- H. C.] But That Term Itself Could Scarcely Have Been In Use At Cambaluc, Even Among The Handful Of Franks,

To designate the powerful Minister, and it looks as if Marco had confounded the word in his own mind with

Some Oriental term of like sound, possibly the Arabic Wali, "a Prince, Governor of a Province,... a chief Magistrate." (F. Johnson.) In the Roteiro of the Voyage of Vasco da Gama (2nd ed. Lisbon, 1861, pp. 53-54) it is said that on the arrival of the ships at Calicut the King sent "a man who was called the Bale, which is much the same as Alquaide." And the Editor gives the same explanation that I have suggested.

I observe that according to Pandit Manphul the native governor of Kashgar, under the Chinese Amban, used to be called the Baili Beg. [In this case Baili stands for beileh. - H. C.] (Panjab Trade Report, App. p. cccxxxvii.)

NOTE 4. - The story, as related in De Mailla and Gaubil, is as follows. It contains much less detail than the text, and it differs as to the manner of the chief conspirator's death, whilst agreeing as to his name and the main facts of the episode.

In the spring of 1282 (Gaubil, 1281) Kublai and Prince Chingkim had gone off as usual to Shangtu, leaving Ahmad in charge at the Capital. The whole country was at heart in revolt against his oppressions. Kublai alone knew, or would know, nothing of them.

WANGCHU, a chief officer of the city, resolved to take the opportunity of delivering the Empire from such a curse, and was joined in his enterprise by a certain sorcerer called Kao Hoshang. They sent two Lamas to the Council Board with a message that the Crown Prince was returning to the Capital to take part in certain Buddhist ceremonies, but no credit was given to this. Wangchu then, pretending to have received orders from the Prince, desired an officer called CHANG-Y (perhaps the Chenchu of Polo's narrative) to go in the evening with a guard of honour to receive him. Late at night a message was sent to summon the Ministers, as the Prince (it was pretended) had already arrived. They came in haste with Ahmad at their head, and as he entered the Palace Wangchu struck him heavily with a copper mace and stretched him dead. Wangchu was arrested, or according to one account surrendered, though he might easily have escaped, confident that the Crown Prince would save his life. Intelligence was sent off to Kublai, who received it at Chaghan-Nor. (See Book I. ch. lx.) He immediately despatched officers to arrest the guilty and bring them to justice. Wangchu, Chang-y, and Kao Hoshang were publicly executed at the Old City; Wangchu dying like a hero, and maintaining that he had done the Empire an important service which would yet be acknowledged. (De Mailla, IX. 412-413; Gaubil, 193-194; D'Ohsson, II. 470.) [Cf. G. Phillips, in T'oung-Pao, I. p. 220.

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