some precious stones; but particularly hilts of swords and armour. They also find ornaments of saddles and bridles, and other trappings for horses; and even the bones of horses, and sometimes those of elephants. Whence it appears, that when any general or person of distinction was interred, all his arms, his favourite horse, and servant, were buried with him in the same grave; this custom prevails to this day among the Kalmucks and other Tartars, and seems to be of great antiquity. It appears from the number of graves, that many thousands must have fallen on these plains; for the people have continued to dig for such treasure many years, and still find it unexhausted. I have seen several pieces of armour, and other curiosities, that were dug out of these tombs; particularly an armed man on horseback, cast in brass, of no mean design or workmanship; also figures of deer, cast in pure gold, which were split through the middle, and had some small holes in them, as intended for ornaments to a quiver, or the furniture of a horse. While we were at Tomsky, one of these grave-diggers told me, that once they lighted on an arched vault; where they found the remains of a man, with his bow, arrows, lance, and. other arms, lying together on a silver table. On touching the body it fell to dust. The value of the table and arms was very considerable.'[1]
The Russian government at length sent officers to examine those tombs that had not yet been rifled; and, among others, they discovered one of three stone vaults, containing the skeleton of a man with costly arms by his side, resting on a plate of pure gold several pounds in weight;
- ↑ Travels from St Petersburg in Russia to Diverse Parts of Asia, vol. i. p. 181. London, 1764.
