Selected quad for the lemma: end_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
end_n	day_n	month_n	week_n	1,539	5	9.4455	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29216	A journal of the embassy from their Majesties John and Peter Alexievitz, emperors of Muscovy &c. over land into China through the provinces of Ustiugha, Siberia, Dauri, and the great Tartary to Peking the capital city of the Chinese empire by Everard Isbrand, their ambassador in the years 1693, 1694, and 1695 written by Adam Brand, secretary of the embassy ; translated from the original High-Dutch printed in Hamburgh, 1698 ; to which is added Curious observations concerning the products of Russia by H.W. Ludolf.; Beschreibung der Chinesischen Reise. English	Brand, Adam, d. 1713.; Ludolf, Heinrich Wilhelm, 1655-1710. Curious observations concerning the products of Russia.	1698 (1698)	Wing B4246; ESTC R29054	54,732	152

saw a dead Sheep and Goat fix'd upon a Tree with the Heads upwards which they told us were two Sacrifices made to the Heavens I made the best inquiry I could concerning their Religion but could get no satisfactory Account only that they used to sacrifice a Sheep and a Goat once a year to the Creator of the Heavens and that they adore the Sun They are very industrious in Breeding of Cattle but especially of Camels for the conveniency of the Caravans travelling to China We came the same Evening to a Monastery on the other side of the Lake situate upon the Frontiers of the Province of Dauri a very large and fertile Country The next Morning being the 12th we passed through the Towns of Kabania and Bolsko Sainko both small Places but well fortified by the Inhabitants they serving them as Bulwarks against the Tartars of Mongul On the 19th of the same Month we came in sight of Vdinskoy and the Ambassador was met three Miles out of Town by an Officer at the Head of 50 Cossacks who conducted him to the City where he was received under the discharge of the Cannon This Place which is considered here as the Key of the Province of Dauri has not been inhabited above six Years The Castle which is very well fortified after the Russian manner lies upon a Hill from whence they have at several times bravely repulsed the Mongul Tartars that assaulted them We lay still here three Weeks which time we spent as we had done at Irkutskoy in buying of Cattle for the conveniency of our Carriage We bought Camels at 10 or 15 Rubles apiece and Horses for 4 5 or 6 Rubles We provided our selves also with as many Oxen as might furnish us with Beef in our Journey to China and back again Being now to travel through the great Desart belonging to the Mongul Tartars we pack'd our Baggage upon Camels and Horses the first carrying about 600 weight the last about 250 We entred the Desart on the 6th of April our Caravan consisting of 250 Men some Hundreds of Camels and Horses and 400 Waggons which in the night-time being drawn up in a Circle enclosed the rest and at some distance from thence we placed our Centries to advertise us of the approach of our Enemies if any should appear But they not daring to attack us took another course to vex us to the utmost of their power for during the space of three Weeks that we travell'd through this Desart where we often were in want of Water for Men and Beast the Monguls and Tongueses burnt that small quantity of dry Winter-grass that was left before us so that being unprovided with Forage we saw our Beasts but especially our Horses drop down dead for want of Fother and what was the worst of all the rest were become so lean that they were almost rendred quite unserviceable We lost above a hundred Horses in this Journey to the great satisfaction of the Tongueses who Iooking upon Horse-flesh as a great Dainty devoured them so soon as we had left them The Tongueses who are dispersed through these Desarts are of the same Religion with the Brattskoy whom we have mentioned before They bury with the dead Corps of their Friends all their best Moveables and if they become decrepit before they die they lead them upon a high Mountain where they burn them and impale their best Horse near it The 24th and 25th of April we passed to the left of us by a Lake called Ierawena abounding with all sorts of very good Fish it is 20 Miles long and 15 broad Here it was we met with the Messenger who had been sent before by the Ambassador to Musko On the 26th we came to a small Place called Ierawena where we provided our selves with as many new Horses as we could get for Money It is to be observed that in the Desarts round about Ierewena there are the best black Sables the Cossacks of Ierwena who are the Sable-hunters hereabouts go abroad a Hunting sometimes for three or four Months together they make use of Scates by the help of which they pass over the Snow with great Agility We bought some of these Sables of them from 8 and 10 to 20 30 and 50 Rubles a pair On the 28th of April we again entred the Desart but met here and there with some Woods The 29th we pass'd on Horse-back the River Vda which arises from a great Lake and is here not above three fathoms broad The want of Fother continuing among our Cattle occasioned by the revengefulness of the Monguls we lost abundance more of our Horses and the rest were so fatigued that we were in danger of wanting Provisions before we could pass the Desarts For which reason the Ambassador commanded 10 Men to go in quest of Horses which they effected with good success for on the 3d of May they met us with a good number of fresh Horses near the Lake called Schack's Oser which is four Miles long and two broad We had the good fortune to find here some Fother for our Horses and Camels which obliged us to stay here till the 5th of the same Month when leaving the Lake to our Left we continued our Journey to another Lake which we pass'd by on the 6th in the Morning and the same day in the Afternoon reach'd the end of this troublesome Desart after a most tedious and fatiguing Journey of near four Weeks The first Place we came to is called Plotbus near the small River Skieta containing not above six Families who are settled there but very lately On the 15th we continued our Journey from Plotbus by Water upon Floats of Wood to Nartzinskoy About a Mile from Plotbus the River Schieta falls into the River Ingeda as the River Okkon joins its Current with the same at a small distance from thence and is afterwards called Schiteka The Rivers Nertza and Argun fall afterwards into the same River out of the last of which arises the famous River of Yamour which disembogues into the Ocean On the 20th of May we came to the City of Nertzinskoy the last Place of Note unless it be Argun a small Town eight days Journey from thence under the Jurisdiction of the Czar of Muscovy Nertzinskoy is situate upon the River Nertza where about 6000 Tungoeses all Subjects to the Czar of Muscovy have their Habitations who have fortified themselves here against their Enemies Hereabouts are abundance of Lucerns and Sables which are in great Esteem among the Chineses We were fain to stay two Months in this place to give time to our Horses and Camels to recover themselves in the adjacent Pastures The Cossacks hereabouts are very Rich by reason of their Traffick with China where they are exempted from paying any Custom We then began to make all the necessary Preparations for our Journey through the Desart we provided our selves with Oxen which were to be killed by the way as occasion should require 50 Cossacks were