- There is a little doubt about the reading of this last paragraph.
The G. T. has - "Mes desormes volun retorner a nostre conte en la grant
plaingne ou nos estion quant nos comechames des fais des Tartars,"
whilst Pauthier's text has "Mais desormais vueil retourner a mon conte
que Je lessai d'or plain quant nous commencames des faiz des Tatars."
The former reading looks very like a misunderstanding of one similar to
the latter, where d'or plain seems to be an adverbial expression, with
some such meaning as "just now," "a while ago." I have not, however, been
able to trace the expression elsewhere. Cotgrave has or primes, "but
even now," etc.; and has also de plain, "presently, immediately, out of
hand." It seems quite possible that d'or plain should have had the
meaning suggested.
CHAPTER LVI.
SUNDRY PARTICULARS OF THE PLAIN BEYOND CARACORON.
And when you leave Caracoron and the Altay, in which they bury the bodies
of the Tartar Sovereigns, as I told you, you go north for forty days till
you reach a country called the PLAIN OF BARGU.[NOTE 1] The people there
are called MESCRIPT; they are a very wild race, and live by their cattle,
the most of which are stags, and these stags, I assure you, they used to
ride upon. Their customs are like those of the Tartars, and they are
subject to the Great Kaan. They have neither corn nor wine.[They get birds
for food, for the country is full of lakes and pools and marshes, which
are much frequented by the birds when they are moulting, and when they
have quite cast their feathers and can't fly, those people catch them.
They also live partly on fish.[NOTE 2]]
And when you have travelled forty days over this great plain you come to
the ocean, at the place where the mountains are in which the Peregrine
falcons have their nests.
