Page:The Six Voyages of John Baptista Tavernier.djvu/140

From Agiaoax to Spanktiere.

From Spanktiere to Soüer.

From Soüer to Argiche.

From Argiche to Quiarakierpou.

From Quiarakierpou to Perkeri.

From Perkeri to Zuarzazin.

From Zuarzazin to Souserat.

From Souserat to Devan, where two Piasters are gather'd for every Horse-load, or else you must pay at Van.

From Devan to Van, where there is a Duty of two Tomans and four Abassis to be paid for every Horse-load. For though Van be in the Territories of the Grand Signor, yet the Persian Money is better lik'd than his own Coyn.

Van is a great City upon the side of a wide Lake of the same name. There is a good Fortress belongs to it, that is seated upon the top of a high Mountain which stands by it self. There is but one sort of Fish in the Lake, a little bigger than a Pilchard, of which they take great store in the Month of April. For about a League from the Lake there is a great River that is call'd Bendmahi, which descending from the Mountains of Armenia, empties it self into the Lake. Now in March when the Snow melts and swells the River, vast numbers of these Fish come down the River into the Lake which the Fisher-men observing, so stop up the Mouth of the River that the Fish cannot go back; for else they would not stay above forty days; at which time they catch 'em up in wide-mouth'd Baskets at the Mouth of the River, thinking to return; it being lawful for any man to fish. The people drive a great Trade in these Fish, transporting them into Persia and Armenia; for, the Persians and Armenians both, drinking Wine at the end of their Feasts, they then bring this Dish to the Table for a relishing-bit. The people of Van tell a Story, how that there was a certain rich Merchant who farm'd the whole Fishery, paying a good sum of Money for it to the Basha; who thereupon strictly forbad any to fish but the Merchant; whereas before it was free for any man. But when the Fishing-season came, and that the Merchant thought to have caught his Fish, he met with nothing but Serpents. So that after that time the Fishery was never more farm'd. And there seems to be something in it, for the Basha's, who are a sort of people that will lose nothing they can get, would be certain to farm the Fish again and again, were there not some strange reason to hinder it. There are two principal Islands in the Lake of Van; the one call'd Adaketons, where there stand two Covents of the Armenians, Sourphague and Sourp-kara: the other Island is call'd Limadasi, and the name of the Covent is Limquiliasi, all which Armenian Monks live very austerely.

From Van to Darcheck.

From Darcheck to Nuchar; it stands in the Territories of a Bey of Curdistan, being a paltry Village consisting of two or three little Houses. These Bey's are a kind of particular Lords, upon the Frontiers of both the Empires of Turkie and Persia, who care for neither: for they lye so secure among the Mountains, that there is no assaulting them by force. The Curds in general are a brutish sort of people; who though they stile themselves Mahometans, have very few Moullah's to instruct or teach them. They have a particular veneration for black Grey-hounds; so that if any person should be seen to kill one of them, he would be knock'd o'the Head immediately. Neither does any one dare to cut an Onion with a Knife in their presence; but it must be squeez'd between two Stones by him that intends to make use of it; so ridiculously superstitious they are.

The Bey to whom Nuchar belongs has his Toll-gatherers in that place, who exact sixteen Abassi's for every Horse-load, besides a Present which the Caravan-Bashi is oblig'd to present him, which comes sometimes to seven or eight Tomans, sometimes more: for otherwise the Bey would be sure to Watch the Caravan at some scurvy place, and plunder it to some purpose. As once it happen'd to a Caravan, with which my Nephew went along in the year 1672; though he had the good luck to lose nothing more than one Camel laden with English Cloth, and another with his Provision. The Basha of Van and the Kan of Tauris took the Field with an intention to remedy these disorders: especially the Basha of Van, who perceiving that the Merchants would forsake that Road by reason of the Injuries they daylyreceiv'd,