I looked up and beheld sweeping over
me a fire-red cloud, from which these sounds issued, and in it movements,
as it were, of men and horses; the men grasping bows, lances, and swords.
This I saw, or thought I saw. Then there appeared a white cloud of like
aspect; in it also I beheld armed horsemen, and these rushed against the
former as one squadron of horse charges another. We were so terrified at
this that we turned with humble prayer to the Almighty, whereupon the
natives about us wondered and broke into loud laughter. We, however,
continued to gaze, seeing how one cloud charged the other, remained
confused with it a while, and then sundered again. These movements lasted
deep into the night, and then all vanished."
(Fraehn, Ueber die Wolga Bulgaren, Petersb. 1832; Gold. Horde, 8, 9,
423-424; Not. et Extr. II. 541; Ibn Bat. II. 398; Bueschings Mag. V.
492; Erdmann, Numi Asiat. I. 315-318, 333-334, 520-535; Niceph.
Gregoras, II. 2, 2.)
NOTE 3. - ALAU is Polo's representation of the name of Hulaku, brother of
the Great Kaans Mangu and Kublai and founder of the Mongol dynasty in
Persia. In the Mongol pronunciation guttural and palatal consonants are
apt to be elided, hence this spelling. The same name is written by Pope
Alexander IV., in addressing the Khan, Olao, by Pachymeres and Gregoras
[Greek:
