Beauplan.
Wine and Brandy. The Horse's Fat they mix with Millet or Barley, or Buckwheat Meal, for they lose nothing; and of the Hide they make Thongs, Bridles, Saddles, Whips (being skilful at all these Trades) to put on their Horses, for they wear no Spurs. Those that do not go to War, eat as it happens, or according to the season, Ewe, Ram, Kid, Hens, and other Fowl, (as for Swines-flesh, they eat none of it no more than the Jews) if they can get Meal, they bake Cakes in the Embers; and their most common food is Millet, Barley, and Buckwheat Meal.
These sorts of Grain are sow'd among them, and they eat Rice brought from abroad. As for Fruit they have very little, but Honey is common among them, and they are great lovers of it, and make a sort of Drink, but not boil'd, so that it causes terrible Gripes. Those that dwell in Towns are more civiliz'd, they make Bread somewhat like ours; their common Drink is Breba, made of boil'd Millet. This Liquor is as thick as Milk, and will make a Man drunk. They also drink Brandy brought them from Constantinople.
There is another sort of Liquor which the Poor who cannot buy Breba, make thus: They put Cows, Sheeps, and Goats Milk into a Churn, and churn it very well, make a little Butter, and keep the Butter-milk to drink; but this soon growing sour, they make it fresh every day. They are a sober People, eat little Salt with their Meat, but a great deal of Spice, and among the reft Guinea Pepper. They make another sort of Liquor, like that us'd by the People of Madagascar, which is when they boil their Meat with a little Salt without Skimming, as has been said, they keep the Broth, and call it Chourbe, warming it when they drink. When they roast, they spit a whole Ewe or Ram when roasted, they cut it out into pieces a Foot long, and four Inches broad. Thus those People feed.
Manner of making War.
Since we have said how they live in the Field, we will now give an account how they enter an Enemy's Country to pillage, and burn and carry away Slaves.
When the Cham, their Lord, receives Orders from the Grand Signior to break into Poland, he with all Expedition gathers his Troops, that is, 80000 Men, when he goes in Person, for at other times their Armies consist but of 40 or 50000 Men, when a Morza commands them. Their Irruptions are generally about the beginning of January, but always in Winter, that they may meet with no obstacles in their way, and that the Rivers and Marshes may not hinder them from ranging wheresoever they are directed. Being assembled and muster'd, they advance; but the Reader must observe, that tho Crim Tartary lies between 46 and 47 Degrees of North Latitude, yet the Desert Plains that lie North of them, are cover'd all the Winter with Snow till March, and this encourages them to undertake such a long course, because their Horses are not shod, and the Snow saves their Feet, which could not be were the Ground bare, for the hardness of the Frost would batter their hoofs.
The greatest and richest Men among them shoo their Horses with Horn, and fasten it to the Hoof with Leather, but that is not lasting ; for which reason they dread a Winter when the Snow does not lie, and the Frost, where their Horses that are best shod will slip. Their Marches are but short, generally about six French Leagues, and so move on day after day, laying their business so that they may be back before the Frost breaks, and make their Retreat in safety.
Thus they come to the Frontiers of Poland, still travelling along the Valleys they are acquainted with, and which seem to succeed one another: and this they do to secure themselves in the open Country, and prevent being repuls'd by the Cossacks who lie in wait in several places to discover when they come, and what way they take, to alarm the Country. But the Tartars are so cunning, as I observ'd, that they travel through the deep Valleys only, and at Night when they encamp, they make no fire; for the same reason they send out parties to discover, and endeavour to take some Cossacks that may give them intelligence of their Enemies: so the watch-fullest and cunningst surprizes his Enemy.
Thus the Tartars march 100 in front, that is 300 Horses, for every one of them leads two, which serve for relays, as has been said before: their Front may extend 800 or 1000 Paces, and they are 800 or 1000 in File, which reaches three long Leagues, or four when they keep close, for at other times they extend above ten Leagues. This is wonderful to those that have not seen it, for 80000 Tartars make up above 200000 Horses: Trees are not thicker in the Woods than Horses are at that time in the Field ; and to see them at a distance, they look like a Cloud rising in the Horizon, which increases as it rises, and strikes a terror into the boldest, I mean those who are not us'dto
