The
invaders then marched towards Karakorum. But Bayan, who was in Mongolia,
marched to attack them, and completely defeated them in several
engagements. (Gaubil, 69, 168, 182.)
Pauthier gives a little more detail from the Chinese annals, but throws no
new light on the discrepancies which we see between Polo's account and
theirs. 'Antung, who was the grandson of Mokli, the Jelair, one of
Chinghiz's Orlok or Marshals, seems here to take the place assigned to
Prester John's grandson, and Shireghi perhaps that of Yesudar. The only
prince of the latter name that I can find is a son of Hulaku's.
The description of the battle in this chapter is a mere formula again and
again repeated. The armies are always exactly or nearly equal, they are
always divided into corps of 10,000 (tomans), they always halt to
prepare for action when within ten miles of one another, and the terms
used in describing the fight are the same. We shall not inflict these
tiresome repetitions again on the reader.
CHAPTER III.
WHAT THE GREAT KAAN SAID TO THE MISCHIEF DONE BY KAIDU HIS NEPHEW.
<+> (That were Caidu not of his own Imperial blood, he would make an utter
end of him, &c.)
CHAPTER IV.
OF THE EXPLOITS OF KING CAIDU'S VALIANT DAUGHTER.
Now you must know that King Caidu had a daughter whose name was AIJARUC,
which in the Tartar is as much as to say "The Bright Moon." This damsel
was very beautiful, but also so strong and brave that in all her father's
realm there was no man who could outdo her in feats of strength. In all
trials she showed greater strength than any man of them.[NOTE 1]
Her father often desired to give her in marriage, but she would none of
it. She vowed she would never marry till she found a man who could
vanquish her in every trial; him she would wed and none else. And when her
father saw how resolute she was, he gave a formal consent in their
fashion, that she should marry whom she list and when she list. The lady
was so tall and muscular, so stout and shapely withal, that she was almost
like a giantess. She had distributed her challenges over all the kingdoms,
declaring that whosoever should come to try a fall with her, it should be
on these conditions, viz., that if she vanquished him she should
win from him 100 horses, and if he vanquished her he should win her to
wife. Hence many a noble youth had come to try his strength against her,
but she beat them all; and in this way she had won more than 10,000
horses.
Now it came to pass in the year of Christ 1280 that there presented
himself a noble young gallant, the son of a rich and puissant king, a man
of prowess and valiance and great strength of body, who had heard word of
the damsel's challenge, and came to match himself against her in the hope
of vanquishing her and winning her to wife. That he greatly desired, for
the young lady was passing fair. He, too, was young and handsome, fearless
and strong in every way, insomuch that not a man in all his father's realm
could vie with him. So he came full confidently, and brought with him 1000
horses to be forfeited if she should vanquish him. Thus might she gain
1000 horses at a single stroke! But the young gallant had such confidence
in his own strength that he counted securely to win her.
Now ye must know that King Caidu and the Queen his wife, the mother of the
stout damsel, did privily beseech their daughter to let herself be
vanquished. For they greatly desired this prince for their daughter,
seeing what a noble youth he was, and the son of a great king. But the
damsel answered that never would she let herself be vanquished if she
could help it; if, indeed, he should get the better of her then she would
gladly be his wife, according to the wager, but not otherwise.
So a day was named for a great gathering at the Palace of King Caidu, and
the King and Queen were there. And when all the company were assembled,
for great numbers flocked to see the match, the damsel first came forth in
a strait jerkin of sammet; and then came forth the young bachelor in a
jerkin of sendal; and a winsome sight they were to see. When both had
taken post in the middle of the hall they grappled each other by the arms
and wrestled this way and that, but for a long time neither could get the
better of the other. At last, however, it so befel that the damsel threw
him right valiantly on the palace pavement. And when he found himself thus
thrown, and her standing over him, great indeed was his shame and
discomfiture. He gat him up straightway, and without more ado departed
with all his company, and returned to his father, full of shame and
vexation, that he who had never yet found a man that could stand before
him should have been thus worsted by a girl! And his 1000 horses he left
behind him.
As to King Caidu and his wife they were greatly annoyed, as I can tell
you; for if they had had their will this youth should have won their
daughter.
And ye must know that after this her father never went on a campaign but
she went with him. And gladly he took her, for not a knight in all his
train played such feats of arms as she did.
