The young lord, a most gallant youth, was for fighting to the lastalso; and my old pilot was of opinion that we were able to resistthem all in the situation we were then in. Thus we spent the dayin debates of what we should do; but towards evening we found thatthe number of our enemies still increased, and we did not know butby the morning they might still be a greater number: so I began toinquire of those people we had brought from Tobolski if there wereno private ways by which we might avoid them in the night, andperhaps retreat to some town, or get help to guard us over thedesert. The young lord's Siberian servant told us, if we designedto avoid them, and not fight, he would engage to carry us off inthe night, to a way that went north, towards the river Petruz, bywhich he made no question but we might get away, and the Tartarsnever discover it; but, he said, his lord had told him he would notretreat, but would rather choose to fight. I told him he mistookhis lord: for that he was too wise a man to l