"With a fair wind they carry ten sails;" Ibn Batuta: "One
of these great junks carries from three sails to twelve;" Joseph, the
Indian, speaking of those that traded to India in the 15th century: "They
were very great, and had sometimes twelve sails, with innumerable rowers."
(Lecomte, I. 389; Fr. Jordanus, Hak. Soc., p. 55; Ibn Batuta, IV.
91; Novus Orbis, p. 148.) A fuller account of these vessels is given at
the beginning of Bk. III.
NOTE 4. - I.e. in this case Sumatra, as will appear hereafter. "It is quite
possible for a fleet of fourteen junks which required to keep together to
take three months at the present time to accomplish a similar voyage. A
Chinese trader, who has come annually to Singapore in junks for many
years, tells us that he has had as long a passage as sixty days, although
the average is eighteen or twenty days." (Logan in J. Ind. Archip. II.
609.)
NOTE 5. - Ramusio's version here varies widely, and looks more probable:
"From the day that they embarked until their arrival there died of
mariners and others on board 600 persons; and of the three ambassadors
only one survived, whose name was Goza (Coja); but of the ladies and
damsels died but one."
It is worth noting that in the case of an embassy sent to Cathay a few
years later by Ghazan Khan, on the return by this same route to Persia,
the chief of the two Persian ambassadors, and the Great Khan's envoy, who
was in company, both died by the way. Their voyage, too, seems to have
been nearly as long as Polo's; for they were seven years absent from
Persia, and of these only four in China. (See Wassaf in Elliot, III.
47.)
NOTE 6. - Ramusio's version states that on learning Arghun's death (which
they probably did on landing at Hormuz), they sent word of their arrival
to Kiacatu, who directed them to conduct the lady to Casan, who was then
in the region of the Arbre Sec (the Province of Khorasan) guarding the
frontier passes with 60,000 men, and that they did so, and then turned
back to Kiacatu (probably at Tabriz), and stayed at his Court nine months.
Even the Geog. Text seems to imply that they had become personally known
to Casan, and I have no doubt that Ramusio's statement is an authentic
expansion of the original narrative by Marco himself, or on his authority.
Arghun Khan died 10th March, 1291. He was succeeded (23rd July) by his
brother Kaikhatu (Quiacatu of Polo), who was put to death 24th March,
1295.
We learn from Hammer's History of the Ilkhans that when Ghazan, the son of
Arghun (Casan of Polo), who had the government of the Khorasan frontier,
was on his return to his post from Tabriz, where his uncle Kaikhatu had
refused to see him, "he met at Abher the ambassador whom he had sent to
the Great Khan to obtain in marriage a relative of the Great Lady Bulghan.
This envoy brought with him the Lady KUKACHIN (our author's Cocachin),
with presents from the Emperor, and the marriage was celebrated with due
festivity." Abher lies a little west of Kazvin.
