Mwaarrdcsh Sesib teoria
:
'ORreetul.rns to
All thefe various confiderations •were not loft upon.
Yermac: having therefore employed the winter in preparations
for his intended expedition, he began his
march in the fummer of the following year, 1578, along
the banks of the Tchuflovaia. The want of proper
guides, and a negleft of other neceffary precautions,
greatly retarded his march, and he was overtaken by the
winter before he had made any confiderable progrefs.
And at the appearance of fpring he found his ftock of
provifions fo nearly exhaufted, that he was reduced to the
.neceffity of returning to Orel.
But this failure of fuccéfs by no means extinguiffied
his ardour for thé profecution of the enterprise it only
ferved to make him ftill more folicitous in guarding
againft the poffibility of a future mifcarriage. By threats
lie extorted from Strogonoff every aftiftance which the
nature of the expedition feemed to require. Befides a
fufficient quantity of provifions, all his followers, who
were before unprovided with fire-arms, were fupplied
with mulkets and ammunition; and, in order to give
the appearance of a -regular army to his troops, colours
were diftributed to each company, which were ornamented
with the images of faints, after the manner of
the Ruffians.
Having
Having thus made all previous arrangements, he
thought himfelf in a condition to force his way into
Siberia. Accordingly, in the month of June, 1579, he
fet out upon this fecond expedition. His followers His fecond
amounted to five thoufand men ; adventurers inured to Expe<lmo”’
hardlhips, and regardlefs of danger: they placed implicit
confidence in their leader, and feemed to be all
animated with one and the fame fpirit. He continued
his route partly by land, and partly by water : the
navigation however of the rivers was fo tedious, and
the roads fo rugged and difficult, that eighteen months
elapfed before he reached Tchingi, a fmall town upon Arri,es uPon
the banks of the Tura V. • . . theTura-
Here he muftered his troops, and found his army con-
fiderably reduced : part had been exhaufted by fatigue,
part carried off by ficknefs, and part cut off in Ikir-
miffies with the Tartars. The whole remaining number
amounted to about fifteen hundred effective men ;
and yet with this handful of troops Yermac did not
hefitate a moment in advancing againft Kutchum Chan.
That prince was already in a pofture of defence; and
refolved to guard his crown to the laft extremity. Having
collected his forces, he difpatched feveral flying '
parties' againft Yermac, himfelf remaining behind with
* S. R. G. VI, p. 243— 248— 262.
B b the