An ass, but shorter ears, longer than those of a horse; he gives a
picture of it. - H. C.]
CHAPTER XLVI.
OF THE CITY OF CARACORON.
Caracoron is a city of some three miles in compass. [It is surrounded by a
strong earthen rampart, for stone is scarce there. And beside it there is
a great citadel wherein is a fine palace in which the Governor resides.]
'Tis the first city that the Tartars possessed after they issued from
their own country. And now I will tell you all about how they first
acquired dominion and spread over the world.[NOTE 1]
Originally the Tartars[NOTE 2] dwelt in the north on the borders of
CHORCHA.[NOTE 3] Their country was one of great plains; and there were no
towns or villages in it, but excellent pasture-lands, with great rivers
and many sheets of water; in fact it was a very fine and extensive region.
But there was no sovereign in the land. They did, however, pay tax and
tribute to a great prince who was called in their tongue UNC CAN, the same
that we call Prester John, him in fact about whose great dominion all the
world talks.[NOTE 4] The tribute he had of them was one beast out of every
ten, and also a tithe of all their other gear.
Now it came to pass that the Tartars multiplied exceedingly. And when
Prester John saw how great a people they had become, he began to fear that
he should have trouble from them. So he made a scheme to distribute them
over sundry countries, and sent one of his Barons to carry this out. When
the Tartars became aware of this they took it much amiss, and with one
consent they left their country and went off across a desert to a distant
region towards the north, where Prester John could not get at them to
annoy them. Thus they revolted from his authority and paid him tribute no
longer. And so things continued for a time.
NOTE 1. - KARAKORUM, near the upper course of the River Orkhon, is said by
Chinese authors to have been founded by Buku Khan of the Hoei-Hu or
Uigurs, in the 8th century, In the days of Chinghiz, we are told that it
was the headquarters of his ally, and afterwards enemy, Togrul Wang Khan,
the Prester John of Polo. ["The name of this famous city is Mongol,
Kara, 'black,' and Kuren, 'a camp,' or properly 'pailing.'" It was
founded in 1235 by Okkodai, who called it Ordu Balik, or "the City of the
Ordu," otherwise "The Royal City." Mohammedan authors say it took its name
of Karakorum from the mountains to the south of it, in which the Orkhon
had its source.
