogether.. without foundation, that
he had been consulting with the Lama about our
affairs, and found him indisposed to our wishes-
After he had dismissed a Tartar merchant,, who
was waiting fpr money, he remained silent and
sulky on his cushion, scribbling all sorts of un
meaning, figures upon a bit of paper. We all sat
in silence, and .nothing interrupted the perfect
stillness, except a gentle tapping from two women,
one of whom.- was the royal, nurse, They-were
K 2

132
sitting on the left of the Prince's cushion or throne,
ridding one another of the eggs which a certain
insect had laid in their heads, and the operation
was carried on with so much eagerness, and so
little discretion, that at every stroke which was
aimed at the enemy, the head of the suffering
party was forced down on one side or other.
During our journey, we ourselves, in spite of all
possible precaution, had suffered considerable in
convenience from the various species of this trouble^
some insect, which is as much at home amongst the
Calmucs, as if they were its especial inheritance.
As it is, on account of the transmigration of souls,
a great sin to kill any creature, even these hateful
guests are spared as much as possible, and when
they are quite unbearable, they are only shaken
off. Their ascendency in all the huts is conse
quently so great, that when we visited the Prince,
the Lama, or any of the nobles, we frequently be
held these vermin climb up our clothes, and after
every visit paid to us by Calmucs, we had at
least thirty new inhabitants quartered upon us.
Familiar as they are with this vermin, the Calmucs
have the utmost aversion to fleas and bugs, which
are uncommon amongst them, and they express

133
their abhorrence of the latter with as much force
as a European would use in testifying his disgust
at the personal accompaniments of the Calmuc.
After silence had been preserved for some time
on both sides, we reminded the Prince of his pro
mised decision, with respect to our business ; upon
which he made no reply, but continued to draw
figures. Soon after, a servant brought word that some
strangers were arrived on horseback, and this
diverted the Prince's attention. These were Der
bodian Saissangs, attended by a few plebeian
Derbodians- According to the Calmuc custom,
they stopped about 100 paces from Erdini's tent ;
then slowly approached "from behind, and after
permission obtained, entered from the right side.
The leader of them, the Saissang Burre Mangne,
advanced within a few steps of the Prince, then
took off his cap, knelt down on the right knee, and
touched with his right hand the left knee of the
Prince, who was sitting cross-legged, and who in
return touched with his right hand the Saissang's
shoulder. He made a similar obeisance to the
Princess, and then withdrew to the right side
of the doorway, where he knelt upon one knee,

134
and sat upon his heel. The other Saissang fol
lowed his example, and not a word was spoken
on either side. When they had both seated them
selves in this way at the door, the Saissangs in
quired after the Prince's health, and the Prince
after theirs, and Barre Mangne, who had known
me at Sarepta, though I did not at first recollect
him, saluted me with the friendly address " Mendu
Zehwik ?" and wondered that I had forgotten him.
When all these ceremonies were over, it appeared
that the two principal Saissangs were ambassadors
from the Derbodian Prince Dschambe, bringing in
telligence that the Prince had now a son, and on
that account was disposed to make overtures of
peace. As they brought no written proposals
from Dschambe, they made little impression upon
Erdini, who inveighed at some length against the
Derbodian robberies ; the ambassadors in the
mean while not daring to mention the Torgudan
robberies in return.
We now took our leave, and the Prince politely
apologized, that he had not had time to treat with
us about our affairs to-day, and that he could not
now have the honour, on account of the embassy
which had just arrived : he begged we would come

135

to him to-morrow, and ask for any provisions of
which we stood in need. When we got home, we
again found a sheep bound near the tent. The
Calmucs in our neighbourhood had been much
alarmed by the marauding of the Derbodians, and
of other plunderers, who took advantage of the
divisions in the hordes, aud had advanced almost
to head-quarters. We received on this occasion
the well meant advice, to take good care of our
horses, and we followed it so far as not only to
chain them, but to set one of the Tartars to watch
them at night.
On the 26th of June we made many attempts to
see the Prince; but as his brother-in-law Onker
had returned from the horde cf Zerren Ubaschi,
we were obliged to postpone our visit. The
Prince again sent to beg some of our brandy for
his guest. We learnt at head-quarters, that the
place of encampment was to be changed very
soon, and that people were already sent forward to
choose a convenient situation.
In the afternoon, the Derbodian embassy paid
us a visit: it was their intention to proceed to
the horde of Zerren Ubaschi with their com
mission. Prince Dschambe was then in a valley,

136
(called the Don Ulahste,) three days' journey
to the north-west of us. As we were prevented
again on the 27th, from waiting upon the Prince,
we visited in the mean time the Lama, and
other important members of the court. On this
occasion, the Lama informed us that we were
delayed so long, because the Prince must first
consult with other heads of hordes, how he should
behave in this matter : he then inquired whether
the books which we brought contained the Ger
man or the Russian theology, and why we did
not go first to the Tartars to effect their conver
sion ? We replied, that the religion which was
set forth in the books we had brought, was the
holy Word of God, the foundation of all Christian
doctrine, Russian and German, since both these
nations acknowledged the Christian faith. With
regard to the second query, we answered, that
the Gospel had been offered not only to the
Tartars, but also to the Turks, Thibetians, Per
sians, Indians, and Chinese ; amongst whom it had
been received here and there, because there were
in those nations many clever and learned men,
who searched the Scriptures, to find out their
meaning, and retain that which was good. Many

137

of the Gellongs, who were desirous of information,
visited us, and conversed on scientific subjects
inquiring, amongst other things, what was the
scope of the doctrine contained in our books,
and whether it differed from their own ? As we
were forbidden all verbal instruction, we referred
them to the books themselves, without entering
into any explanation ; but they chose to set their
conduct by that of their rulers, and durst not
receive any books.
As the slow progress of our negotiation left
us abundance of time, I employed some of it
this afternoon in making an excursion, with our
younger Tartar Amur-chan, to the Zaza, or cha
pel at a few versts* distance, to which I alluded
before ; and, that I might give no offence, I first
obtained leave from the Lama. This chapel was
erected to the memory of the late Torgud Prince
Sandschi-Ubaschi, father of the Prince Zerren
Ubaschi, and his ashes, as the Calmucs informed
me, are mixed with the mortar which cements and
whitens the building. The foundation of this
edifice is of stone, upon which is erected a wooden
chapel, with steps up to it. It was about four
paces long, and the same in breadth, with a flat

138
roof, and upon it a kind of tower. A small win-.
dow on the south side was the sole aperture in
the building. In the inside was a shelf with
cups and other offerings, an altar, an .old wooden
writing table, bunches of horse-hair, a few copper
coins, and a number of small cones, (called zaza,)
which are prepared by the priests as offerings.
On the walls were frightful images of the four
Macharanza Khans, (or kings of a particular class
of spirits, called Macharanza,) who are supposed
to inhabit Mount Sommer. The image on the
south wall (in which the opening was made,) was
blue ; that on the wall to the right of it, white ;
to the left, yellow ; opposite to the opening, red.
All four had huge, round eyes, and hair standing
straight upon end. In their hands they had wea
pons, or musical instruments. The object of these
chapels seems to be principally to honour the
memory of the Princes or Lamas ; but they serve,
at the same time, as shrines or temples.
On the 28th of June, our endeavours to see
the Prince were again fruitless, as his brother-
in-law was still with him, on which account our
visit was kept in abeyance. One of our servants
this day perceived at a distance a Tartar arba.

139
We bade him ride up to it immediately, to in
quire whether rice, or any other necessaries were
to be had from the travelling Tartars. When
our Andre overtook them, the Tartar, who was
an elder of his people at Astracan, had suffered
his servant to bait the horses, and was sitting by
the arba, reading a religious book. When the
Mahometans are so employed, it is a rule with
them to let nothing interrupt them, happen what
may under their eyes;<but this Tartar, when he
heard Andre's step, looked up with much curi
osity, which Andre, on his return, commented
upon very severely, and declared the Tartar no
true Mahometan. In the course of the afternoon,
this Tartar elder came to our -tent and conversed
in a friendly manner, and with considerable in
telligence, about different points of religion and
ancient history. He told the Calmucs who hap
pened to be present, that they were fools to be
lieve in so many gods, they knew not themselves
how many ; that the Christians and Mahometans
had ouly one God, whose will had been revealed
to them by Moses, Mahomet, and Christ, in the
Bible and Koran. These two books, he said,
were to be esteemed of equal value in themselves,

140
and only to be distinguished, as being ordained
for two different classes of people. In the even
ing we enjoyed at last a delightfully refreshing
shower, which revived and animated all nature,
after the long heat and drought. Pools were imme
diately formed on the stiff clay soil of the steppes.
While the Calmucs were drawing water at our
well, an Ubaschi, (a common Calmuc, who had
taken one of those religious vows which consist
principally in works of mercy,) sitting idle by the
well, spied a frog which was trying in vain to
get out of the water. He called to a Calmuc who
was drawing water, to take the frog out, which
was accordingly done. The Ubaschi was highly
delighted at having directed this good work, and
began to set forth how the judge of the dead,
Erlik Khan, in weighing his merits and sins,
would throw into the scale of his deserts this
good work, by which he had saved the life of an
animal. The other, who had taken the frog out
of the well, maintained that he was the preserver ;
and hereupon, they parted in anger.
The small-pox and measles which prevailed in
the horde of Prince Zerren Ubaschi, and. occa
sioned the separation from Erdini, continued to

141
rage dreadfully in that horde, and appeared oc
casionally in Erdini's. The stupidity, or more
properly speaking, the ignorance of the Calmuc
physicians, evidently increased the evil ; it was
their practice to order broth and other heating
things, commonly large doses of brandy, which
must have cost many patients their lives. These
physicians informed us, that thev had known laro-e
quantities of melted butter taken in this com
plaint with very good effect. This day a Cal
muc died of small-pox, not far from head-quar
ters ; the tent was immediately abandoned by his
family, (who left every thing just as it stood,) and
nobody approached the spot for fear of infection.
The Calmucs were anxious that the tent should be
burnt, that no stranger might unwittingly enter it.
On the 29th of June, our Tartars received in
vitations from various quarters, to take to them
selves the property of the deceased, and set fire
to the tent, and the most inviting description
was made of the moveables at the same time. All
this failed, however; and then came a Gellong,
with a commission from the Prince and Lama, to
our Tartars, desiring them to burn the tent, and
the dead man within it; he assured them, that

142
this might be effected Without any possible risk,
by throwing a few tubs of butter (with which he
promised to supply them,) on the top of it, and
then setting fire to it, with long poles; and they
were to have a silver dollar for their trouble. Our
old Tartar, who well knew the Calmucs and their
habits, distrusted the proposal, and feared that it
was only a trick to get rid of us. He took care
to apprise us of his suspicions, and we perceived
that it was too delicate a matter for us to consent
to, as it was highly probable, that the object in
employing our people on this business, (which the
Calmucs consider unclean,) was to subject us to a
kind of quarantine ; at all events, we should have
been kept away from the Prince for a long time,
under the pretence, that we had had to do with a
corpse, and might have been compelled, to their
great joy, to leave the horde without accomplish
ing our purpose. When we visited the Prince in
the forenoon, he made the same proposal about
our Tartars, and made no reply when we stated
our objections ; from the smiles of the bystanders,
we inferred that our distrust was not without
reason. When the messengers, who had been sent to

143
survey the ground for an encampment, returned,
it was reported that the horde was to be imme
diately set in motion. We were tired by this
time of the everlasting delay, and had neither
time nor inclination to accompany the horde any
farther; we therefore entreated with earnestness,
that the Prince would provide us with the letter
of introduction and recommendation which he had
promised eleven days ago ; we added, that we had
now lost nearly a month in his horde, and pressed
him to give us a distinct answer, whether he would
allow us to distribute books to his people, or not.
After a little of his former shuffling, he gave us
his word that he would prepare the letter that
afternoon, before he broke up his camp. When
we went to fetch it, however, it was not ready ; he
showed us a paper which had been sealed, which
he said was a rough draft, but that he must write
it out again, which he could not do that day, and
therefore we must take one more little journey
with him. As a finale, the Prince asked me to
prescribe something which would keep his hair
from falling off, as he was grieved to find his head
growing bald; the Princess requested an antidote
against freckles, and a little bracing medicine.

144

We were also to prescribe for the Lama, for the
report of our medical science was widely diffused
in the camp. The recovery of Brother Schill,
and the cure of a woman who had suffered from
a stomach complaint for three years, and been
under other medical care without any success, had
procured us this celebrity. Indeed, the word
Nemesch (a German,) is synonymous with « a phy
sician," amongst the Calmucs, and they seem to
think that every German must be a medical man.
On this account we were visited by numbers, who
asked for physic ; but we sent most of them away
and meddled with none but trifling cases, or such
as we sufficiently understood. Many Calmucs
old people especially, came with inflamed eyes,'
which we cured by small quantities of St. Ive's
balsam. When we returned from the Prince's tent, we
made ready for our journey, which, as it turned
out, was postponed that day on account of a
storm. The next day, the 30th of June, we set
off, though by the astronomical kalendar, the
day was unlucky, which they contrived to get
over, by saying that the preparations for the
purpose had been made the day before. After

145
travelling for three hours, in which time we ad
vanced about twelve versts, we reached the Nojori
Gellongin Chuduk, (the Prince and Gellong's
well) where we encamped. On our journey we
passed a swarm of locusts, several versts wide ;
it extended to our new encampment, and even
beyond it. The locust (gryllus migratorius) is
from three to four inches in length, and at its
full size is longer and narrower than other insects
of the same species, the grasshopper for instance,
which is known in Germany, and which has a
more prominent breast, and shorter wing. The
head is round, with short feelers, and like the
breast, of a dingy green; the throat is dark brown,
its large eyes black, the exterior case of the wing
of a dirty yellowish green, with many dark spots,
showing the black wings at a little distance ; the
body and the legs are pale yellow, with black
marks on the side of the legs next the body. In
their first state, the locusts have very imperfect
wings, which do not cover the whole of the body,
whereas when they are full grown, they reach
much beyond it. Well might the prophet Joel
(chapters 1st and 2nd,) refer to the locusts, as the
agents of a chastising Providence, for they are a real
L

146
scourge to the nation in which they appear,
laying waste whole districts in a very short time,
by their dreadful rapacity and great numbers.
Wherever they settle, they devour not only every
thing green, but the stems of the shrubs, and the
weeds of the sea : the Calmucs told us that the
very felt on their tents was entirely consumed, if
they suffered a swarm of these enemies to descend
unmolested. As they soon strip the position they
have chosen, they are compelled to migrate in
search of food, and this usually takes place about
dusk. Their long wings enable them to traverse
large districts. This species of locust, as well as the
gryllus cristatus, which was the food of John the
Baptist, and is still eaten in Arabia, is prepared in
many different ways by the Oriental nations. In
Morocco, they are so highly esteemed that the
price of provisions falls when the locusts have
entered the neighbourhood. The Calmucs do
not use them as food, but we were told that
wolves, dogs, antelopes, sheep, and other animals
which have fattened upon them, are much sought
after. The wolves seldom or never attack the
flocks of the Calmucs when the locusts are at
hand, because they can satisfy themselves with

^

147
these insects. A circumstance which happened
some years ago at Sarepta, is sufficient to prove
that locusts are excellent food : the hogs in that
neighbourhood became unusually fat, by having
been fed for some time entirely upon dead locusts
which had been drowned in the Volga, and thrown
in heaps on the shore.
The swarm of locusts which I have just men
tioned was so numerous, that the whole ground was
covered with them, and looked as if ie had been
sprinkled with pea-shells, It was curious to ob
serve that their heads were all turned to the west,
and that in this direction they were devouring
every blade of grass with frightful assiduity. In
the sunshine their wings appeared like silver or
glass, aud reflected a tremulous light. Where we
passed through their ranks, they rose in thick
clouds, with a loud rattling caused by the flapping
of their wings against one another, and continued
whizzing in irregular groups through the space
around us, like snow when it falls in large flakes.
The path which they left for us, was about twenty
paces wider than our line of march, and it was
immediately filled up at the same distance behind
us, as if by falling clouds. They were so nimble,
l 2

148

J

149

that we found it difficult to catch any of them,
particularly as our journey took place in the heat
of the day, and in the sunshine, when they are
always most active. The dogs were highly de
lighted with chasing these swarms, and snapping
as many as they could out of the air, which they
accomplished with more facility in the cool of the
evening. Many of these locusts were in their
first state, when they are of a dark orange colour,
others had nearly reached their full growth. After
a few days, they had almost all completed their
change, and they were able to rise like their com
rades into the air, to seek out new districts. Once
when I went in search of insects at this place,
(which I always did secretly, that I might give
no offence to the Calmucs, who consider it a great
sin to kill any creature, and more particularly an
insect,) I was observed by some Calmucs, whose
curiosity was excited by my stooping so often.
They came slowly up to me to see what I was
looking for. I commonly satisfied all inquiries,
with the pretext that I was looking for medicinal
herbs, which they thought the more probable, as
they had a high opinion of our science in the art
of healing. On this occasion, I took advantage of

-^

the transformation of the locusts, as they happened
to be in sight. This spectacle they had never before
remarked, and it occasioned the greatest astonish
ment. Such locusts as were ready for their trans
formation, were to be seen in numbers, climbing up
the stalk of a plant, and then holding themselves
in an inverted position with their long legs. After
a little while, the creature begins to rock itself
backwards and forwards, resting at intervals as
if almost exhausted, then shaking itself again with
increasing violence, until the breast and head
break through, the old covering by continued
effort is thrown off, and the insect appears in itg
perfect state. The wings now grow to their full
size, and appear to strengthen before the eyes
of the observer, and acquire by exposure to the
air their natural colour and splendour. While
the boys were busied in seeking more blades of
grass with locusts upon them, the spectators un
ceasingly repeated their exclamations of Dalai
Lama ! Dalai Lama ! Chair Khan ! Chair Khan !
or Kuhrku ! Kuhrku ! at the Eight of a process
of nature which had been unknown to them,
though it had passed under their eyes.
The steppes were more barren here than ever,

150

on account of the visitation of the above-men
tioned guests, and our horses were forced to
content themselves with what had escaped the
voracity of the locusts. We watered them from
a neighbouring puddle of rain-water, from which
we also took what we required for our own use.
On the 1st of July, we at last proceeded so
far with our business, that we saw, on a visit
to the Prince, the sketch of an introductory letter.
It was full of corrections, had been sealed, and
most probably made the round of a number of
Princes, whose additions and erasures had brought
it into its present condition. After the Prince
had received the Lama's approbation of the letter,
as it then stood, it was to be copied for us ; this
was to be done the same day, but the Prince
observed that the letter should be signed and
sealed the day after, because the astrologer had
said this day was unlucky for the purpose. Our
request that wc might have a guide to Prince
Otschir, (though we had often discussed the
subject before) was not immediately granted : the
Prince took a day to consider whether he should
comply with our wish. Now that our departure
was drawing near, the Prince and Princess wanted

151

to be informed more at length of the motives
which occasioned our journey. They cross-ex
amined us on the subject, — whether we expected
to be promoted to some dignity, as a reward for
our trouble, — whether we should be paid in gold,
and how much, — who paid the expenses of our
journey, &c. We rephed, that we were travelling
in the service of the Russian Bible Society, which
would defray our expenses, — that we expected
neither rank nor gold, but had come to them solely
in the hope, that the word of God might be made
known to them. The Princess replied, " If this
be the true state of the case, you must have no
servants, but do every thing for yourself, and
live very poorly, for that is the only way to make
your employment acceptable ; it was thus that
Boddih-Sadok (the IHoly and Redeemer) denied
himself to save the six classes of beings." She then
related a story, well known amongst the Calmucs,
about Uschandri Khan, who became more and
more holy, by severe trials. We replied that we
did not aspire after any merit or worthiness of our
own, for, according to the Christian doctrine, no
man can be saved by his own righteousness, but
by grace, which is through Jesus Christ, our only

152

Boddih-Sadok, or Redeemer, and which is im
parted to all who believe with their whole heart
upon him ; that we came to them, in order that
other men might also enjoy the blessedness which
our Saviour had purchased for us.
The air was much cooled after the storm, so
that we had a cold night, and the thermometer
in the morning (the 2d of July) was only ten
degrees above zero. We were to have marched
yet farther, but as it was a stormy rainy day, the
camp remained where it was. When we waited
upon the Prince in the afternoon, the letter was
ready, and as soon as the Princess Dellek had
taken a copy of it, the Prince sealed the letter and
delivered it to us. This document, after all, was
far from being what we wished. The Prince left
it to the discretion of his subjects, to receive books
from us or not, as they should think best: he
informed them that he had taken two copies for
himself and for the priests, to honour our mission,
to gratify his own curiosity, and to be able to
show them to his people : he then commands that
all men should receive us well, and suffer us to
pursue our journey without molestation. Though

153

we were aware that this letter would make little
impression upon the Calmucs, we had no power
of getting it altered, and we began to think of
leaving a horde where we had been kept almost a
month in idleness, and had only disposed of two
books. Not one of Erdeni's subjects, whom we
afterwards found scattered far and wide, ever
took a single book from us.
On this and the following day, we had much
parley with the Prince, about a guide to one of
the neighbouring Princes, to whom we were ad-
dressed, and at last, on the 3d of July, we were
allowed a guide to Prince Satter, whose horde was
not far off.
The cold stormy weather, with occasional
showers of rain, continued. The Calmucs ac
counted for it, by saying that Prince Otschir, who
was building a new zara, had given twelve horses
to a skilful astrological Gellong of the Erketen
horde, to make cool weather for the Gellongs
during their labour, for these sacred buildings
must be erected solely by Gellongs. Such follies
as these the Calmucs believe in good earnest.
On the 4th of July, after wc had taken a

154

friendly leave of the Prince, made over our
old tent to his steward, and drank Calmuc tea
with the said steward, we left this division of
the Torguds. Besides the guide who had been
appointed, the Prince's steward accompanied us.

CHAPTER VII.

VISIT TO THE THREE BROTHERS, SETTER,
DSCHIRGAL, AND OTSCHIR; PROM THE 4TH
TO THE 13TH OF JULY.
We had travelled only a few versts, when we
were told by our attendants, that Setter was in
the immediate neighbourhood, (without any of his
horde) having come for medical advice, from one
of Erdeni's Gellongs, which old Gellong, with a
few servants, were said to compose his whole re
tinue. Setter is a Torgud prince, who in com
mon with his two elder brothers, Dschirgal and
Otschir, inherited from his father, Zebek Ubaschi,
a horde of four hundred tents. We had a letter
from the minister to these three brothers, whose
names were all specified in the address, and as
Setter was the nearest, we proposed to present it

1.56

I.

157

to him first, though he happened to be the
youngest. After many preliminaries with the old
Gellong, who sought to delay us, we were ad
mitted into the Prince's presence, and when we
had saluted him, we offered, together with a few
trifling presents, the minister's letter, and two
volumes of the books we had brought. We now
discovered that he was idiotic, for he stole Brother
Schill's tobacco-box and hid it under his cushion,
and one of the servants, to whom we applied,
wrested it from him by main force. We got it
back again, and with it the unopened letter ; but
we had already experienced on this occasion, some
what to our inconvenience, the habits of conceal
ment which, as I before mentioned, the Calmucs
preserve in their dealings with strangers. It was
not till we saw it with our own eyes, that we were
aware that Setter was idiotic, (he had been so
from childhood,) and that the second brother
(Otschir) ruled in his stead. After much coaxing
and pressing, in which Erdeni's steward supported
us faithfully, we persuaded the old Gellong to
furnish us with a guide to the next Prince,
Dschirgal, Setter's eldest brother.
On the 5th of July, at eight in the morning,

-L

we set off with our guide, a Gezull of Erdeni's
horde, who had been hired by the Gellong ; the
old Gellong himself, and the other attendants of
the Prince, making us at parting innumerable
apologies for the conduct of their master, and
begging us to remember him with compassion.
They gave us moreover a flask of tschigan for
our journey, which we unfortunately broke very
soon after we received it. Not far from where we
set out, we found on the flat steppes the nest of a
black eagle, (falco aquila) in which were two well-
fledged young ones, about the size of a common
barn-door fowl. When I approached, they laid
their heads almost on the ground, extending their
necks at the same time and hissing, but when I
lifted them up into, the air, they made no resist
ance. The nest was a bed of scraps of fur, and
morsels of felt, bordered all round with large
bones. Further on, we came to a sand hill, many
versts in circumference, in which there was a
hollow, perhaps a verst in diameter, containing a
number of wells, each about two fathoms deep,
known by the common appellation of Nirma Ars-
chinlehuduk, the governor and teacher's wells. It
is remarkable, that all the wells on the inner

158
steppes are to be found in these sandy hollows,
amidst the clayey soil of the surrounding steppes,
and they may always be known from a distance by
the high rim or bank. They are pretty nume
rous, and have the appearance of obsolete craters,
or as if they had broken out through the ground
from some frightful abyss.
After this, we passed in a westerly direction, by
the Ulahstihn Chuduk, or willow wells, where we
had encamped not long ago, and we halted soon
after in a green valley to dine. Our afternoon
journey, in a south westerly direction, was through
a great swarm of locusts, and our Gezull rode as
close to me as possible, following close in the track
of my horse, that he might not run the risk of
trampling them down. As he was not well ac
quainted with the country, and no Calmuc came
within sight, he occasionally rode on before us, to
the old grave hills which are here and there to be
met with, and from this elevation he spied out the
route ; sometimes standing on his saddle to make
a more extensive survey, At sunset we found a
few pools of rain water, to the south of Challarihn
Burra Chuduk, (where we had also encamped
with Erdeni,) and by these pools we took up our

f~

159
abode for the night. I there killed a scorpion-
spider, as they are called (phalangium arane-
oides) ; at dusk these creatures come out to a light,
and are very much feared, as their bite is worse
than that of the tarantula. On the 6th of June
we recommenced our journey, at half past five in
the morning, and halted at noon at some water
pits, for in rainy years there is water on these
steppes the whole summer through. Here we
met some Calmucs, the first we had seen during
our two days' journey ; they shared our dinner of
rice and dried flesh, and told us that Dschirgal's
horde was not far off. Whilst we halted at this
place, we made use of the pool, which in some
parts was half a yard deep, as a batk :<;..: .d.-jo
for washing our clothes. In the afternoon we had
an unsuccessful chase after small bustards (otis
tetrase) and steppe-birds, (glariola austriaca) and
we again found the nest of a black eagle, with two
well grown eaglets. At six o'clock in the after
noon we arrived at Itelgin Chuduk, hawk's well,
where Prince Dschirgal was then residing.
When we had changed our dress, we proceeded
immediately to the Prince's tent, which was sur
rounded with many others, but unaccompanied by

160
a Churul ; we announced ourselves, and were
immediately admitted. Dschirgal, a man about
thirty years of age, thin, with only one eye, and in
very dirty apparel, was lounging on a couch
which was equally dirty, in a tent which had
nothing princely about it. He took the intro
ductory letter, which we presented, carelessly,
(contemptuously even,) and after asking a few
questions in a short boorish manner, he sent us
back to our carriages. It was evident that we
were to deal with a boor, though of princely
rank, and we had very soon further proof of this
fact. Just as we had eaten our moderate supper,
by the side of our carriage, and were ready to
betake ourselves to repose, the Prince sent word
by one of his servants that he was coming to pay
us a visit. He arrived immediately, attended
by two little pages. He called for tea, and first
civilly and then with threats, desired to have
brandy with it. He had already learnt from our
attendants how much we had brought with us,
and he drank, either separately or with his tea,
fifteen glasses of brandy, which was the whole of
our stock, except a small remainder which he
carried off with him. He demanded abundance

-?

161
of sugar with it, and the gingerbread which we
had designed for future presents. We could re
fuse him nothing, for our stores had been already
announced, and we felt ourselves entirely in the
power of an uncivilized (and as we clearly saw,
blood-thirsty) robber, who perhaps had only to
speak the word, and his subjects (a suspicious-
looking rabble in Russian, Armenian, and Circas
sian dresses, whom we had already seen in con
siderable numbers about us,) would have fallen
upon us without mercy or delay. Neither here,
nor in the other hordes which we afterwards vi
sited, were there any Russian Pristaws, to whom
we could apply for protection. The Prince's love
of plunder was now uppermost, and he desired to
see our horses, but we succeeded in turning him
from his purpose, by telling him that they were
the property of the Government, which we had
no power to dispose of. Upon this, he asked to
see our daggers, (which we had left in the coach)
set himself by the fire, and tried them in various
ways, particularly by letting them fall, together
wi'rh. his own, into the ground, after which he pro
nounced that mine (a very fine one, which I had
bought at Astracan four years ago from a Persian,)
M

162
was the best of them all. He took possession of
it immediately with the words, " We will change,"
and threw his own (which was a miserably poor
one) to me. Brother Schill lost his tobacco-pipe
on this occasion, and would have lost his good
coat, if Dschirgal, who had tried it on during the
visit, had not luckily forgotten it when he was
going away. As this was the process, I cleared
away as well as I could, every thing that lay near us,
whilst I sat by the side of the Prince. The younger
of our Tartars, Amur-Khan, was asleep in the
coach before Dschirgal arrived ; old Andre was
busy in looking after the fire and making the tea.
At last, when Dschirgal was intoxicated with the
brandy he had taken, he insisted that Andre
should dance and sing to him. Andre declared that
he could not do either. The Prince then roared to
Amur-Khan, who came out bewildered and half
asleep, and declared in like manner that he could not
sing ; and then the two pages who were kneeling
before their master, watching every winkj and
catching occasional morsels of gingerbread which
he threw them, were ordered to sing. They
struck up in concert a Calmuc song, in honour of
a certain Schushing Saloh, a bandit, who was at

163

last, taken by the Russians, and banished to Sibe
ria. When Dschirgal thought proper to leave us,
(at one o'clock) he desired that our Andre should
take care of him home, and without the smallest
provocation, he tried to stab him on the road.
At the first attempt, Andre caught hold of his
arm, and at the second he ran away and made
his escape. We were afterwards informed by
a credible eye-witness, that Dschirgal is every
now and then possessed with this murderous
propensity, and that this very spring, he had
maimed a young man, hand and foot, on a similar
occasion. No merchant now comes to the neigh
bourhood, and even his countrymen keep at a dis
tance, for he plunders and ill-treats all who come
in his way. Formerly he governed the whole
horde, which the three brothers had inherited
from their father, but as his violence and greedi
ness revolted his subjects, the second brother,
Otschir, supported by the high Pristaw, assumed
the command. Thus Dschirgal (as well as his
brother Setter,) lost his share of the horde, and he
was at this time surrounded only by a motley
rabble whom he had gathered together. All this
was entirely unknown to us, till we found it out
M 2

164

by unpleasant experience. We were now in haste
to make our escape, and as soon as Dschirgal had
slept off the effects of his brandy, on the following
morning, the 7th of July, we went to him, to ask
for the letter which we had presented to him,
without which we should have had no introduc
tion to Otschir. The letter we obtained without
any difficulty, but we neither saw nor heard any
more of the things he had stolen. We had hardly
got back to our coach, when the Prince came on
horseback, and demanded punch tea, which we
could not give him, as he had taken all our bran
dy the evening before. He dictated to one of
his attendants a few unconnected lines, saying
that he agreed in opinion with Erdeni, and had
also received two of our books; and he bade us
come and fetch this writing the following day,
when it would be sealed and ready. He desired
two Gezulls who were present, to take the books,
upon which they both slipt out of the way in
silence. When he was about to ride off, he told
Brother Schill to follow him, and at some little
distance, he again pressed him to give him his
coat, offering a horse in return, (which it would
not have been easy to get, for the Prince had

165
none in his possession except the identical beast
upon which he was riding ;) at last, under various
pretences, the demand was eluded, and in the
afternoon he sent us a sheep and some tschigan.
Till this time we had seen no locusts in the
valley; but at sunset they broke in from the
south, in a terrific swarm, scarcely more than two
yards from the ground ; they moved towards the
north, in a column more than a verst in width, and
which was an hour or more in passing. As this
remarkable phenomenon took place not far from
our coach, I got into the midst of them, to ob
serve them more closely, and they formed a kind
of impenetrable arch just over my head. The
noise which thjey made in flying, resembled that of
a loud waterfall at a distance, and was accom
panied by a slight rattling. We were twice dis
turbed in the night by Dschirgal's pages, once for
salmon, and once for caviar, with neither of which
it was in our power to accommodate him. The
next morning, the 8th of July, we waited upon
the Prince in our travelling dresses, got him" to
seal his letter, and obtained a guide for our jour
ney. With this guide we set off at eleven o'clock,
heartily glad to escape from the neighbourhood

166
and to pursue our journey with our letter, to the
third of the trio. At noon we reached a number
of huts belonging to a rich Gellong, one of Dschir-
gal's ci-devant subjects, to whom he had referred
us for a guide, for the latter part of the route-
Hard work we had to persuade the Gellong, but
he consented at last, and sent a relation of his,
an intelligent Gezull, with whom we were entirely
satisfied. The Gellong in the mean time sent
word to Dschirgal, by our first guide, that he
wished him the small-pox for the trick he had
played him. Our attempt to distribute books
here, was entirely abortive; they all excused
themselves, by saying that the prayer Om-ma-ne-
bad-mas-chum was sufficient for them. At three
o'clock, we proceeded with our guide, in a
westerly course, towards the blue Sarpa hills,
which we could see in the distance. After a
few hours we came to a Zaza in honour of a
Torgud Lama. Our Gezull stopped some time,
respectfully, at a distance, then approached on
foot, and bowed three times at the entrance with
his head down to his cap, (which he had thrown
on the ground,) paced three times round the
Zaza, took off" his slippers, and crept in at the

167
aperture. He begged me to stay by him, while he
lighted a lamp in honour of the idols. I complied
very willingly, and was pleased with the well-
meaning piety of the youth. This Zaza was of
wood; and contained the same furniture as the one I
had seen at Ulahstin-Chuduk, except that there was
a large lanthorn with holes in it, to prevent the dan
ger that might ensue from a lamp. Close by this
Zaza, the new one is to be built, for which Otschir
lately purchased cool weather at the price of twelve
horses. The materials, wood, mortar, and forty
loads of bricks, &c, were lying in readiness. Soon
after, we passed an irregular hollow, overgrown
with sedges ; this was the dry bed of the Sarpa. At
sunset we rode through thick swarms of locusts,
which were migrating to the north ; and at nine
o'clock in the evening, we came to a well-inhabited
spot, where we took up our quarters for the
night by the side of a kind of ditch. This is the
continuation of a large channel in the mountains,
called Kugultu the black-thorny, by the side of
which we had travelled. The people here re
ceived us in a very inhospitable manner, and re
fused to let us have the small quantity of milk
which we wanted for our coffee the next morning ;

168

but our Andre at last got by threats, what they
had denied to our entreaties. The next day, the
9th of July, we set off at six o'clock in the morn
ing, and when we had got a hundred paces from
our last night's abode, a Calmuc came running
to us from a little group of huts, and begged us
to cure him of the bite of a black spider, the
bebussun chara, (black widow) or, as it is some
times called, tobihn summun, (the canon.) He
had been bitten on the naked back in his bed,
about half an hour before, by one of these crea
tures, which he had killed and preserved. This
spider is of moderate size, quite black, and rather
shining, with a thick body and slender legs, and
verv little covered with hair. The man's back
was swollen to a considerable distance round the
part, and water trickled out of his mouth. I
advised him to have the wound seared with a
hot iron, but he had recourse to his superstition
in preference, and begged from our Gezull a bit
of deer's horn which he had in his rosary. Near
the same huts, we saw a camel with the body
exceedingly swollen by the bite of one of these
poisonous spiders. Not long after, we saw a num
ber of camels which had been bitten, in the same

169
state, and nobody seemed to apply any remedy.
I was afterwards told by a Gellong, that they
administer a great deal of brandy to a patient
who has been bitten, and then cover him with
furs till he perspires, and so works off the poison,
but that this treatment is not always successful.
Of the animal creation, the camels seem to suffer
most from these spiders, because they are most
addicted to lying on the ground. What became
of the young man who applied to us, we never
heard, as we could not stay to watch the progress
of his disease. When we left him, he complained
of shivering in his limbs, and of a feverish heat,
and he was looking out for a Calmuc physician.
Camels which have been bitten seldom recover.
At eight o'clock we reached the Sarpa hills,
having followed the course of the Kugultu chan
nel. Here we found a large circle of huts, be
longing to the ecclesiastics of the horde of Zerren
Ubaschi, with their high-priest Bakschi-Sahma.
They received us kindly, and we distributed a
few books to them. Sahma appeared to be a
free-thinking and well-informed man, esteeming
all religions alike, and despising none. Amongst
his numerous train of inferior priests, we found

170

more openness and straight-fowardncss than we
had met with before, and we had many interest
ing conversations on religious subjects with the
Bakschi (or teacher.) On such occasions, we had
more than a hundred priests as audience, some
of them in the hut itself, others on the outside,
with their ears close to the lattice. As the Bak
schi, with all his learning, could hardly read the
Mogul character, he sent for a Gellong of the
name of Zurum, who made his appearance im
mediately, and read some parts of our books to
the Bakschi. This Zurum belonged to the Erke-
dan horde, and came to Bakschi-Sahma, to perfect
himself in the highest branches of Calmuc eccle
siastical knowledge. He is said to be, in all re
spects, a clever man, and to have staid some time
at Astracan to inquire into the Christian religion.
We found to our great surprise, that he was well
acquainted with the Gospels, and that he knew
the number of chapters by heart.
The guide we had brought with us, was here
exchanged for another Gezull, with whom Sahma
supplied us. As more than a hundred horses
belonging to the Churul had been stolen, and
there was only one left, a remarkably large ches-

171
nut, which was holy to the Gods, it was matter
of necessity that our guide (who was a Gezull of
princely blood) should ride upon this sacred
animal. We had not proceeded far, before a
Gellong, mounted on the horse of our last guide,
came after us at full gallop. It was Zurum, who
had obtained the Bakschi's permission to ask for
some of our books. He had heard of the Brethren
in the Coschudan horde, and of the Calmucs who
had accompanied them to Sarepta, and this in
clined him to seek Brother Schill's friendship.
His manner when he asked for the books, was
particularly confiding and friendly. He squeezed
Brother Schill's hand, and besought him to be
his friend; he then begged to write his own
name and tribe on our papers, and to obtain
Brother Schill's address in return. He seemed to
have something more on his mind, which the pre
sence of the Gezull prevented him from express
ing, but he requested that he might correspond
with Brother Schill on many important subjects,
by means of the Russian itinerant merchants,
which was willingly granted. He took leave of
us, with every appearance of reluctance, after he
had accompanied us some way on our road. Our

172
guide, who had been all eye and ear during the
interview, praised the uncommon studiousness and
great talents of this Gellong, as soon as he had
left us. This was the first cheering spark of light,
amidst the thick darkness of heathenism, that we
had found on our journey, and it united our
hearts in silent praise and thanksgiving, as well as
in affection towards the young priest. With full
assurance of faith, we applied the text for the
day of our departure from Sarepta, to this event ;
(" They shall be taught of God,") and assuredly
it was by no human agency, that the attention of
this man had been directed to the contents of the
Scriptures. Our route now lay along a high
ridge of hills bordering the Kugultu channel,
which we kept on our right, (in many parts a verst
broad, and still more in depth) and on our left
we had very frequently considerable arms of other
deep beds or channels. This ridge of hills shows
signs of former inhabitants, (probably of Tartar
origin) by the remains of round cisterns or reser
voirs which had been banked with stiff clay, to
preserve the rain water. In some places the
ditches which were to convey the water to the re
servoir, were still open, and many of them con-

173

tinned to hold water, though nobody' had taken
any trouble about them for three centuries, unless
by chance a wandering Calmuc. These cisterns
were numerous enough on this ridge, and we
found them here and there on our subsequent
journey. Those which contained no water, were
overgrown with luxuriant grass and herbs. All
these reservoirs, as well as the numerous wells,
some in ruins and some still of use, bear witness
to the industry of the former inhabitants of this
country, and to the negligence of its present
possessors. We dined with a rich Calmuc, called Olsohta
(the fortunate.) Here also, as we learnt from our
host, robbery was so common, that he thought
it necessary to have his numerous herds guarded,
night and day, by armed men. Olsohta himself only
escaped by the fleetness of his horse, from a band
who pursued him, as he was returning, a short time
ago, with his tschigan tubs, from Prince Otschir's
camp. When we continued our journey, at five
o'clock, this man accompanied us himself as a
guide, having first mustered his herds, which were
scattered about in the valleys. He had been told
that some Cossacks, who were in the service of

174
the High Pristaw, were to pass by his dwelling,
and as these gentlemen always take the liberty of
catching fresh horses, and the best they can find,
he took the requisite precautions, to which we
were witness. He rode without delay to the
different heights, and gave a sign to those who
were in the valleys and channels between them,
upon which the ridge was immediately covered
with troops of horses, who swept over them like a
cloud, and were soon hidden (probably to the
number of more than a thousand) in some deep
cleft or ravine.
After changing our guide several times, we took
up our quarters for the night, at nine o'clock in
the evening, in the neighbourhood of some huts
which were only a few versts from the commence
ment of the Kugultu. On the 10th of June, after
travelling for two hours, early in the morning we
reached the head-quarters of Prince Otschir. The
number of the ecclesiastical huts in this camp,
was considerably greater than in that of Erdeni
and Zerren Ubaschi ; here also there was a
bazaar or market, at which Armenians, Tartars
and Russians, supplied the Calmucs with such
goods as they were inclined to purchase, chiefly

175
materials for clothing, &c. We waited upon
the Prince in the forenoon, and presented him
with such matters as we had offered to the other
Princes whom we had visited. His court resem
bled that of Erdeni ; except that his wife had a
separate tent, whereas Erdeni and It is wife lived
in the same. In. his behaviour to us, Otschir
showed himself a worthy member of the illustrious
trio of the Torgud princely brotherhood. He did
not rob us, while we staid at his camp, it is true,
but this was the only reason we had for preferring
him to his brothers. He received the Minister's
letter with still greater contempt. When he had
glanced his eye carelessly over it, as he lay on his
couch, he suffered it to drop on the ground
by his side, and we afterwards saw it lying like
any other piece of waste paper, in the rubbish.
When we had explained to him the object of our
journey, he said it should be made known in his
horde, that we had books to distribute ; but we
had afterwards every reason to suppose that this
had never been done. As we concluded from his
answer that we should have to reside some time in
his camp, we besought very humbly that he would
lend us a tent during our stay. This he refused

176
haughtily and in very few words, but he said wc
might stay a month or more if we liked, for he
should not trouble himself about the matter. He
did not even send us a sheep or tschigan, in return
for our presents, but continually asked for more,
without making the slightest acknowledgment.
In the evening of this very day, he sent us word
by one of his servants, that he had acquaint
ed his subjects with the object of our visit, (which
in so short a space of time was only possible with
regard to those of his subjects who happened to
be encamped at this particular spot,) and that
none of them wished for our books. On the 11th
of July the Calmucs celebrated a festival, but on
what occasion, or in whose honour, we could not
learn. Some said it was in honour of the descent
of the Buddh or Burchan Schagdscamuni. The
Churuls were adorned with all the pomp they
could afford, and the shrill accompaniment to the
Tangud litany, resounded from them almost in
cessantly. We visited this day, at the Churul
huts, the Vice-Lama, (the Lama himself was very
infirm) and many of the chief Gellongs, The
principal Churul was adorned with three-and-
thirty large pictures of idols, which were that day

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177
unrolled, and on the altar stood two wooden shrines,
containing gilt metal images. These were sitting
in the Asiatic manner, and might be a foot and a
half in height. The workmanship was admirable,
which made me very sceptical as to their being
the productions of the Calmucs who live on the
spot, which was asserted. One was the image of
Schagdsehamani, and the other of Madaira, as we
could perceive by the manner in which they were
represented. Near the altar sat a Gellong, who
was reading out of an immense Torgud book,
whilst the rest of the priests, in their festal robes,
(many of them of scarlet cloth,) were gaily plying
a large tub of Tschigan, which was placed in the
middle of the temple. The Vice-Lama informed
us that they wanted no new " Nomen," (religious
instruction ;) that all the priests were well content
with their own ; and that they had more to learn
of it, so that they could not give heed to new doc
trines : they told us, that they were always mind
ful of the Emperor in their prayers, and that they
prayed for the welfare of the community at large.
We replied, that we were not come to force our
books upon any one, but to distribute them to
those who wished to receive them. Before the
N

17S
door of the Vice-Lama's tent, and also in front of
the Churulls, large banners were waving, inscribed
with the formula Om-ma-ni-bad-me-chum, many
times repeated : before the Vice-Lama's tent there
was also a large Kurdu, (prayer-machine,) set in
motion like a horizontal mill, by four large spoon-
shaped sails, turned by the wind.
Here, more than any where else, we heard of rob
beries and murders committed in the neighbourhood
against Calmucs, and travelling Russians: this place
is on the boundary of the Torguds and Derbodians,
which, in srgie degree, accounts for the fact.
Otschir belongs to the race of the Torguds, and is
even connected with their prince ; but we were told
his people plundered Torguds and Derbodians in
differently ; and it is highly probable that those
banditti who robbed and murdered so many stran
gers, belonged to the tribe of the three brother
princes. Towards evening a heavy rain fell, and
perceptibly cooled the atmosphere.
On the 12th of July, we visited the prince, and
requested an introductory letter to his subjects, as
also a guide to the horde of the Erkedi. The first
request he decidedly refused, under the pretence,

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179
that his subjects were already acquainted with our
intention, and did not want any of our books ;
with respect to the guide, he gave us no positive
answer. The unfavourable disposition of the
prince towards us, was now generally known
amongst his subjects, and many of them came on
purpose to ridicule and insult us. On such occa
sions, we had often opportunity to remark the bit
ter hostility of the Tartar merchants against the
Gospel, manifested to ourselves in words, and
shown by the influence which they were perpe
tually exerting over the Calmucs. It was still
more painful to us, to observe Christians themselves
opposing the Scriptures, which was the case of the
Armenians at this place. Three of them came to
us, while some ecclesiastical Calmucs were with us,
and reading the Scriptures ; they asked us, jeer-
ingtyj if we meant to make Christians of these men ?
and what we had in our books ? We replied, that
we had come here to spread these books amongst
the Calmucs ; that they contained the sacred Word
of God, which the Armenians, being themselves
Christians, must be acquainted with. Upon this,
one of them replied that he had never read it, and
N 2

180

they all went away with the foolish words, "We want
no such books, — gold is our bible." Notwithstand
ing all this opposition, our presence had occasioned
so much curiosity and enquiry amongst the Calmucs,
that many of them were induced to visit us, and to
read out of our books,but they were afraid of taking
them home. As there were amongst the curious
a number of those who only came to amuse them
selves, and who began to lay the books on one ano
ther's heads, and mimic in sport the way in which
the Gellongs give the blessing with their sacred
books, we dismissed all such, with notice that our
books were not designed for such folly. A Gezull,
who had received one of our tracts, came very soon
after to return it, with the excuse that he would
come the next day, when we were keeping the
Christ-day, (as the Russians call Sunday,) and
fetch one of our larger books, which, however, as we
expected, turned out to be false. A Gellong
asked for a book, with fear and trepidation, and
hid it under his white robe, but unluckily it drop
ped out soon after, just as some Gezulls enquired
what he had hidden under his robe, which em
barrassed the poor man not a little, Another
Gellong, who had been a layman at the time of

181

the French war, and had fought against France,
came to us in the dusk of the evening, and asked
for books. Two Gezulls, who were probably his
attendants, followed at a little distance. One of
our men happened to call out from behind the
coach, at which the Gellong started, and gave us
back our books ; but finding that the noise pro
ceeded from our own people, he grew composed,
and handed the books to his Gezulls, one of whom
concealed them in his white robe ; the other re
fused to venture, and said, " Perhaps, the prince's
servants may see me, and then it will bring me
into disgrace;" from which it was evident, that the
prince had forbidden the application for books.
At the instigation of the Gellong, the Gezulls now
crept timidly along, the one who carried our books
going before to give a sign in case of alarm.
On the 13th of July, the night had been cold
and stormy, and as the wind blew the pouring
rain almost horizontally against our carriage, our
things were almost wet through. Nothing re
mained for us but to keep in the open space
auriug the storm, for our coach afforded no far
ther protection, and the water stood in pools
under our bed.

182

We afterwards heard that it had been stormy
weather, at the same time, in the neighbourhood
of the Don, which is much farther to the west.
After many vexatious negotiations with, the
prince, he at last promised us a guide as far as
the frontiers of the Erkedan territory. The ac
counts we had heard of the unsafeness of this
neighbourhood, in which the travellers of all the
different nations whom we met here united, and
which we could not doubt, as a cossack, who was
dispatched with letters to the High Pristaw,
actually returned because he durst not venture
, through the midst of the. robbers; — this, and the
often repeated question, " How many men strong
is your party ? and how many guns do you
carry?" induced us to purchase a gun at the
bazaar, that we might seem better armed, and
also to load our pistols and guns with ball, and put
them in good order, in the sight of a number of
Calmucs. Before we left, Otschir most likely gave
leave to his subjects to ask for our books ; for we
were now visited by a stream of priests, and even
during our journey they followed us, and en
treated for books, which they received.

183

CHAPTER VIII.
iOURNEY TO THE ERK.EDAN HORDE, AND RE
SIDENCE IN THE CAMP, FROM THE 14rH TO
THE 22ND OF JULY.

On the 14th of July, at half-past eleven o'clock,
we set off towards the horde of Erkedi, which was
about forty or fifty versts to the south, along the
ridge of the Sarpa hills, arising from the Don on
one side, and from the Lower Steppes on the other.
There are many and some considerable channels in
the sides of these hills. The guide who accom
panied us, might, from his appearance, have been
a captain of banditti ; and though we gave him
tobacco, and other trifling presents, wc found
it impossible to dispel his unsocial expression.
When we had advanced a few versts, I perceived

184

that he perversely kept on a full trot, without
choosing to observe that the coach, from the
ruggedness of the ground, could not keep up with
him. I rode after him, and resolved to keep my
eye upon him, from a little distance, as he would
not attend to my admonition, not to go so fast.
When he thought himself far enough from us,
he turned off into one of the channels to hunt ;
but my horse was better than his, and after a few
versts I caught him and commanded him, with
threats, to dismount and wait till the coach over
took us. As I was armed, and he saw that he
was in my power, he obeyed, though reluctantly,
and excused himself by saying, that he was look
ing for a road which was somewhere thereabouts.
The coach overtook us, and we continued our
journey till it needed some little repair, and, in the
mean time, the guide made his escape. We were
not altogether unconscious of his intention, but
we were weary of keeping by force, a wretch who
would undoubtedly have delivered us to the first
gang of robbers with great satisfaction.
We were now alone in an unknown desert, with
out knowing what course to take, and expecting
every moment to fall into the hands of robbers

185

and murderers: we had before been told, that,
just in this very neighbourhood, a merchant of
Zaritzin had been plundered, and some others
cruelly murdered. In all this danger, however,
our hearts were lighter for having got rid of our
perverse guide, and we determined, in case we
were attacked, to make a brave defence, since we
were equally (indeed more) sure of being put to
death if we made no resistance. We arranged
the method and plan of defence, and resolved to
make a rampart of our carriages, and to shelter
ourselves behind them. We admonished our
Tartars not to go too hastily to work, and to
spare the lives of the enemy as much as possible ;
but, above all things, not to trust in their own
strength, but, while each did his part, to commend
the result to God, and to trust in His help.
In the latter part of the afternoon, we came
upon a road, and perceived traces, first of one
horse, then of two, three, and at last of four.
We were not a little afraid that some of the ban
ditti of Otschir's horde had gone before us, to
lie in ambush, with their comrades, in some con
venient spot; or, that our runaway guide had
fetched a gang of robbers from some hiding-place

186
in one of the dry channels. Some time after, wc
saw a horseman at a little distance, who crossed
our course and rode towards a channel which is
called Sergesta, and runs into the Don. As we
were very much in want of information about the
situation of the horde to which we were going, I
followed him, and happily caught him before he
reached the channel, to which he was making his
escape, supposing that we were enemies. I learnt
from him, that we were in the direct road to the
Erkcdan camp. At sunset we watered our horses
at an arm of the Sergesta, and, on leaving it, un
accountably lost our road, and tried in vain to
find it again. At first we hoped it was only hid
by the long grass near the channel, and that we
should soon see it again, but in vain. . There
was nothing left for us, but to direct our course
by the stars, and travel wearily onwards over the
dreary Steppes, without a path, and with the
constant apprehension of being overtaken by
robbers. After some time, we were stopped by
a stream, with high steep banks, and the moon
playing on the water between them. We were,
of course, obliged to go round by its source, as
we afterwards did to other streams, which were

187
all flowing towards the Don. In some of the
channels we could see, by the faint light of the
moon, that wells had been dug; others were
full of water. We guessed, from the course of
these channels, that we had got too far to the
right, and, for fear of losing ourselves still more
completely, we determined to take up our quarters
for the night in the first grassy place we came to.
This was at eleven o'clock, and we then perceived
that we had wandered so far from the road that
it would not be easy for robbers to find us. We
kept watch, nevertheless, the whole night through.
and held ourselves in readiness for an attack ; but
He, without whose consent not a hair could fall
from our heads, watched over us also. We rose
from our couch joyous and thankful to see the
morning light in safety.
It was the 14th of July, and the text for the day
accorded exactly with our perilous situation, "Be
hold I send you forth as sheep amongst wolves ;'"
yet we were able to unite with our whole hearts in
the chorus—" He is our help and shield," which
was also a part of the service. After some con
sideration, we directed our course S.S.E., in which
quarter we thought that the Erkedans must be

188
encamped. At a distance I spied a few Tartar
grave-hillocks, which are always placed on an emi
nence, and I therefore concluded that there was
cither a channel or a valley behind them ; to ascer
tain this, I rode to the spot, and as I drew near,
an immence valley opened before me. It was (as
I afterwards learned) the Yaschkelihn Tungata,
which winds in various directions amongst the
ridges of hills, and is at last lost amongst the
heights at an almost immeasurable distance. On one
of the nearest hills which commanded the valley,
three cranes were singing their joyous morning
song, and on another a murderous eagle was watch
ing for prey. Afar off, were Calmuc huts, and
numerous herds grazing over the valleys and hills,
while the whole rich landscape was gilt with the
bright rays of the morning sun. For a moment
I thought I was in my native land, at the foot of
the Giant's' mountain, till I noticed a Calmuc on
horseback, who reminded me that I was a wanderer
on the Astracan Steppes. A truant camel which
he was pursuing had led him into the heights:
from him I learnt that the Erkedan horde was
in the valley below, and when our carriages had
come up to us, he pointed out at a distance the

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189
road which led to the camp, and which we had
yesterday unaccountably missed. Relieved from
our anxieties and painful uncertainty, we con
tinued our journey with pleasure, and arrived
about eleven o'clock at the Kura * of the Er
kedan s.
The horde of the Erkedes (or the free), of
Torgud race, and estimated at 1000 tents, or
famihes, is entirely dependent upon Russia, and is
governed by Saissangs, or nobles of its own body,
appointed by the Russian emperor, who derives
no advantage from this part of his possessions.
As there is here no Oergo (or prince's court), the
Kura, or circle of ecclesiastical huts surrounding
the Lama, may be considered as the centre or
head-quarters of the encampment, and one of the
Saissangs in command, is usually residing in this
* The word kura signifies a circle,) or something that
surrounds,) but it is more particularly applied to the huts
of the ecclesiastics surrounding the Churuls, or idol temples.
The Chinese station on the Russian frontier, which is men
tioned in German geographical works, under the name of
" Kura, the residence of a high Lama and vice khan," is only
one of these kuras. Thus, the capital of the famous Genghis
Khan, which is known in history under the name of Kai-a-
korum, was originally Chara Kura, or, in the Tartar dialect,
Kara Kura, the circle of the Blacks, or common people.

190
Kura. In all the Calmuc hordes, the administra
tion of public affairs, which is divided between
the princes and the superior priests, is transacted
within, this circle.
We experienced from the Saissang Memo, a
fine young man whom wc found in this Kura, the
utmost respect and friendship that we could, expect
in a Calmuc horde. Before he had finished read
ing the letter from Count Ncsselrode, he gave
orders that a large handsome tent from the Kura
should be made ready for us, at a little distance,
and he took every possible precaution about
getting our cars (which were heavily laden with
books,) over a bog called Yaschkel, which it was
necessary that they should cross. When our tent
was pitched, he went himself with some of his
nobles to welcome us to it, and treated us with
biscuits and brandy, which were here to be had at
the bazaar.
The camels, in the mean time, were bringing
Meme's own tent, which he ordered to be pitched
close by ours, that he might always be accessible
to us. When we had explained to him more fully
the document which he had read, ho gave notice
to the people of our arrival, and of the object of

^s»

191
our visit ; those who were in our neighbourhood
immediately crowded to us for books, which the
governor distributed in part with his own hand,
to encourage the people to receive them without
fear. Very soon, however, some of the Mandschi
came weeping back, with their books, because the
Gellongs had chastised them for receiving them ;
and the Gellongs themselves appeared in front of
our hut, but with such anxious countenances, that
Memo feared the Lama's displeasure, and com
municated his apprehensions to us. We requested
him, upon this, to accompany us to the Lama's
hut, which he did the following day, the 15th of
July. He had previously paid a visit to the Lama
himself, and he brought us word, that the Lama
was very uneasy, and feared we should make
them all into Russians. He had been displeased
also with the respect which Meme had shown us,
and had reproached him a little on this head.
When we visited the Lama, we were desirous of
presenting him with a copy of our books, but he
was too timid to accept it ; he complained also of
his old and bad eyes, which prevented him from
reading. As wc knew that his example would
have great weight, we pressed him to receive a

192
copy for the Gellongs, that the design of the Em
peror might not be frustrated, and that they might
have an opportunity of examining the contents of
the Gospel ; we cited the conduct of Bakschi
Sahma as a precedent for him, — he however main
tained, that they wished to abide by their old re
ligion, and wanted no other,— that, in the mean
time, they should always remain good and peace
able subjects, and pray for the Emperor and the
welfare of the kingdom, in their own way. We
were forced to return with our books, without dis
posing of one of them.
We were told by the governor, on this occasion,
that an Ukase had been sent to them the year be
fore, in which it was represented to the Calmucs,
that inasmuch as " they had formerly been a great
and mighty people, and were now few and incon
siderable, this was the consequence of their re
ligion (which they had not anciently professed) and
which had no power to render them prosperous.
That they should consider, on the other hand,
what a great and mighty nation the Russians
formed, which was owing to the purity of their faith,
for which reason they also should adopt the Chris
tian religion, that they might become again a great

J ;

193
nation, and for this purpose they should unite
more closely with the Russians." Memo added,
that they had not been able to agree amongst
themselves on this subject ; that some of them
wished to embrace the overture, and others ob
jected. We were still more convinced from this account,
that there was no encouragement for missionaries
of other denominations amongst the Calmucs at
present ; as the national established Church, ac
cording to the declaration of the Synod in 1728,
reserved the conversion of the Calmucs exclusively
for itself.
When we returned from the Lama, we visited,
out of curiosity, the three great Churuls in the
Kura, at which the priests were making a most
terrific din, whether because an evil spirit reigned
on that day, or because they thought their re
ligion in danger from us, we could not determine.
At all events, they beheld us on this occasion
with dread and horror, and nobody vouchsafed
us one friendly glance. Besides those contained
in the head Kura, we were told of ten Churuls
scattered about with the rest of the horde. The
behaviour of the Lama, and of his priests, soon
o

194
had its effect on the people. Nobody now came
to ask us for books, and those whom the governor
strove to encourage, replied, " Why should we
take books more than the other hordes ?" Here,
again, the priests formed the great barrier against
the spread of the Bible. Bakschi Sahma alone
had not attempted to thwart our endeavours.
As experience had now shown that there was less
possibility of disseminating the Scriptures amongst
the Calmucs than we had expected, and there was
no reason to suppose that our large provision of
books would be more wanted in other hordes than
they had been in these ; as our horses, besides,
were jaded, and our cars coming to pieces, we
sent a large chest of books (by a Zaritzin mer
chant) back to Sarepta, where they arrived
in safety, but were consumed on the 9th of
August in the great fire. The merchant to
whom we committed them had been seized and
plundered by robbers a few days before, in the
very spot where we lost our road, and it was
only after many prayers, and at the intercession
of one of the gang, that they suffered him to
escape with life, His hands, feet, and back, were

195
blue and swollen with the blows he had received,
and I therefore gave him some of our stock of
healing plaster and spirits of camphor. Another
merchant (from Astracan), had left this place, on
his way [home, the day but one before, because
he felt ill, and had died on the steppes, a little
way off. All the Russians who were residing
at this time in the camp rode out towards even
ing to be present at his interment. At sunset
we perceived, by the hoarse rustling noise from
a distance, that a swarm of locusts was in the
neighbourhood, and a huge army of them soon
broke in at the north-east end of the valley, in
such numbers that they darkened the air. It
appeared as if they designed to settle on the
Kura, which threw the priests (who, perhaps,
considered it a bad sign, that the swarm had
passed over our tent and Meme's,) into the great
est alarm. They set up a hideous shout, and the
Mandschi ran about howling and wafting clothes
amongst the hovering locusts. Fortunately they
succeeded, by this means, in dispersing most of
their unbidden guests.
In the evening we visited some poor little
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196
chapels in the neighbourhood, which were built
of stone and clay, in honour of some of the prin
cipal Gellongs.
On the 16th of July, a new swarm of locusts
came rustling from the west; they entered the
¦valley in a thick body, twenty or thirty feet deep,
close over the ground, and a thousand paces in
width. Part of them settled, in spite of all the
clamour of the Calmucs, between the bazaar and
the governor's hut, in thick masses, piled upon
one another, and the remaining myriads continued
to swarm in the air. All the opposition of the
Calmucs was now unavailing ; the locust only rose
rapidly into the air, and settled again in a moment.
A hundred cossacks and an officer arrived this
day from Tscbornoijah, on their way to Caucasus.
Memo, who had begun to confide in us, asked our
advice as to how he should behave, for no soldiers
had been at the place since he was governor. We
advised him to make friends of the officer, and, if
he should ask for guides, (which, as it turned out,
he did,) to comply without hesitation. In the
evening we had a visit from this officer, who was
a gentlemanly man, and well acquainted with the
Bible-Society. He got Meme to show him the

197

Minister's letter, which was written both in the
Russian and Calmuc languages; and he testified
much respect for the operations of the Bible-
Society. He encouraged Meme as much as he
was able, to concur in the promulgation of the
Scriptures, in compliance with the will of the
Emperor, and the requisition which had been sent
to the hordes. " If they did not want to read the
books now," he said, " they could keep them till
they did." The Lama sent us a vessel of tschigan
this evening, because he heard that we drank it ;
and he repeated this acceptable gift the next
day. On the 17th of July, the cossacks continued their
march. The same day a Mandschi fetched one of
our books ; he was the first of the priests who
applied, and the last person who came on that
errand. On the 18th of July, we left the encampment to
proceed to the second governor of the horde, who
was stationed a few days' journey more to the east,
to whom Memfe provided us with guides. When
we had taken a friendly leave of Meme and his
family, who were at some little distance from the
Kura, we came to a group of huts, and the elder,

198
according to the Calmuc custom, presented us with
a cup of milk and brandy, without delaying our
journey. Our guide had been revelling the night
before at a marriage-supper, and was so overcome
with sleep and weariness, after his hard drinking,
that he could hardly sit on his horse. As we had
a plain way before us, we let him lie in one of the
carts, where he contrived to lose his cap, and was
forced to travel bare-headed, till he could procure
another from a Calmuc.
We quartered for the night on a high grave-
l»"ock by the Yaschkel water, and killed a sheep,
which our guide, by order of the governor, had
taken from a Calmuc, and which supplied us
with supper. As there was no firing in the
neighbourhood, we were forced to supply its place
with the fat tail of the sheep, or, I should rather
say, with the bundle of fat (sometimes twenty
pound in weight) which occupies the place of the
tad, and with the rest of the fat from the beast
we had killed, which gave out prodigious heat
when it was kindled. On the banks of the Yasch
kel we found zygophyllum fabago in great abun
dance, as also another salt herb, the peganum
harmala.

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199
On the 19th of July, which was brother Schill's
birth-day, we set off at six in the morning. After
travelling fifty versts, through a district which,
like that we had crossed the preceding day, was
covered with locusts, we prepared our night's
lodging without water either for ourselves or our
horses. On the 20th of July, after a journey of
four hours, we reached the Ulahan Chuduk, or
Red Wells, where we stayed some hours, and re
freshed ourselves and watered our horses. These
wells are in a large sand-hill, like those we after
wards came to, and contain pretty good water.
The sand was one half of it broken muscle- shells.
While we stayed at the wells, our guide rode on to
ascertain where the governor was encamped, and
whether he was at home. On his return, he seemed
somewhat embarrassed, pointed out a new course,
and, after we had proceeded a few versts, ran
away from us, under a pretence of going to some
neighbouring huts to borrow a cloak. Wc after
wards discovered that he had been to the govern
or's tent, and, as the Gellongs were averse to our
coming, and the governor himself was from home,
they had persuaded the guide to direct us wrong,
and then to make his escape, that we might not find

200
our way to the camp. After waiting in vain for the
return of our guide, we dined, and then continued
our journey, without suspicion, in the direction
which had been pointed out to us. After some
time we saw, by means of the optical delusion,
which has been already described, a very distant
prospect on our right, which, when examined
with a telescope, looked like tents and camels;
and, as we saw it gradually more distinctly, we
held a consultation, and changed our course to
wards that spot. It was a chottun, or small col
lection of tents. The elder informed us, that the
governor, Narran Ubaschi, with his Kura, was
farther still to the right, not far from the Char-
gaihn-Chuduk (Pine-wells). We arrived there
at eight in the evening. The governor was not
at home, but was gone with fifteen armed Calmucs
in pursuit of a troop of Truchmenes, who, from
their station at more than a hundred versts dis
tance, had undertaken a marauding expedition
against the Kura, and the day before carried off
five camels, The poisonous spider, which I have
so often had occasion to mention,— the bellbussun
chara, or black widow, --was exceedingly pre
valent here. The Calmucs had killed some hun-

201
dreds of them in the few days before we arrived ;
and I found, on the 21st of July, in a few hours,
and in a space of hardly forty yards in diameter,
close to our quarters, no less than thirty. They
harbour chiefly under the tufts of wormwood, and
about the bones, which are always to be found
near a Calmuc habitation, and also at the mouth
of the deserted nests of the mus citellus, where
they collect a sort of bed of leaves. The Pine-
tree Wells, like the Red Wells, are situated in a
broad basin of muscle-shell sand. Pines there
are none in the neigbourhood, nor is any species
of fir to be met with on the steppes, or in any
part of southern Russia. Probably these wells
were so called by the Calmucs, because they had
been in former times boarded at the sides with
pine by the Tartars, and the wood for the pur
pose might have been brought on the Volga from
northern Russia, as it is at this day. Fragments
of tiles are still to be found in the sand, and
appear also to have been used in forming the
wells. Near them are many large grave-hills,
upon and within which we occasionally saw sio-ns of
masonry, betokening a more advanced population
at some former period. Calmuc and Tartar tra-

202

tli tion ascribes those works, of which few vestiges
now remain, to the great Dschani Beg Chan, who
resided at Aktubah, took the appellation of Sultan
Dschani Beg Chan the Just, and died in 1357.
In an old well in this neighbourhood, which the
Calmucs cleared out some years ago, they are
said to have found a Tartar arba in a state of
petrifaction. Similar cases, as we were elsewhere
told, have been found in the Kuma Morass. That
the saltness of the soil may have contributed to
the preservation of the wood is the more probable,
as something of the same sort has been experienced
in the Volga fishery, where a great quantity of
fish is laid in salt, and all the wood-work which
is exposed to the action of the salt lake becomes
hardened and incapable of decay. As nobody
here would receive our books, and the priests and
laity made the usual excuses, we were soon de
sirous of proceeding on our journey, and with
much difliculty we at last prevailed upon the
governor's family, on the 22nd of July, to pro
vide us with a guide; and, as our horses were
exceedingly exhausted with the long journey over
the steppes, rendered still more barren by swarms
of locusts, we were also to be furnished with an

203
additional horse for my riding. Before our de
parture, on the 23rd, we wished to leave books
for the governor, but we could not by any means
persuade his family to receive them. We were
hindered from setting off as early as we wished,
because our guide was forced to stay till eight
o'clock to help a .camel which had fallen into a
well J

«04

CHAPTER IX.
VISIT TO THE YANDYKSCHAN HORDE, AND
TO THE PRINCESS NADMID, ON THE 23RD
AND 24TH OF JULY.
On our way to the neighbouring horde of the
Yandyks, we passed at first over some districts of
red clay, which did not afford a blade of Calmuc
grass. Here and there pools of water were stand
ing on the surface ; but where it was dry, the
ground was glazed like ice, and was so hard
that our carriages made no impression upon it.
There can be no doubt that, in such situations,
reservoirs might easily be formed to hold water, if
the Calmucs were not so incredibly lazy, and if
they knew how to make the most of their steppes.
On our journey, we killed a serpent a fathom long,

205

and as thick as my arm, and, on opening it, we
found an entire Souslik. We arrived at the Orgo
(or court) of the Yandykschan horde, about two
o'clock in the afternoon, after having weathered a
heavy storm, with violent showers of rain. This
horde, which is also a branch of the Torguds, was
then governed by a young widow, the Princess
Nadmid. She was a Derbodian Princess, and had
married the late Sandsehi Ubaschi, father of the
Torgud Zerren Ubaschi. The horde she com
manded was supposed to consist of one thousand
tents. Ubaschi opposed her claim to the govern
ment ; but she was secretly supported by the Der
bodian Princes, who carry on a perpetual feud
with Zerren Ubaschi. The head-quarters were
then in a wide valley, enclosed by two long narrow
ridges of hills, on one of which were two beau
tiful chapels, (a stone and a wooden one,) the monu
mental memorials of two old Lamas. The other
ridge is formed of fine yellow sand full of shells,
with a few steep upright masses of clay. In the
large hollow, or basin, at the top of this ridge, are the
Black-willow Wells, from which the place receives
its name of Udun-Chuduck. There are three old
willows near the well, into the trunk of which the

206
larva of the geotrupes nasicomis had worked their
way, in great, numbers, and been followed by a
family of woodpeckers, (picus major,) who had
built their nests here. These trees were the first
we had seen since we had left the Volga, at
Tschornoijah, two months before, and they were
the last we met with on the' interior steppes, which
do not afford even a bush. On account of the rarity
of trees in these parts, the willows are esteemed
sacred by the Calmucs, and nobody would dare to
break off a twig of them. Cotton flags, inscribed
with Tangud prayers, were hung on some of the
boughs, that they might bring blessings upon the
neighbourhood, whenever they were shaken by the
wind. We waited upon the Princess the day we
arrived, and found her in the cleanest and hand
somest habitation that we had yet beheld amongst
the Calmuc princes. We had no recommendatory
letter from the Minister to present to her, but we
were nevertheless received in a most friendly man
ner, and when we had explained the purport of
our visit, she begged us to come to her again the
next morning. When we returned to our car
riages, we found a sheep, which she had sent us,
and we were invited to occupy the hut of the

207

Pristaw, who was absent, as it seemed likely to
rain. We availed ourselves of the offer, and sent
the usual presents to the Princess.
On the 24th of July, when we visited her again,
and offered our books, the Princess at first showed
some disinclination to receive them, and said she
had enough to do to study her own Nomen, and
did not wish for a new one. She made the books
over to an attendant, and continued telling the
beads of her rosary. By and by, when she had
made farther inquiries, whether Zerren Ubaschi
had received our books, and whether the Derbo
dians received them, and we told her that her bro
ther, the Derbodian Dschamte, was a good friend
of mine, and that the Derbodian Gellongs had
fetched numbers of these books from Sarepta, she
changed her mind about the matter, and asked us,
why we had not told her all that at first. The
consequence was, that she desired her subjects to
receive our books without any hesitation, and we
distributed here, during our visit of less than two
days, as many volumes as we had left behind in all
the other hordes through which we had travelled.
In the afternoon, we saw the ecclesiastical
Kura, consisting of a great number of huts, and

1208

containing many Churuls, remarkable for their
beauty and riches. The number of priests, of all
ranks, who inhabit this Kura, was variously stated,
but all agreed that it exceeded three hundred.
We meant to have visited the old Lama, but as he
was asleep, we went to see the most distinguished
of the Churul-huts, which the Gellongs showed
us with uncommon friendliness and good-will.
When they heard that we understood the repre
sentations of their idols, they took out a number
of large rolls of them out of a chest by the altar, ¦
and hung them up to try our skill. Amongst
others, they showed us one very gaily-coloured
old picture, which differed exceedingly from all
the rest, and was quite unknown to us. This had
been brought from China a great while ago, and
was as inexplicable to the Calmucs as it was to us.
On account of its singularity, it was placed next to
the altar. Had a Paul been present, he mio-ht
have been roused (as of old at Athens) by the
ignorance and idolatry of the people, to proclaim
to them the true and unknown God. It was ours
to be mindful of the injunction we had received,
and to confine ourselves solely to the distribution
of the Scriptures, without attempting any other

209
instruction. On our return we were visited by a
multitude of Gellongs, Gezulls, and Manschis, as
also by several of the laity, who could read, and
all wished for books.
Agreeable as our stay here might be, in conse
quence of the friendly reception we had met with,
we could not protract it, unless we intended that
our poor horses, who were already almost worn
out with the journey, should die of hunger: the
whole valley and the surrounding country had
been stripped of vegetation, to the very roots, by
armies of locusts. The Calmucs had sent all
their cattle to a distance, and the tschigan, which
was necessary for the court and the priests, was
transmitted from thence. Water also was scarce,
and our Tartars were at first forbidden to water
the horses, till they persuaded the Calmucs that
they were on government business, and then they
not only got the water, but prevailed on the Cal
mucs to bring it to them. We suffered our
selves from a scarcity of provisions. For a W
time we had had no other food than Calmuc tea
and sheep's flesh,— seldom fresh, but drawn out iu
square lumps from our prog-bag, and eaten with
out rice or bread. During our residence in
v

210

211

Otschir's horde, we had found means to buy some
meal, which we kneaded into a sort of heavy
dough in our horse-trough, and of this we had
made a few cakes -with the fat of our sheep. By
this means, we had a number of portable lumps, or
balls, which rattled like nuts in the bag which
carried them, but they were soon despatched, and
left us as badly off as before. In the Erkedan
horde we had bought some brandy, because our
former stock had either gone bad or been given to
Dschirgal. In these circumstances, it was very
fortunate for us that we here found an opportunity
of purchasing a small provision of rice, which was
one of our greatest necessaries.

CHAPTER X.
JOURNEY TO THE BAGAN-ZOCHER HORDE, FROM
THE 25TH OF JULY TO THE 6TH OF AUGUST.
After we had taken leave of the Princess
Nadmid, on the 25th of July, we set off with a
faithful guide, and a horse which had been pro
vided for us, in a north-west direction to the
horde of the Bagan-zochers. On the way we
found some curious insects, and amongst others
a species of mantis, which I had never seen be
fore, and ought to describe. It is something
like the mantis pauperata of Fabricius, but it
is distinguished by a remarkable projection on
its head. The singular tribe of the mantis is
styled by the Calmucs, morini zarra, (horse locust)
though they are not, in fact, locusts at all, but prey
upon other insects. As they often put themselves
into a praying attitude while they perch on the

»<-. V"**

212
plants waiting for victims, the Turks call them
Imans, and fancy that they always turn their faces
towards Mecca.
Another very curious insect, which was known
to antiquity, may be found here in great abund
ance — the cicada -plebeia. The alis noubara,
(one of which we shot this day and enjoyed for our
dinner,) is also an object of attention to naturalists.
This creature is not often to be met with here,
and more properly belongs to Arabia. At half-
past eight in the evening, we prepared our quarters
for the night, by the first of the Tohstu Chuduk,
or dusty wells, of which there were two. On
the 26th, after two hours' journey, we came to the
second of these ; and we dined, at half after ten,
at the Dolon Tangcha Chuduk. Three hours
after we left it, we came to the Burdschin Tangcha
Chuduk ; and at half-past eight in the evening,
after leaving on one side, at the distance of a verst,
the Tobihn Tangcha Chuduk, (this word Tangcha
we never could get properly translated,) we arrived
at the Zembel Gelonggihn Tangcha Chuduk,
where we passed the night. All these wells, like
those before mentioned, and all we found between
here and the Volga, are formed in basins of sand.

21 '3
On this day's journey our horses were changed at
every little group of huts, as if we were posting;
and we had therefore, besides our guide, a fresh
companion every time we changed horses. This
method of posting is used amongst the Calmucs,
by those who travel on behalf of any of the princes,
and by such of the Russian Government officers,
as may choose to avail themselves of it. It is the
custom with the owners of the horses, never to
bring them up for use on these occasions, but to
let the traveller catch them himself out of the
herd, with a noose, so that it depends upon his
own luck and skill what sort of a beast he may
get. If a horse is caught, the owiicr follows very
quietly (perhaps an hour after,) and receives it, at
the next post, without asking for any payment.
At this place the horses were particularly wild,
and it was only after a long chase, that we suc
ceeded in noosing a fine large one ; the owner of
the last, who was a Gezull, was then dismissed.
After dark, when we were preparing our supper,
two armed Calmucs rode in amongst our horses,
who were grazing. Our guide immediately sus
pected their intent, and went to stop them. They
might have pleaded necessity, but they were guilty

214

of falsehood and deceit. In consequence of this
attempt, our guide desired to have a watchman
from one of the huts near the well, It happened
that the men were most of them gone to look after
their cattle, or to pursue some thieves of the horde
of Zerren Ubaschi; so we had a Gellong for our
watchman, and he discharged his office with great
fidelity, as our guide had previously informed
him that he was to be responsible for any loss or
damage. On the 27th of July, we proceeded on our jour
ney, accompanied by another Gellong, after giving
our guide leave to return (as we were now very
near the Bagan-Zocher horde,) and furnishing
him, according to our agreement with the Prin
cess, with a written testimonial of his good con
duct. An hour and a half after, we reached the
Mansa Tangcha Chuduk. Here we stopped to
dine, and at one o'clock we proceeded again, leav
ing on our right the Usta Chuduk ; we travelled
till eight in the evening, when we arrived at Gas-
chogihn Burre Chuduk, where we found many old
fragments of tiles, Here we slept. On the 28th,
we set off at five o'clock, and leaving on our right
Chalgaihn Burre Chuduk, (the well of the grey

215

path,) we reached Bulchtu Chuduk at eleven
o'clock, and stopped there to dine. Two hours
after we left it, we came to the Kura of the Bagan-
zocher horde, situated between two wells, Namurd-
schin Chuduk, (the harvest well,) near which there
is a poor-looking Zaza, on the north-west, and
Burdschin Burre Chuduk, (the duck's well,) on the
south-east. We were now to deliver the fourth of
the Minister's letters tothe governor of this horde,
which contains 1700 families, and is dependent on
Russia. The rulers at that time were the Sais
sangs Onker, (brother-in-law of Prince Erdeni,)
Dschedschib, and Otschir. As they were all en
gaged till a late hour, at a state consultation in
the Kura, we could not pay them a visit that night.
On the 27th of July, at an early hour, we
waited upon the Saissang Onker, and delivered to
him in the presence of many Tartars, and some
of the Cossacks and Calmucs, the letter we had
brought from Count Nesselrode. After reading
it hastily, he inquired who wrote it, (as the Rus
sian signature had not been translated ;) how our
business had fared in the other hordes ; who paid
the expense of the journey ; what our wages were,
and whether we had given any Scriptures to the

21 «

Tartars. When we had answered all these ques
tions, which were addressed to us in an insulting-
manner, we were referred to the second governor,
Dschedschib, and Onker said he would follow us
thither to give us audience. The third governor,
Otschir, was also present on that occasion. Onker
repeated the same queries, and desired that we
would write the Minister's name upon the letter in
Calmuc characters; which we refused, and the
more, as Otschir openly accused us of forging the
letter. We told him we were willing to write the
name upon another piece of paper, but this he did
not require. We now called his attention to the
official seal on the letter, and told him, if he were
suspicious of us to such a degree as to suppose us
capable of a forgery, he had better send the letter
to the Pristaw at Tenatagewsk, who could easily
tell him who wrote the letter ; as he could not read
the Russian writing himself. Onker now addressed
us, and asked what the books were for, and what
prayers we wanted to teach them ? We replied,
that the books which wc came to offer them, con
tained God's holy Word, teaching us His will, to
our own salvation, and enabling us to walk in His
ways ; that we, therefore, desired that the Calmucs

217

also should reverence these books, and find ^alva-
tion from them, and they would then know how
and what they should pray. Onker retorted jecr-
ingly, that if the books were the word of the Most
High God, he should like to know how we hap
pened to bring them just now, and why our fore
fathers had not done it long ago, as it was not pro
per to keep any thing so precious and important
to oneself. We replied, that there was one all-
wise and omniscient God, who well knew the de
sirable season for making His word known to
them ; that as all things were guided and govern
ed by Him, He had put it into the heart of the
Emperor, to take measures for the promulgation
of the Divine Word amongst all the tribes of his
extensive empire ; and that it was therefore evi
dent, that this was the proper season for acquaint
ing the Calmucs with the Gospel. We expressed
a wish that the object of our visit should be an
nounced to the people ; to which Onker replied,
that he had read the Minister's letter in the pre
sence of a great many Tartars and Calmucs, and
that it was no doubt sufficiently known already ;
but he consented to announce it further, which,
however, he never did.

218

-T

219

In the afternoon, we visited the Lama, a hearty
sexagenarian. When he had heard our business,
he advised us to distribute books amongst the
nobles and heads of the horde. We replied, that
the Gospel was given not merely for the high and
noble, but for the poor, both of priests and laity 5
that the religion of Jesus was not merely the re
ligion of the Russians or of the Germans, but de-
signed from the first for the whole human race.
" It is just so with ours," said a Gellong who was
present ; " our religion is for the whole world."
" Good," said I ; " let us examine ; we Christians
hate darkness, and are always ready to search out
what is good : give us some of your theological
works, that we may learn the foundation of your
religion, and do you take ours in return, and see
what is the spirit and character of them — then we
can discuss the matter farther." They had no
inclination to do this, and they remained in si
lence. Here again we were reproached for not
having brought the Gospel till now. We replied,
that this also was written in the counsel of the
great God ; that our ancestors, a thousand years
ago, had a different religion, and trusted, like
themselves, in many gods ; but that when the

Gospel was preached to them, they cast off' their
many idols, and believed in the one God, of whom,
and by whom, are all things, and to whom alone
Christians pray. The Lama expressed his appro
bation of what we had said, exclaiming, " Fine,
fine." He desired that we would show our books
to his Gellongs, and- wished us success.
On the 30th of July the governors were too
much occupied with affairs of state to attend to
us much, because Onker was about to set off for
the Calmuc council of eight judges. They took,
however, one copy of the Gospels and Acts of the
Apostles for the use of the three.
The Calmuc council, which is called the Nai-
man Sarga, or eight judges, consists of eight Cal
mucs chosen from the hordes as deputies, who,
under the presidency of the High Pristaw, admi
nister justice to the hordes ; as they also direct
the foreign affairs of the nation, (through the me
dium of the High Pristaw,) they may be considered
as the organ of government, both for internal and
foreign concerns. The powerful horde of the
Derbodians has the privilege of choosing three of
these judges out of its own body; other hordes
elect one, and of those still smaller, two are repre-

220
sented by the same judge and counsellor. There
ought also to be a Russian charge-d'affaires in each
horde, in the capacity of Vice-Pristaw, whose of
fice it is to transact Government business, and act
for the Pristaw, but (as I have already mentioned)
these officers were absent at the time of our journey
to the hordes. This evening the sun set without
any splendour, which is a sign of great drought.
When we waited on the y-overnor on the 31st of
July, we were asked whether those who took our
books would receive money or pay it, and whe
ther we should write down the name of the recipi
ents. We told them that the books would be
given gratis to those who wished for them, and
were able to read them ; and that we should merely
make a list of the governors, or princes of the dif
ferent hordes, and how many books we had dis
tributed in each of their hordes. This worked
upon them so far, that in the afternoon we were
sent for to the governors, who were sitting in
council with some Gellongs and elders ; they
showed us a sketch of a circular letter, which
was to be sent round to their subjects on
our behalf, and which we found quite satis
factory. The governors then desired us to set

f

down that they had taken two volumes of our
books. As this neighbourhood had also been de
vastated by locusts, (who extended their ravages
from here to the Crimea,) and our horses were so
extenuated that some of them were unable to
stand ; we sent this day, the first of August, to the
Russian village of Kopanowskaja, for oats for our
horses, and provisions for ourselves. In the even
ing, we were visited by some inquisitive Gellongs,
but they did not ask for our books. During the
night, we had a violent tempest, with pouring
rain, and the storm threatened every moment to
overturn our tent. Towards the evening of the
2nd of August, the governor Dschedschib paid us
a visit, and told us that Onker was gone to the
eight judges, and that the High Pristaw was ex
pected that night. We thought it extraordinary.
that he was so communicative all at once, when he
had not visited us before, and we suspected that
no good would come of it. On the 3rd, the High
Pristaw Kachanof was expected early in the morn
ing, and a tent was pitched for his use between
us and the Kura, His secretaries occupied a se
cond tent, his attendants a third, and a fourth was
allotted for his kitchen. He came with his wife,

OQo>

22rj

in a very handsome carriage, with three coaches
full of his suite, and accompanied by a small guard
of Cossacks. He had accomplished this journey
from the Derbodians, without any regular road,
and with Calmuc horses unused to harness, of
whom he employed more than thirty at once. We
immediately waited upon this gentleman, and were
received with great respect and kindness, and
invited to breakfast, dinner, and supper, so that
we were to spend the whole day with him. Our
table was laid across a camp-bedstead, and the
company, who sat round it cross-legged on Russian
carpets, were the High Pristaw himself and his
wife, a Pristaw from Tenalajewsk belonging to
the Bagan-zocher horde, two Cossack officers, two
Russian secretaries in uniform, and a German se
cretary out of uniform, who acted as our inter
preter, making, with Brother Schill and myself, ten
persons. No interpreters of the Calmuc language
were present. Kachanof asked us, amongst other
questions, how many missionaries from the esta
blishment at Sarepta were now amongst the Cal
mucs, for he had read in some newspaper that the
United Brethren had eight missionary-stations in
the Calmuc hordes; (a false statement which

had been copied from the Hamburgh papers into
the Russian.) Also, whether the Calmucs received
our overtures willingly. We informed him, as to
the first of these queries, that we had not a single
missionary station amongst the Calmucs ; that our
object in this journey was not to preach to the
people, but simply and solely (as he might see by
the Minister's letter) to distribute the Scriptures.
He then inquired about the disposal of the books,
where and how we had given the greatest number.
He said, if he had leisure to undertake the business,
he should set about it very differently ; distribute
more than a thousand books in a few months, and
baptize five hundred or more of the Calmucs ; he
would answer for it, that the true way was not
to preach to them too much beforehand, but to
give them a few books, particularly little tracts,
and when they had read these, to baptize them.
The people, he said, were ignorant, and did not un
derstand long-winded addresses. They must first
go to school ; and he then told us of a Russian and
Calmuc hornbook, with creed and commandments
annexed, which he said was already at the press
in Astracan for the purpose. This would be of
additional use, because it would teach the Russian

J-

OOJ,

language. As for Catholics and Lutherans, he
maintained that they would never make any way
with the Calmucs ; they were too foreign for them,
but the Russian established church would find it
easier, because the Calmucs are more sociable with
the Russians. As he repeated the last assertion
with some emphasis, we told him, that the United
Brethren had never attempted to effect a general
national conversion of a whole idolatrous people ;
that their endeavour was only to collect such indi
vidual souls, as, by their humble services, might
have been won to the Christain faith, into a little
church of Christ, and to receive them as such.
Kachanof then complained of the barbarism of the
Calmucs who had been baptized into the Russian
Church, declaring, that they were not a hair bet
ter than their heathen countrymen, and that this
was doubtless owing to the entire want of Russian
teachers and ministers for the converts. Five-and-
twenty families, who had been baptized, had been
lost again amongst the heathens, and he had never
been able to find them. He then inquired after
the Calmuc settlers on our land at Sarepta, how
many there were, and whether they had been bap
tized. He thought they only stayed there because

225
they got money from us and paid no taxes. To
this we replied, that these settlers not only received
no money, or other assistance from us, but that
they were compelled punctually to transmit the tax
they owed to their prince, by the hands of the
Sareptan Governors ; that they remained solely for
the purpose of building themselves up in the faith
without molestation, which they would not have
been suffered to do amongst their own countrymen;
and that when they were thoroughly established
in the Christian doctrine, they would be baptized
&c. We took the opportunity of asking him for
a permit for these settlers, that they might remain
on the Sareptan land in peace and safety. To this
he first replied, that the Sareptan Governors must
apply to him in writing ; but when we inquired
more particularly, whether such an application
would avail, he said, after a little consideration, that
it would not do to grant a permit, and that those
of our settlers who were Derbodians, must go home
to their horde, for the Prince had demanded them
from himself over and over again : " Your Derbo
dians," added he, "must take care of themselves, or
their countrymen will carry them off, some day or
other." 9

226
On the 4th of August, Kachanof sent for us,
and for some of our books, and we dined with him.
After we had left the table, many of the princi
pal Calmucs came to transact business with the
High Pristaw, amongst them was an eminent Gel
long. Kachanof ordered a plate of confectionary
to be set before him, and then showed him a list of
Calmuc names, which, he explained to him through
the interpreter, was an account of the subscribers
to the Bible Society. We observed amongst them,
many Saissangs of different hordes. The poor
Gellong was utterly bewildered in this affair, so
new to him ; did not know why the money was col
lected, or what could induce the Calmucs to sub
scribe for the support of a foreign religion, of which
they were wholly ignorant. The interpreter made
short work of the matter, and chiefly insisted upon
the sums which had been given by those of the Gel-
long's rank, by which he was at last induced to have
his name set down for five roubles ; he was after
wards obliged to add ten more, before he was clear
of the matter. The High Pristaw then gave him
two copies of our books, as also to the Bagan Rocher
judge, who was there as one of the Council of Eight.
One of these Calmucs had just subscribed fifteen

227
roubles to the Bible Society ; and the other, as
we were informed, five-and-twenty ; but they could
neither of them be prevailed upon to receive the
books. The High Pristaw would not consent to
resume them, but set off forthwith (with ourselves
and his two interpreters) to the Lama, to canvass
again for the Bible Society. All tlie way we went,
the Gellong pursued us with entreaties that the
Pristaw would take back the books. We found
the Lama more resolute. The old man was as
firm as a rock in his determination that he would re
ceive none of our books; and the Pristaw's eloquence
was expended upon him for two hours in vain, till
at last the High Pristaw laid two of the books on the
altar. The Lama quietly observed tha I they might
be there, but that he should take care to proclaim
that the High Pristaw had left them against his
consent. This enraged thePristaw, and he threwout
that the governors of that horde had been guilty of
mal-administration, and that they were open to a
charge of embezzlement. " If they have behaved
dishonestly, let them be punished," said the Lama,
calmly ; " they are in your hands." Kachanof re
plied that he would depose them, and choose others.
" That is contrary to precedent," said the Lama,
Q 2

228
"for the elders have always elected their gover
nors ; but," added he, " do as you please, for you
have the power in your own hands." The High
Pristaw then reproached the Lama with the poor
appearance of the Churuls, and entered upon other
topics : he asked the Lama, how old he was ? and
wished him as many years to live over again. To
which the Lama replied, " If this is decreed for
me, so may it be." The High Pristaw's proposal
that he should subscribe to the Bible Society, he
resolutely refused.
Kachanof instructed a great number of the
priests (by his interpreters) in the design of the
Gospel, with an annexed exhortation to them, to
give their support as it was fit. On the 5th of
August we had a short visit from him, and were
afterwards sent for to him, with our books. We
were then present at a state council, at which the
Saissangs and elders of the people were assembled,
with the exception of the governors, who had
been accused of fraudulent practices, and had
taken part in the disturbances of the other hordes.
They were now to be deposed, by order of the
Council of Eight, and new governors, four instead
of three, to be chosen in their stead. When this

229
was done, the governors, who were all in the
neighbourhood, were summoned to appear, their
offences were recapitulated, and they were informed
that they were now deposed, and liable to be tried
before the council. The rules and directions for
the new governors were then read aloud, after
which they were feasted in a neighbouring hut.
During, the repast, Kachanof distributed books
amongst the new governors, the Saissangs and
elders, received subscriptions for the Bible Soci
ety, and recommended to all who were present,
that they should give us their most zealous support.
In the report of the Russian Bible Society, it may
be seen that " the subscriptions from the Calmucs
in the government of Astracan, amounted to 1310
roubles, many illustrious Saissangs and elders,
with their wives and children, having contributed.
Alas! that the same hand which brought the
subscription, was so often withdrawn when it
should have received God's holy word. In the
afternoon, Colonel Kachanof took leave of us, ex
pressing a wish that we might meet again in the
Coschudan horde, and at four o'clock he left the
encampment. After his departure, the Calmucs,
who were members of the State Council, called

230

231

upon us, and stayed a few minutes, but nobody
asked for any books ; and excepting the two which
the governors had taken, we left none in this
horde but what the High Pristaw had distributed
with his own hand.
After we had taken leave of the Lama, and
explained to him as clearly as we could for what
purpose Kachanof had collected, the money, we
left the horde on the 6th of August.

CHAPTER XI.
JOURNEY ALONG THE LEFT BANK OF THE VOLGA,
FROM THE 6TH TO THE 9TH OF AUGUST.
We arrived at the Russian village of Kopa
nowskaja, on the Volga, a few hours after we set
off from the Kura. I was the more rejoiced at
the sight of this river, which we had parted from
two months before, as we had suffered very often
from want of water, and, except the old willows
at the Princess Nadmid's camp, we had never
seen a tree or bush since we left it. We refreshed
ourselves in the village with the good things it
afforded, milk, eggs, bread, &c; and to counterba
lance these comforts, we suffered much annoyance
by night from gnats and fleas. We had never
been troubled with either on the open steppes,
because the former are the offspring of the river,

232

and the latter of domestic bad management. Both
insects abound to such a degree in the Russian
villages on the Volga and Aktubah, that they were
alone sufficient to disturb our rest, though we took
care always to pass the night in the open yard, or
on the flat roof, where we were least exposed to
them : never in the houses. We could not see the
gnats in the day-time ; but immediately after sun
set, they filled the air in myriads, attacking us in
cessantly with their blood-thirsty battle song. We
protected ourselves against these tiresome enemies,
by procuring Russian gnat-tents, or nets, under
which we could sleep. They are made of a light
transparent manufacture, called Polog, in the form
of a square sack a little longer and broader than a
man. At the ends and corners of this sack, are
loops, through which strings are passed and fast
ened to the poles which are fixed in the ground
at the four corners ; and in this manner the tent is
set up. The entrance is in the long side next to
the ground, which is slit up for the purpose.
When you have pulled this opening to the side
and crept in, it is to be replaced under the bed;
and you have then secured the entrance, and placed
yourself in a strong hold, being very much in the

233

situation of a chrysalis in a cohoon. We could
protect ourselves pretty well in this manner ; but
our horses had no Pologs, and though we defended
them as well as we could, by spreading clothes
over them, they could get no rest the whole night.
On our journey the next morning (the 7th of
August,) we came' to many groups of Calmuc
huts, all belonging to the Bagan-Zochers. This
horde winters in the neighbourhood, in the mea
dows, on the shore of the Volga, and on its islands,
on crown-land, which is at present consigned to
their use. The rest of the land on the Volga,
. below Yenatajewsk, belongs in part to the terri
tory of the Russian villages, and the rest to the
Coschudan horde; higher up than Yenatajewsk,
there is a large tract of crown-land, which is now
used by the Cossacks and Calmucs. At noon we
came to Yenatajewsk ; and as we drew near a Dwor,
as the Russian inns and waggon houses are called,
we were surprised at the sight of the High Pris-
taw's secretary coming to meet us ; his business
was to invite us into the Dwor that moment, to
dine with his master, whom we little expected to
find there. We were forced to take our places
at the table, without having time to alter our

234

235

dress. Besides the Governor and some of the
principal inhabitants of the town, we found at this
dinner, Batur Ubaschi, the Coschudan prince, who
was on his way home from the Derbodian horde.
When we had dined, Colonel Kachanof and his
wife set off for the Coschudan horde in a covered
boat. The rest of the party, including ourselves,
attended him to the shore of the Volga, where he
was met by the four new governors of the Bagan-
Zocher horde, who had come from a considerable
distance. At fiveo1 clock we also left Yenatajewsk,
and at ten we reached the village of Kosikows-
kaja. We passed the night on the open road,
close to a fine pleasure-garden ; but we got no rest,
because we had not been able to pitch our mus-
quito tents. On the 8th of August, we had several
times herds of antelopes in sight, which had not
happened to us for along time before. At the vil
lage of Seroglasowskaja, where we stopped to dine,
we got our first letters from Sarepta. On leaving
Seroglasowskaja we struck off from the great road
towards the island of Schambia, from which we
could cross to the Coschudan horde, on the oppo
site shore of the Volga, in Prince Seredschab's
boats. This large island is entirely covered when

the Volga is at it highest elevation, and it is almost
impassable when the water has recently subsided,
on account of the lakes and pools, which are only
dried up by degrees. The land is intersected,
moreover, by a number of channels and ditches,
and divided into two parts by an arm of the Volga.
When we travelled on this island, it was over
grown so luxuriantly, that our coach could hardly
make its way through the tufts of wild plants.
Besides rich meadows, it affords agreeable groves
of willows and poplars.
As there was no regular road on the island, we
followed a slight track, which seemed to lead to
the part we were aiming to reach. We were several
times obliged to cross pools of water, many hundred
feet wide, which I sounded on horseback ; and on
one of these occasions we lost sight of the track,
and were left toour own conjectures. Soon after we
were stopped by a narrow channel, many fathoms
deep, at the bottom of which a little brook was
running to join an arm of the Volga : we could
not go round this brook ; so we had nothing for it,
but to cross or to return. We chose to attempt
the former, as our only chance of crossing the
Volga that night ; and we dug through the banks

23G

where they were lowest, till we thought we had
made a road for the carriages. The earth that
we had thrown into the brook during the opera
tion, was quite safe for a man to walk upon ; and
we were now to try whether it would bear horses
and carriage. To ascertain this point, I attempt
ed to cross on horseback; but it cost me dear,
and I had only Divine protection to thank, that
I escaped with my life. When I reached the
bottom of the channel, my horse, at the first step
he took, was up to his knee, and there was every
appearance, that if he took another step, he would
sink still farther. Whilst I was wavering, for an
instant, whether to turn back or to try to cross,
the horse, frightened at sinking so unexpectedly,
gave a violent spring, and at the same time reared
to get his fore-paws on the 'high bank, which he
could not possibly reach, and fell backwards with
me into the brook. The animal bad turned in
falling, in its endeavours to recover its footing,
which was then too late ; and it fell in such a posi
tion, that my head and half the upper part of my
body were between its legs. The rest of my
body, and my legs, were under the horse, whose
back was to the shore : they were pressed deeply

into the mud, and I was in danger of being
crushed in a moment. When I perceived the
state of the case, I was immediately afraid that
the horse might make another attempt to get on
its feet, which, if it did, it could hardly fail to kill
me, for it would have been all over with my poor
head. I called hastily, therefore, to my com
panions, who were petrified at the sight of my
perilous situation, and desired they would hold
the horse's legs till I could work my way out of
the mud. This plan succeeded; the horse lay
motionless till I had extricated myself, wincing
every now and then, as if he was himself afraid of
crushing me; and no sooner was I free, than he
began to shake off my companions, and immedi
ately sprang out of the morass. We could not
but acknowledge it as a special mercy that the
horse had turned in falling ; for, if it had not been
so, the high wooden pommel, which the Calmucs
always use to their saddles, would have been
driven into my breast. The mud too, though it
was the cause of the accident in the first instance,
was also instrumental in my preservation ; so that
I escaped entirely unhurt, and washed off the thick
clay in the arm of the Volga as well as I might,

238

in my haste ; my horse and saddle also under
going a purification. Warned by this unhappy
attempt to cross the channel, we now began to
make a firmer bridge of the branches which we
lopped from the trees, and thus our coach was
brought over in safety. We followed the track
of some cows through thick weeds, on to the sand
of a dry arm of the river, with here and there a
pit of water, or a small stream. We bad not ad
vanced far across this arm, before we recognised
the ruts which we had lost sight of, and these we
followed between two deep pits, in one of which
we espied a good-sized fish. Whilst we were try
ing to catch this fish, we heard a plunge ; and on
looking round to discover the cause, we perceived
that the horse in the hindmost arba, had sunk up
to the middle in a quicksand. Water was now
rising in a large hole where, the minute before, all
had appeared to be perfectly dry, and the poor
horse was plunging deeper and deeper, in a most
helpless condition. By immediate exertion, we
contrived to save the beast, and then proceeded
without troubling ourselves any more about the
fish. Soon after our second misfortune on this
unpropitious island, Batur Ubaschi seiit four of

239

his attendants to hasten us, as the Prince meant
to cross the Volga that evening. Wc passed a
wooden temple of the Calmucs on this island,
and also a large brick-kiln, where the Gellongs
have an excellent opportunity of exercising their
lazy limbs. The Prince is going to build a brick
temple, and all the work must be performed by
the Gellongs, and accompanied with prayers.
When we got to the shore of the island, Batur
Ubaschi was gone ; but, with the help of a good
deal of shouting, we persuaded the Calmuc boat
men to cross twice more, though it was already
dark; and thus our horses and two of the car
riages were landed on the opposite shore. The
old Tartar slept on the shore with the horses, and
we stayed on the island with the coach : both par
ties passed the night under thick clouds of gnats.

240

241

CHAPTER XII.
VISIT TO THE COSCHUDAN HORDE, FROM
THE 9th TO THE 13th OF AUGUST.
On the 9th of August, we crossed the Volga,
before sun-rise ; and as soon as we had paid The
tax appointed by the Prince for our horses and
carriages, we proceeded to a Russian village in the
neighbourhood, which has put itself under the pro
tection of Prince Sered-Dscheh,- and whose inha
bitants are subject to him. Here we lodged with
an old man called Alexci, in whose house our
brethren had resided during their stay in this
horde. Prince Sered-Dscheh, colonel in the Russian
army, and knight of several orders, is very per
ceptibly distinguished by bis information and

y»w™*fter

manners, from the other Calmuc Princes, and he
has already done much for the civilization of his
subjects, who fear him more than they love him,
because they regard all his attempts at ameliora
tion as so many pernicious innovations. He re
sides on the left bank of the Volga, in a large
wooden castle, thirty paces in front, which he for
tified with Russian outworks when he returned
from the French war: in the revolutionary
campaigns he commanded his own troops, and the
Torguds. His castle is well fitted up in the in
terior, and contains a number of saloons, with
mahogany furniture, lustres, mirrors, a billiard
table, piano-forte, a number of clocks, Stc. His
Court is nevertheless held on the steppes during
some part of the warm weather. When we had
changed our dress, we went to the castle and
delivered our introductory letter to the Prince,
who received us politely and kindly. Colonel
Kachanof was present likewise, and we dined at
the Prince's table with him, and part of his suite,
together with the Prince's daughters, two of his
brothers (Batur Ubaschi and Tscheringa), a young
Tartar Prince of the name of Ered-Dschab (who
had some official business), and a Russian Secre-
K

242
tary of the ' Prince's. The Princess was ill, and
we therefore did not see her. The table was set
in a summer-house, in the small but beautiful
o-arden at the back of the castle. Before dinner, a
small well turned Calmuc cup of arsa, (or treble
distilled Calmuc brandy) was handed round to the
company, with smoked salmon, Brunswick sausage,
and bread. At table we sat next the High
Pristaw, who was at the Prince's right hand ; bis
wife was on the Prince's left, next to her the
Prince's daughters, and brother, and then the
secretaries of the Prince and of the High Pristaw.
Prince Ered-Dschab sat at the bottom of the table,
and supplied the place of the mistress of the
house, in helping the dishes. Every thing was
well cooked, for amongst the Russian families,
the Prince has in his service, besides a musician
and a gardener, an excellent cook, who formerly
occupied that station in the household of a Russian
Count. Chicken soup was first set on (by the Calmuc
attendants) in a silver tureen ; then followed beef,
veal, roast mutton, and antelopes, (stuffed and
not stuffed,) with cucumbers, salad, gerkins, &c.
Wine was not forgotten : different sorts of Greek

»*""$*"r

243
wines, champagne, and other French wines, which
are here of great price, followed one after anothei .
The dessert consisted of melons, arbutus-berries,
apples and plums, from the Prince's garden,
Immediately after we left the table, coffee was
handed round, after which the company dispersed
in different directions about the garden. During
dinner, and afterwards, a band of ten or twelve
Calmucs, headed by the Russian musician, per
formed a number of German symphonies and
marches, with considerable expertness : the Prince
had procured the music for them from Peters
burgh. The conversation at table was easy and
unconstrained, generally in the Russian language,
occasionally in Calmuc or Tartar, once or twice
in German. Sered-Dscheh, who talked most,
endeavoured to turn the conversation upon such
topics as would occasion a dispute amongst the
various foreigners who were assembled at his
table; or bring into notice the religious peculi
arities of each, that he might have the amusement
of seeing how each would manage to defend his
own, without affronting his neighbour. For in
stance, we had to account for not worshipping
images, without saying any thing offensive to the
r 2

244

Russian ; the Russians were to inform him why
they undertake pilgrimages to Kiev ; .and Ered-
Dschab (who was closely watched by some Tartars
of distinction,) was to discourse of the beatitudes
in the Koran, and the prohibition of wine, to
which he himself paid no sort of attention.
Colonel Kachanof estimated the profit which the
Sareptans must make on their goods, thought little
or nothing of the labour which was expended, and
complained that the work was badly done. Sered-
Dscheh took up our defence, and sent for some
Russia leather and some raw hides, whose respec
tive prices showed that the profit of the Sareptan
tanners was not nearly so great as the Colonel had
stated — and so on. Before we took our leave,
the Prince told us that he would receive some of
our books.
On the 10th of August, we again dined at the
Prince's table, with the same company. Shortly
after, the High Pristaw and his wife set off' in
the Prince's sixteen-oared shaloupe for Astra
can, which he hoped to reach in three hours.
The whole company, and the Prince's band,
accompanied them to the shore of the Volga, and
as long as the shaloupe was in sight, the marches

245

of the musicians resounded from the shore. On
our return to the castle, the Prince desired to see
us the next day, and added that he would take
some of our books, and distribute them himself.
Just at this time, an alarm was occasioned by the
burning of some hurdles, a little way from the
castle, and the people continued to flock together
for a short time, but they soon dispersed when no
farther danger was to be apprehended. When
we got home to our lodging, we went, according
to invitation, to pay a visit to a Calmuc of our
acquaintance, and we rode through wet roads and
water to his habitation, accompanied by Andre.
In coming home after dark, we met a troop of
Kirguses, about twenty in number, who were re
turning from Astracan to the Yaik (or Ural.)
Their physiognomy resembles that of the Truch-
mems, and identifies them with the Moguls.
Andre conversed a little with them, but their
dialect was perceptibly different from that of
the Kasan Tartars, which Andre spoke. The
Calmucs frequently quarrel with them, and I
have myself seen a Calmuc who had been dread
fully wounded with the sabres of the Kirguses.
On the 11th, wc again dined with the Prince, and

246
it was agreed that he should take the whole re
sidue of our books, consisting of ninety-six copies
of the Gospels (some with, and some without the
Acts of the Apostles), and a few hundred little
tracts. On the 12th of August, the Prince sent a
messenger to fetch us and our books, and to in
vite us to dinner. He took possession of out-
stock of books, but found fault with the transla
tion, and thought he could improve it from the
Russian: his criticisms were for the most part
wholly unfounded. He also wished that the
names which were in the original language de
rivatives, (such as Apostles, Prophets, Angels, &c.)
should be translated into the Calmuc tongue, that
they might be generally understood, and that
the expressions in the tracts which are directed
against the Calmuc religion, should be softened,
so as to give no offence. We asked him for an in
troductory letter to those of his subjects who were
encamped on the left side of the Volga, (between
that and Mount Bogdo,) as we should like to visit
them on our way home ; to this he immediately
acceded, and ordered it to be drawn up, and when
it was finished he signed and sealed it. After

247
dinner the Prince Batur Ubaschi took us to his
apartment on the second story of the castle, and
showed us his collection of Turkish and Asiatic
weapons. A beautiful Turkish gun was parti
cularly remarkable, and, amongst other things,
for the inscription in gold letters on the barrel,
which Ered-Dschab- translated as follows : " The
possessor of this gun may use it without sin, and
whoever is. killed by it may immediately be re
ceived into Paradise." We saw also a small
Russian book-case, containing Karamsin's History
of Russia, a translation of Carpin's travels, in
Mongolic, and of " Abulgahsi Bakadur Chan,"
into the Russian language. Batur Ubaschi has
compared this last work with the Mogul manu
scripts, and he intends some day to print the
marginal notes which he has made.
On the 13th of August we took leave of the
Prince, thanking him for the friendly attention
he had shown us ; wc then proceeded towards
the encampment on the Aktubah. Just before
we set off, the Prince sent us a large cloth full
of fine apples, from his own garden, for us to
take with us on our journey ; which we accepted
with thanks.

248

CHAPTER XIII.
JOURNEY TO THE AKTUBAH, FROM THE 13TH
TO THE 18TH OF AUGUST.

We began our journey at noon, accompanied
by Ered-Dschab, who went in the coach with us ;
this Prince told us that his family was originally
from Bucharia, and now resident at Astracan.
During the French war, he had been adjutant to
General Termolof; after that, a merchant; and
becoming bankrupt in his first business, he is now
a tea-dealer in the Choschudan horde, with a
special permission from the Prince, to gain a ru
ble on every package; and likewise a monopoly
of the trade. Notwithstanding these privileges,
he has seldom more money than he wants, and
seldom less ; for he has, with all his levity, a little
skill in availing himself of men and affairs.

249

The country which we travelled through in the
afternoon was covered with the most luxuriant
grass, which grows up incredibly fast during the
warm weather, when the water has just run oil'
from the ground. This fertility is chiefly ser
viceable to the horde which wanders for pasture,
where the Royal or Golden Tartar Horde used
formerly to hold their station. The Blue Horde
(Kuku Orda,) encamped on the Yaik, and it was
probably amongst these people, that the renowned
Batu-Chan met his fate; of whom we are told,
that " he died in the city of Korkoda, which is
no longer known !" After passing a number of
floods and pits, we reached the camp at dusk,
and were entertained by Ered-Dschab, in the
best manner that he was able.
On the 14th of August, we had an opportu
nity of selling one of our arbas, which was be
come entirely unnecessary, as we had parted with
many of our books in the other hordes, and, as I
mentioned before, had sent a large chest home to
Sarepta from the Erkedan horde, and another from
the Bagan Rooher horde, and we had just made over
the remainder to Prince Sered-Dscheh. We visit
ed at this encampment several Princes, illustrious

250
Gellongs, and others, with whom Brother SchiL
was acquainted, during his residence for eight
years in the horde. Here, also, we had frequent
opportunity of contradicting a number of false
reports, about Soclnom and the other Calmucs
who had left this neighbourhood with the Bre
thren. As we knew that our friends during their
long residence in this horde, had taken great pains
to distribute the Scriptures extensively amongst
the Calmucs, we took occasion to inquire, whether
many of them had books, and whether they wished
for any : we found neither the Scriptures nor any
wish for them, and some of the Calmucs in
formed us that there was not by this time a book
to be found. As this was the state of the case,
we could only leave it to the Prince, to act up
to the letter which wc had received from him,
as his own conscience might direct — ive could and
ought to do nothing more in the business. In
the afternoon, we took a walk to visit Sodnom's
relations, who received us rather coolly. On our
way, we saw the Bumba (or urn) of the late
Prince Tummen Dschirgalang, (ten thousand
joys.) This little cloyed Zaza had much the ap
pearance of a monument. There is also a larger

251

Zaza in this neighbourhood, containing the ashes
of one of their Lamas. Not far hence, we fell
in with Prince Batur Ubaschi, who was chasing
ducks with falcons, and we saw one of the falcons
escape, so that it could not be taken again. This
sport is in high estimation among the Calmucs,
and we saw many people, whose whole occupation
it was to rear and train falcons for the Prince.
Before we returned home, we paid a visit to a
clan of Tartars, who are called Cunduran-Man-
gut, or Mountain Tartars. They wander in this
district, as far as to Mount Bogdo, and between
the Calmucs and Kirguses.
These Tartars became vassals of the Calmucs,
during the wars of the Calmuc Khan Donduk
Omba (who died in 1741,) with the Kubaners;
and remained so till the flight of the Great Horde
in 1770, when they retreated to the islands of the
Volga and the Caspian, and so escaping the do
minion of the Chinese, became crown vassals of
Russia. Their huts arc exactly like those of
the Calmucs, and their whole manner of living
is similar. The men wear a short cotton coat,
fastened round the waist by a girdle, wide pan
taloons, and a sugar-loaf cloth cap with a blunt

252
point, and trimmed with fur; the colour and
quality of the material varying with the taste
and fortune of the individual." The women wear
full cotton dresses, and a cloth hanging from the
top of the head to the waist behind, and fastened
in front just under the eyes, so as to cover the
face. Their manner of removing from one place
to another with their herds, differs from the Cal
mucs, in as much as they make use of a great
many arbas, upon which wooden huts arc placed
transport women and children.
On the 15th of August, the camp was removed
a few versts nearer to the Volga. We then pro
ceeded with our journey, keeping on the left bank
of the Aktubah, not only to visit the Calmucs
who were stationed there, but also the Russian
sect of Molokanians, (or milk-eaters,) amongst
whom, I had the year before, some success in
introducing the Scriptures. In the mornino- we
passed a Cossack-station of that cordon which
is designed to oppose the Kirguses, and which
extends for a considerable distance alon«r the
Aktubah. Some versts from the camp, we noticed
considerable heaps of broken bricks, which con
tinued with sonic interruption for fifteen versts.

*

to the Selitrenoi Gorodok, (or saltpetre (own.)
These are the remains of the ancient Tartar cities
and villages on the left bank of the Aktubah.
In 1562, these Tartars were enslaved by the
Russians, and their possessions were laid waste
from Kasan to Astracan.
An attempt was subsequently made to procure
saltpetre from these ruins, and we found ou
our road an iron cauldron of great size, which
had been employed for that purpose. At noon
we arrived at Selitrenoi Gorodok, (which the
Tartars call Tschigit) where we stayed till noon
the following day. This ancient Tartarian city
must, as it is evident from the remains, have
been remarkable for its size and splendour; its
ancient name I have not been able to learn. It
was situated on the left shore of the Aktubah,
which is here of such breadth and depth, that
it can be navigated by the largest of the Volga
ships, and it is connected by one of its arms
with the Volga. The ruins of the city extend
far and wide along the shore of the river. Little,
however, of its former grandeur has escaped, and
only a few forts rise from the confused mass of
ruins. These towers appeared to me, to be not

254
of the Tartarian, but the early Russian archi
tecture, and they may have served to protect
Russian settlers from the Volga and Aktubah
bandits. In the first place, they are built with
clay cement, whereas the Tartars used a durable
mortar; in the next place, they are evidently
piled up from the ruins of handsome buildings,
as may be seen by the glazed tiles which arc-
stuck on at random, without any respect to
the glazed side. In one of these towers I saw
a large iron cannon of the calibre of a twelve-
pounder, and I was told by an artillery officer,
that this was a relict of Peter the Great. We
perceived, from the ruins of this city, that here
as well as at Seray, (the capital of the Kamschat-
chan empire, higher up on the same river) walls
were built of glazed brick and pointed, and mo
saic work of various colours was employed in
decoration here, as throughout the ancient Turk
ish, Tartar, and Saracen tribes, in the East, in
Egypt, and Spain. The ground is usually deep
blue, with other colours let in. A large specimen
of this mosaic work, upwards of six feet long
and one deep, with a large white inscription in

h

255
the Tartarian language, and all sorts of flowers,
upon a blue ground, we found in the wall of
a peasant's cottage, and we perceived that the
figures are not printed upon the fabric, but let
into the substance, much in the same way as a
cabinet-maker inlays his furniture. I here pro
cured several antiques ; amongst others, an ala
baster with an inscription, a copper amulet with
magical characters, a seal with a name upon it ;
a number of ring-jewels, and jewels with inscrip
tions, (particularly a Makha stone, or Alik Te-
mani, with the Mohamedan apophthegm " There
is no God but God !") also a quantity of silver and
copper coins of the old Chans, from 1310 A.D.
(or 710 of the Hegira) to 1364 (or 766.)— from
Tochtocho-Chan to Asis Chan, who is little known
in history.
According to Guldenstadt, the ancient name
of this city was Dsched-Hadschi. '
Government at present keeps a strong detach
ment of Cossacks in this place; there is also a
cannon with its appurtenances. The cordon-
station is slightly fortified, and provided with a
few old iron cannon on the bastions, which are

256
all supported on wooden props instead of car
riages, and show by their condition that the
neighbourhood has enjoyed a golden peace.
On the 16th of August, our road led us through
meadows which are overflowed by the Volga, and
which the Russians call Saima-land : in the latter
part of the clay we were again on the steppes.
After this, we came to a small salt-lake, which
may be smelt from a considerable distance. The
shores of this lake were overgrown in some parts
with sedges, but everywhere covered with thick
clay, which looked as if crusted with ice. This
was very fine salt, which, after the evaporation
of the water, (which is of a scarlet hue) crystal
lizes in geometrical forms, and remains on the
surface. We used some of it with our food, and
found it well-tasted and clean. We slept that
night at Charawali, on the flat roof of a peasant's
shed, and on the 17th, at nine in the morning,
we proceeded with our journey. In the forenoon
we saw a herd of antelopes, and a bustard. At
noon, we reached the village of Saskull, (which in
the Tartar language, is a stinking ditch :) it is
principally inhabited by Tschuwasches, whom the
Government has banished from Kasan. Their

257

manner., and customs were Russian, but their
language is peculiar to themselves. In the even
ing, we arrived at a strong cordon-post, garrisoned
by Cossacks and Calmucs. Five-and-forty of the
latter were encamped in Russian tents, and we
took up our quarters near them. We were here
visited by a Calmuc,- who inquired after Sodnom,
and would fain have gone back with us. He had
attempted, the year before, to come to Sarepta, and
join the band of believing Calmucs, but as he
could not obtain a pass, he was sent back from
the cordon. His Prince, Dschimbe-Scharrab, who
resided in this neighbourhood, and had become
acquainted with Brother Schill at the time when
the Calmucs withdrew from the hordes, and showed
himself at that time well-disposed to the Word of
God, was also inclined to march to Sarepta, and to
take with him such of his subjects as might desire
to accompany him. As things afterwards turn
ed out so unluckily with regard to our Calmuc
settlers, we never heard any thing more of him.
More than a hundred families of the Torgud Er
deni's horde were encamped in this part of tlie
Saima-land ; and this was the last Calmuc camp
that we saw on our journey.

958

259

CHAPTER XIV.
On the 18th of August, about noon, we reached
the Russian village Nicolajewsk, from which we
meant to cross to Mount Bogdo, and thence,
through the Molokan villages, to Sarepta. This
scheme, however, was prevented from being car
ried into execution, by a very distressing circum
stance. I went to a peasant's hut with Andre
to buy some fowls, and while we were there, we
accidentally mentioned that we were going home
to Sarepta : immediately a venerable-looking old
man, with white hair, sprung up from his couch
(on which he was taking his siestre) , and exclaimed
with horror, " I pity you if you belong to Sarepta,
for it has been burnt down within these few days !"

'i .

At first we gave no credit to his story, and took it
for a mere idle report, such as we had often heard
on our journey ; but when he directed us to
eye-witnesses in the village, who confirmed what
he had said, and mentioned particulars, we could
unhappily no longer doubt the truth of the asser
tion. We were unable to ascertain the amount
of the damage, because the witnesses, from not
knowing the place well, could not give us such an
account as we wanted ; and this greatly increased
our distress. Stunned and bowed down under the
hand of the Lord (whose ways are past finding
out), we had now only one thought, to return imme
diately to our beloved and afflicted Sarepta, there
to share the misfortunes which had come upon us,
with the brethren who were now dearer to us than
ever. We therefore directed our steps through
the Saima-land, to the ferry on the Volga, that we
might take the shortest way home, on the right
bank of the river. When we had forded the
Aktubah, in a shallow part, we had to cross or to
go round countless pools and streams, with which
the Saima-land is intersected ; and on one occa
sion our coach stuck fast in a bog: fortunately
there were some fishermen at hand, who helped us

260
out for a small reward. Wc reached the Volga by
dark, and there wc found a Russian priest, and
another ecclesiastic, with a crowd of people and
carriages, who had been waiting for a long time to
cross the ferry. That we might be sure of getting
over in good time in the morning-, we gave a salute
from all our fire-arms. I had observed, that
this had n salutary eflk-t upon the boatmen at the
other ferries, because it gave them the idea that
we were Government officers, or people of import
ance, whom they could not safely detain. As it
was still possible that the boat might arrive in the
mght, we durst not separate from the rest of the
party, and we were forced to endure mud and
gnats on the shore of the Volga.
Before sunrise the next morning (August the
19th), the boat made its appearance, and carried us
swiftly with the other gentry, to the village of Niko-
lajewsk. on the opposite side. Some avaricious fish
ermen's wives demanded an unconscionable fare
from all the passenger*, and surcharged '<* beyond
measure. Tlie priest supported us warmly, and
appealed to a Government rate, by which we at last
came off pretty fairly ; but the women vented their
spleen, for a long time, behind the priest's bncL

'(

261
complaining that he bated their fares, but that he
took money himself from living and dead. Here,
and at the other places we came to, we heard a
great deal of the fire at Sarepta, but no two stories
agreed. We arrived at Tschornoija this day.
On the 20th of August, we got through sixty-
five versts with our weary beasts, and arrived at
Salnikowskaja ; and the next day we ended our
long journey by the last fifty versts to Sarepta.
With beating hearts we drew near to the spot,
which twelve days before had been flourishing
so prosperously, and two thirds of which now lay
in ashes and smoking ruins. The high chimneys
still remained as monuments of the conflagration ;
they had been made fire-proof, and they now bore
testimony to the former extent of the building.
As we also had lost our home, by the destruction
of the Establishment, we found lodging and a te a-
porary settlement in a house which had been
allotted to the unmarried brethren.
So ended our journey, which lasted from the
26th of May to the 21st of August. We had
travelled about one thousand three hundred versts,
or eight hundred and sixty-seven miles, Our
gracious God and Saviour had delivered us from

262
many a danger, and helped us out of many and
great difficulties, for which we offered up heart
felt praise and thanks, after our safe return from
this laborious journey over the steppes.

THE END.

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