And Let Me Tell
You When He Goes Thus A-Fowling With His Gerfalcons And Other Hawks, He Is
Attended
By full 10,000 men who are disposed in couples; and these are
called Toscaol, which is as much as
To say, "Watchers." And the name
describes their business.[NOTE 3] They are posted from spot to spot,
always in couples, and thus they cover a great deal of ground! Every man
of them is provided with a whistle and hood, so as to be able to call in a
hawk and hold it in hand. And when the Emperor makes a cast, there is no
need that he follow it up, for those men I speak of keep so good a look
out that they never lose sight of the birds, and if these have need of
help they are ready to render it.
All the Emperor's hawks, and those of the Barons as well, have a little
label attached to the leg to mark them, on which is written the names of
the owner and the keeper of the bird. And in this way the hawk, when
caught, is at once identified and handed over to its owner. But if not,
the bird is carried to a certain Baron, who is styled the Bularguchi,
which is as much as to say "The Keeper of Lost Property." And I tell you
that whatever may be found without a known owner, whether it be a horse,
or a sword, or a hawk, or what not, it is carried to that Baron
straightway, and he takes charge of it.
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