'Collections of travels through Turky into Persia, and the East Indies. Giving an account of the present state of those countries, as also a full relation of the five years wars, between Aureng-Zebe and his brothers in their father's life time, about the succession. And a voyage made by the Great Mogul (Aureng-Zebe) with his Army from Dehli to Lahor, from Lahor to Bember, and from thence to the Kingdom of Kachemire, by the Mogols, call'd, the Paradise of the Indies. Together with a relation of the Kingdom of Japan and Tunkin, and of their particular manners and trade. To which is added a new description of the Grand Seignior's Seraglio, and also of all the Kingdoms that encompass the Euxine and Caspian Seas, being the travels of Monsieur TavernierBernier, and other great men.' [‎61] (98/1024)

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Chap. III. tfMonlieurT aver n r e r .
to keep Horfes: others can only keep or hire Affes, which itand ready in the
publick Streets at all times.
The next day we diflodg’d by day-break, and by noon we came to a place whe e
there were five Weils, about five hundred Paces diftant one from the other. The
Water was excellent, and caus’d us to r'eplenifh our Borachos : and about fodr a Clock
in the Afternoon we lay at a place where there was no Water.
The next day near noon we met with two Wells, but the Water wa's not goodi
and only the Camels drank of it, there we a lib lodg’d that night.
Having now travePd two days m the Defert, I will defenbe it in a few word^.
You begin to enter upon it two or three Leagues from Aleppo, where by de
grees you meet with nothing but Tents ihftead of Houfes. It ftretchcs out tothe
\Vinter-Eaft, all along the Euphrates to Balfara, and the Shoar of the Gulf of Eerfla^
and upon the South to the Chain of Mountains that divides it from Arabia Tetrm
and Arabia the Happy. 1 hefe Defcrts are almoft quite thorough nothing but Plains
of Sand, which in fome places lye loofer than in others.:, and are hardly pafiable till
the Rains are but newly tai’n, and have knit the Sands together. Tis a rare thing to
meet with a Hill or a Valley in thefe Deferts ^ if you do, there is as Purely Water,
and as many Bufhes as will ferve to boyl a little Rice. For thoughout the whole De-
fert there is no Wood to be found} and all the Bavins and Charcoal that you can
load upon Camels at will not laft above eight or ten days. Therefore you
mufi: take notice, that of fix hundred Camels that pafs through the Defert, there
are fcarce fifty laden with Merchandize, which is generally courfe Cloth, fume little
Iron Ware, but chiefly black and blew Calicuts, which the Arabians make ufe of
without ever whitening them. All the other Camels are only laden with Provifion,
and all little enough } fo many People being to travel for fo many days through ib
tong a Tra& of Ground where there is nothing in the World to fuftain Life and Soul
together. * " , f v •
For the firlt fifteen days travel we met with Water but once in two days, and
fometimes not above once in three days. The twentieth day after we fet out from
Aleppo, the Caravan lay at a place where there were two Wells, and the Water very
good. Every one was glad of the convenience of wafhing his Linnen, and the Ca*
ravan-Bajhi made account to have (laid there two or three days. But the News
that we receiv’d, caus'd us to alter our Refolutions. For we had no fooner giv’n
order to dreL our Suppers, when we faw a Courier with three > 4 ^, all mounted
upon Dromedaries, who were fent to carry, the news of the Taking of Babylon
to and other Cities of the Empire. They Hop’d at the Wells to let their
Beafts drink*, and immediately the and the principal perfonsof the
Caravan made them a fmall Prefentof dry’d Fruits and Granates. Who thereupon
were fa kind as to tell us, that the Carriage which carried the Baggage belonging to
the Grand Signor arid his Train being tyr’d, his Officers would be fare to feize upon
ours, if they fhould chance to meet with us: they advis'd us moreover not to come
near Anna, left the Smir fhould flop us.
Upon this news, we departed three hours after midnight*, and keeping dire&Iy
to the South, we put our fdves into the midft of the Defert.
Eight days after we came to lye at a place where were three Wells, and three
Or four Houfes. We fiaid there two days to take frefh Water, and we were juft
fetting forward again, when thirty Horferaen well mounted came from one of the
Emirs, to tell the Caravan Bajlji that he muft Hop his Caravan. We ftaid impa
tiently for him three days} and at length he came, arid was prefented by the Cara*
van-BaJhimth apiece of Satin, half a piece of Scarlet Cloth; and two large Cop
per Cauldrons. Now although thofe Cauldrons could not but be very acceptable to
an Arabian Prince, who moft certainly had none fuch in his Kitchin, vet he did not
feem contented with his Prefent, and demanded above four hundred Crowns We
contefted feven or eight days to have kept our Money in our Pockets, but in vain,
fo that we were forc’d to rate one another, and toraifehim hisSum*, which bein^
piid, he treated the chief of the Caravan with Pilaw, Honey, and Dates, and when
he went away, give them five or fix Sheep ready boyl’d.
Three days after we had left this Arabian Prince, we met with two Wells near
certain old decay’d Brick Buildings. The Water of thofe Wells was fo bitter,
fhat the Camels would not drink it: however we fill'd our Bor actio's , thinking