[In the Si yu ki, Travels to the West of Ch’ang ch’un, we find a drink called tung lo.  “The Chinese characters, tung lo,” says Bretschneider (Med.  Res. I. 94), “denote according to the dictionaries preparations from mare’s or cow’s milk, as Kumis, sour milk, etc.  In the Yuan shi (ch. cxxviii.) biography of the Kipchak prince Tu-tu-ha, it is stated that ‘black mare’s milk’ (evidently the cara cosmos of Rubruck), very pleasant to the taste, used to be sent from Kipchak to the Mongol court in China.” (On the drinks of the Mongols, see Mr. Rockhill’s note, Rubruck, p. 62.)—­The Mongols indulge in sour milk (tarak) and distilled mare’s milk (arreki), but Mr. Rockhill (Land of the Lamas, 130) says he never saw them drink kumiz.—­H.  C.]

The mare’s-milk drink of Scythian nomads is alluded to by many ancient authors.  But the manufacture of Kumiz is particularly spoken of by Herodotus.  “The (mare’s) milk is poured into deep wooden casks, about which the blind slaves are placed, and then the milk is stirred round.  That which rises to the top is drawn off, and considered the best part; the under portion is of less account.”  Strabo also speaks of the nomads beyond the Cimmerian Chersonesus, who feed on horse-flesh and other flesh, mare’s-milk cheese, mare’s milk, and sour milk ([Greek:  oxygalakta]) “which they have a particular way of preparing.”  Perhaps Herodotus was mistaken about the wooden tubs.  At least all modern attempts to use anything but the orthodox skins have failed.  Priscus, in his narrative of the mission of himself and Maximin to Attila, says the Huns brought them a drink made from barley which they called [Greek:  Kamos].  The barley was, no doubt, a misapprehension of his. (Herod. Bk. iv. p. 2, in Rawl.; Strabo, VII. 4, 6; Excerpta de Legationibus, in Corp.  Hist.  Byzant. I. 55.)

CHAPTER LIV.

CONCERNING THE TARTAR CUSTOMS OF WAR.

All their harness of war is excellent and costly.  Their arms are bows and arrows, sword and mace; but above all the bow, for they are capital archers, indeed the best that are known.  On their backs they wear armour of cuirbouly, prepared from buffalo and other hides, which is very strong.[NOTE 1] They are excellent soldiers, and passing valiant in battle.  They are also more capable of hardships than other nations; for many a time, if need be, they will go for a month without any supply of food, living only on the milk of their mares and on such game as their bows may win them.  Their horses also will subsist entirely on the grass of the plains, so that there is no need to carry store of barley or straw or oats; and they are very docile to their riders.  These, in case of need, will abide on horseback the livelong night, armed at all points, while the horse will be continually grazing.