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128
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[APRIL, 1887.
rally sent ahead, which prudently refrained from "At the approach of a hostile force, their scatdestroying buildings or killing cattle. Presently tered detachments concentrated together to meet came the main army; when everything was it. They despised honour and chivalry. In the swept away, leaving nothing of any kind alive. business of war, ruse and surprise were more In crossing rivers the Mongols sewed skins welcome to them than open fighting, and together into water-tight bags, put their goods, even their fighting was rather of a Fabian &c. inside, and then tied the bundles to their kind." "When they come to an engagement horses' tails and swam over on them, holding on with the enemy," says Marco Polo," they will by the horses' manes.
gain the victory in this fashion. They never They generally devastated the country round let themselves get into a regular medley, but a fortress before attacking it, and tried to entice keep perpetually riding round and shooting the garrison into an ambuscade. They built into the enemy, and as they do not count regular siege works armed with catapults, it any shame to run away in battle, they made and manned by Chinamen, Persians, will sometimes pretend to do so, and in &c. &c., skilled in working such machines and running away they turn in the saddle and shoot in the use of the so-called Greek fire. The hard and strong at the foe, and in this way peasants and captives were compelled to work make great havoc. Their horses are trained so the machines, to fill up the ditches, &c., and perfectly that they will double hither and were then forced to head the assault. The attack thither, just like a dog, in a way that is quite was continued day and night, relieving-parties astonishing. Thus they fight to as good par. keeping the garrison in perpetual excitement. pose in running away, as if they stood and Mines were skilfully employed to sap the walls; faced the enemy, because of the vast volleys of and rivers were turned to oyerwhelm devoted arrows that they shoot in this way, turning cities. To delude the garrison, they would round upon their pursuers, who are fancying sometimes raise the siege, leaving their bag. that they have won the battle. But when the gage and valuables behind, only to return by Tartars see that they have killed and wounded a sudden countermarch as soon as the garrison a large number of horses and men, they was lulled into security. They rarely aban-wheel round bodily, and return to the charge doned an attack on a fortress, and would some- in perfect order, and with loud cries; and in a times blockade it for years. They were bound very short time the enemy are routed. In by no oath; and, however solemn their promise truth they are stout and valiant soldiers and to the inhabitants to induce them to surrender, it inured to war. And you perceive that it is was unscrupulously broken, when the credulous just when the enemy sees them run, and garrison capitulated ; and a general massacre imagines that he has gained the battle that ensued. Nor did instant submission avail in he has in reality lost it, for the Tartars any case where possible danger to the com- wheel round in a moment when they judge munications, &c. of the invading army might the right time has come, and after this ensue, for it was their policy to leave behind | fashion they have won many a fight."36 them no body of people, who could thus molest Carpini tells much the same story. He adds them. Towns and men they deemed of no that the princes and chieftains did not join in the value, and everything was swept away to make struggle with the men, but stood some distance pastures for their herds. “They gloried," says behind and encouraged them. They mounted Vincent of Beauvais, "in the slaughter of men; the boys and women so as to make the enemy blood was spilt by them as freely as water. believe the army was really larger than it was, They employed lies and deception to delude and for this purpose they sometimes also their victims, and then destroyed them. They mounted puppets on horseback. They placed styled those who shut themselves up in for their captives and the men of other tribes in tresses "their imprisoned pigs" and deemed the front of the fight, while with their picked them more completely in their power than troops they turned the enemy's flanks and tried others.
to surround him. If a desperate foe resisted
* Yale's Marco Polo, I. pp. 254-5.
