Beauplan.
[Their Summer Expeditions]
Now let us relate how the Tartars enter Poland in Summer, being generally but 10 or 12000 strong, because if they came in a greater number, they would be too soon discover'd. Thus it is.
When they are within 20 or 30 Leagues of the Frontiers, they divide their Army into 10 or 12 Squadrons, each of them containing about 1000 Horse : Five or six of these Troops they send to the right, about a League or a League and a half distant from one another; the other five or six Squadrons doing the same on the left, that their Front may extend 10 or 12 Leagues, sending out careful Scouts above a League before them to get intelligence, that they may know how to proceed. In this manner they travel athwart, keeping close together, appointing to meet again upon a day prefix'd at a certain place of rendevouz, two or three Leagues from the Frontiers, like several Beams joining in one common Center.
The reason why they march in several distinct Bodies, is, that if the Cossacks, who lie two or three Leagues out in the Plains as Sentinels to observe their motions, should spy them, they may not judg them to be so great a number, being able to give an account but of the Squadron they see. For these Cossacks having discover'd the Tartars at a distance, immediately retire to alarm the Country, and seeing but 1000 or thereabouts, are not much frighted at that number, but are surpriz'd some days after they have receiv'd the News.
The Tartars enter upon the Frontier after this manner, they run along between two great Rivers, and always keep the upper Country, seeking the heads of little Rivers that fall into the great ones, some into one and some into another: by this means they meet with no Obstruction in their Inroads, plunder and ravage as the others do in Winter, but never go above 10 or 12 Leagues up the Country, and immediately return. At most they stay but two days in the Country, and then retire as we said before, divide the Spoil, and every one returns home.
These Tartars are Libertines, who obey neither the Cham nor Turk, and live in Budziak, which is a Plain lying between the mouths of the Niester and the Danube, as was said before, where in my time there were at least 20000 of them that had fled, or were banish'd thither. They are braver than the Tartars that dwell in Crim-Tartary, being better exercis'd, and daily upon Action: They are also better mounted than the others. The Plains lying between Budziak and the Ukrain are generally stor'd with 8 or 10000 Tartars, who live divided in Troops of about 1000 each, 10 or 12 Leagues asunder, to seek their fortune: and because of the danger there is in crossing those Plains, the Cossacks go in Tabort, that is, they travel in the middle of their Carts, which march in two Files on their Flanks, eightor
