Moreover, The Place Was In A Remote
Wilderness, More Than Thirty Marches From The Court, Though The Kaan Had
Made The Distance In Twenty, So Eager Was He To Come To Battle With Nayan.
And what shall I tell you next?
The Kaan was there on the hill, mounted on
a great wooden bartizan,[NOTE 1] which was borne by four well-trained
elephants, and over him was hoisted his standard, so high aloft that it
could be seen from all sides. His troops were ordered in battles of 30,000
men apiece; and a great part of the horsemen had each a foot-soldier armed
with a lance set on the crupper behind him (for it was thus that the
footmen were disposed of);[NOTE 2] and the whole plain seemed to be
covered with his forces. So it was thus that the Great Kaan's army was
arrayed for battle.
When Nayan and his people saw what had happened, they were sorely
confounded, and rushed in haste to arms. Nevertheless they made them ready
in good style and formed their troops in an orderly manner. And when all
were in battle array on both sides as I have told you, and nothing
remained but to fall to blows, then might you have heard a sound arise of
many instruments of various music, and of the voices of the whole of the
two hosts loudly singing. For this is a custom of the Tartars, that before
they join battle they all unite in singing and playing on a certain
two-stringed instrument of theirs, a thing right pleasant to hear. And so
they continue in their array of battle, singing and playing in this
pleasing manner, until the great Naccara of the Prince is heard to sound.
As soon as that begins to sound the fight also begins on both sides; and in
no case before the Prince's Naccara sounds dare any commence fighting.
[NOTE 3]
So then, as they were thus singing and playing, though ordered and ready
for battle, the great Naccara of the Great Khan began to sound. And that
of Nayan also began to sound. And thenceforward the din of battle began to
be heard loudly from this side and from that. And they rushed to work so
doughtily with their bows and their maces, with their lances and swords,
and with the arblasts of the footmen, that it was a wondrous sight to see.
Now might you behold such flights of arrows from this side and from that,
that the whole heaven was canopied with them and they fell like rain. Now
might you see on this side and on that full many a cavalier and man-at-
arms fall slain, insomuch that the whole field seemed covered with them.
From this side and from that such cries arose from the crowds of the
wounded and dying that had God thundered, you would not have heard Him!
For fierce and furious was the battle, and quarter there was none
given.[NOTE 4]
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