Page:The Six Voyages of John Baptista Tavernier.djvu/85
The Second Book
of the
Persian Travels
of
Monsieur TAVERNIER:
Containing the several
ROADS
From PARIS to ISPAHAN the Capital
City of PERSIA;
Through the Southern Provinces of TURKY,
and through the Deserts.
CHAP. I.
The second Voyage of the Author from Paris to Ispahan: and first, of his Embarking at Marseilles for Alexandretta.
The Road from Constantinople to Erivan, which with all those other Roads through the Northern Provinces of Turkie, the first time I travel'd into Persia, I have amply describ'd. It behoves me now to treat of the Southern Provinces, and of those through the Deserts, where there are several Emirs, or Arabian Princes, of which several are very potent: For there are some of them that can bring 30000 Horse into the Field, five of which I have had the honour to discourse, and to oblige them with small Presents; in recompence whereof they sent me Rice, Mutton, Dates, and Sherbet, as long as I staid among them.
I embark'd at Marseilles in a Holland Vessel that carry'd five and forty Guns; from thence we set sail for Malta. At Malta we staid twelve days to carine the Vessel, and to take in fresh Victuals. Among the rest we bought two thousand Quails, for there are a prodigious quantity in the Iland: but in two or three days we found five or six hundred of them destroy'd by the Vermin that pester'd the Ship.
From Malta we set sail for Larneca, a good Road in the Iland of Cyprus, to the West of Famagosta, which is not above a days journey from it by Land. As we were making into the Road, about two or three hours after midnight, we perceiv'd a Vessel close upon us, and both the Ships Company began to cry out, for fear of falling foul one upon another; but the Vessel sheer'd clear without any harm on either side.
In