Pesth, opposite Buda, by a bridge 600 paces long, constructed of large boats. In this city there are both Christian and Turkish merchants, but the buildings are poor. We saw nothing handsome in it, and therefore returned to our boats. That day a courier from Vienna overtook us at Buda.
On the 13th of October the pasha summoned my lord the ambassador and the courier into his presence, and sent his own boat for him, into which the ambassador got, with six persons, and went to the pasha. After settling his affairs our lord went into Buda himself, and our chaplain performed mass in a Christian church. After dinner we started from Buda; the pasha assigning us his kapigi pasha to supply us with provisions, and also four chiaouses to conduct us safely to Constantinople, and four janissaries for protection. The chiaouses perform the duty of commissaries, or ambassadors, and execute every command given by the Emperor or a pasha; and this office is very honourable in the eyes of that nation. They assigned us, also, six large boats, in which those chiaouses voyaged, fastening our boats to theirs. A provision boat also sailed after us, in which a number of poor captive Christians were being taken to Constantinople for sale, with whom, however, the Turks did not allow us to speak. On this night, for the first time, we reposed on pretty tolerable beds in the boate.
On Oct. 14 we started early from the bank, leaving a large village, called Sadum,[1] on the right of the Danube; and here we saw the first inn, which they call a caravanserai. This was all covered with a leaden
- ↑ Szegedin.
