The City Is The Best In All
Persia.[NOTE 1] And When They Had Got Thither, They Found They Could
Neither Proceed Further Forward Nor Yet Turn Back Again; Wherefore They
Abode In That City Of Bocara For Three Years.
And whilst they were
sojourning in that city, there came from Alau, Lord of the Levant, Envoys
on their way to the Court of the Great Kaan, the Lord of all the Tartars
in the world.
And when the Envoys beheld the Two Brothers they were
amazed, for they had never before seen Latins in that part of the world.
And they said to the Brothers: "Gentlemen, if ye will take our counsel, ye
will find great honour and profit shall come thereof." So they replied
that they would be right glad to learn how. "In truth," said the Envoys,
"the Great Kaan hath never seen any Latins, and he hath a great desire so
to do. Wherefore, if ye will keep us company to his Court, ye may depend
upon it that he will be right glad to see you, and will treat you with
great honour and liberality; whilst in our company ye shall travel with
perfect security, and need fear to be molested by nobody."[NOTE 2]
NOTE 1. - Hayton also calls Bokhara a city of Persia, and I see Vambery
says that, up till the conquest by Chinghiz, Bokhara, Samarkand, Balkh,
etc., were considered to belong to Persia. (Travels, p. 377.) The first
Mongolian governor of Bokhara was Buka Bosha.
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