When The 28th Day Of [The Moon
Of] August Arrives He Takes His Departure, And The Cane Palace Is Taken To
Pieces.[NOTE 5] But I Must Tell You What Happens When He Goes Away From
This Palace Every Year On The 28th Of The August [Moon].
You must know that the Kaan keeps an immense stud of white horses and
mares; in fact more than 10,000 of them, and all pure white without a
speck.
The milk of these mares is drunk by himself and his family, and by
none else, except by those of one great tribe that have also the privilege
of drinking it. This privilege was granted them by Chinghis Kaan, on
account of a certain victory that they helped him to win long ago. The
name of the tribe is HORIAD.[NOTE 6]
Now when these mares are passing across the country, and any one falls in
with them, be he the greatest lord in the land, he must not presume to
pass until the mares have gone by; he must either tarry where he is, or go
a half-day's journey round if need so be, so as not to come nigh them; for
they are to be treated with the greatest respect. Well, when the Lord sets
out from the Park on the 28th of August, as I told you, the milk of all
those mares is taken and sprinkled on the ground. And this is done on the
injunction of the Idolaters and Idol-priests, who say that it is an
excellent thing to sprinkle that milk on the ground every 28th of August,
so that the Earth and the Air and the False Gods shall have their share of
it, and the Spirits likewise that inhabit the Air and the Earth. And thus
those beings will protect and bless the Kaan and his children and his
wives and his folk and his gear, and his cattle and his horses, his corn
and all that is his. After this is done, the Emperor is off and away.[NOTE
7]
But I must now tell you a strange thing that hitherto I have forgotten to
mention. During the three months of every year that the Lord resides at
that place, if it should happen to be bad weather, there are certain
crafty enchanters and astrologers in his train, who are such adepts in
necromancy and the diabolic arts, that they are able to prevent any cloud
or storm from passing over the spot on which the Emperor's Palace stands.
The sorcerers who do this are called TEBET and KESIMUR, which are the
names of two nations of Idolaters. Whatever they do in this way is by the
help of the Devil, but they make those people believe that it is compassed
by dint of their own sanctity and the help of God.[NOTE 8] [They always go
in a state of dirt and uncleanness, devoid of respect for themselves, or
for those who see them, unwashed, unkempt, and sordidly attired.]
These people also have a custom which I must tell you. If a man is
condemned to death and executed by the lawful authority, they take his
body and cook and eat it. But if any one die a natural death then they
will not eat the body.[NOTE 9]
There is another marvel performed by those BACSI, of whom I have been
speaking as knowing so many enchantments.[NOTE 10] For when the Great Kaan
is at his capital and in his great Palace, seated at his table, which
stands on a platform some eight cubits above the ground, his cups are set
before him [on a great buffet] in the middle of the hall pavement, at a
distance of some ten paces from his table, and filled with wine, or other
good spiced liquor such as they use. Now when the Lord desires to drink,
these enchanters by the power of their enchantments cause the cups to move
from their place without being touched by anybody, and to present
themselves to the Emperor! This every one present may witness, and there
are ofttimes more than 10,000 persons thus present. 'Tis a truth and no
lie! and so will tell you the sages of our own country who understand
necromancy, for they also can perform it.[NOTE 11]
And when the Idol Festivals come round, these Bacsi go to the Prince and
say: "Sire, the Feast of such a god is come" (naming him). "My Lord, you
know," the enchanter will say, "that this god, when he gets no offerings,
always sends bad weather and spoils our seasons. So we pray you to give us
such and such a number of black-faced sheep," naming whatever number they
please. "And we beg also, good my lord, that we may have such a quantity
of incense, and such a quantity of lignaloes, and" - so much of this, so
much of that, and so much of t'other, according to their fancy - "that we
may perform a solemn service and a great sacrifice to our Idols, and that
so they may be induced to protect us and all that is ours."
The Bacsi say these things to the Barons entrusted with the Stewardship,
who stand round the Great Kaan, and these repeat them to the Kaan, and he
then orders the Barons to give everything that the Bacsi have asked for.
And when they have got the articles they go and make a great feast in
honour of their god, and hold great ceremonies of worship with grand
illuminations and quantities of incense of a variety of odours, which they
make up from different aromatic spices. And then they cook the meat, and
set it before the idols, and sprinkle the broth hither and thither, saying
that in this way the idols get their bellyful. Thus it is that they keep
their festivals. You must know that each of the idols has a name of his
own, and a feast-day, just as our Saints have their anniversaries.[NOTE
12]
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