13.—Weyasit conquers Lesser Armenia.
Scarcely had Tämerlin returned to his own country,[(1)] than Weyasit assembled three hundred thousand men, and went into Lesser Ermenia and took it from Tämerlin, and took the capital called Ersingen, together with its lord who was named Tarathan,[(2)] and then went back to his own country. So soon as Tämerlin heard that Weyasit had conquered the said country, he went to meet him with sixteen hundred thousand men; and when Weyasit heard this, he went to meet him with fourteen hundred thousand men. They met near a city called Augury, where they fought desperately. Weyasit had quite thirty thousand men of White Tartary, whom he placed in the van at the battle. They went over to Tämerlin; then they had two encounters, but neither could overcome the other. Now Tämerlin had thirty-two trained elephants at the battle, and ordered, after mid-day, that they should be brought into the battle. This was done, and they attacked each other; but Weyasit took to flight, and went with at least one thousand horsemen to a mountain. Tämerlin surrounded the mountain so that he could not move, and took him.[1] Then he remained eight months in the country, conquered more territory and occupied it, and then went to Weyasit’s capital and took him with him, and took his treasure, and silver and gold, as much as one thousand camels could carry; and he would have taken him into his own country, but he died[2] on the way[3] [(3)]. And so I became Tämerlin’s prisoner, and was taken by him to his country. After this I rode after him. What I have described took place during the time that I was with Weyasit.
[1]July 20th, 1402.
[2]March 8th, 1403, at Aksheher.
[3]Schiltberger’s accounts agree perfectly with the statements made by Byzantine and Eastern historians. We are forced to conclude, after Hammer’s searching enquiries, that there is no truth whatever in the story of Bajasid having been confined by Timur in an iron cage. N.