Another kind of work which generally strikes tourists like
Father Martini, or Chinese travellers, is the poling up of the road on the
sides of steep cliffs....[2] Extensive cliffs are frequently rounded in
this way, and imagination is much struck with the perils of walking on the
side of a precipice, with the foaming river below. When the timbers rot,
such passages of course become obstructed, and thus the road is said to
have been periodically in complete disuse. The repairs, which were chiefly
made in the time of the Ming, concerned especially passages of this sort."
Richthofen also notices the abundance of game; but inhabited places appear
to be rarer than in Polo's time. (See Martini in Blaeu; Chine
Ancienne, p. 234; Ritter, IV. 520; D'Ohsson, II. 22, 80, 328;
Lecomte, II. 95; Chin. Rep. XIX. 225; Richthofen, Letter VII. p.
42, and MS. Notes).
[1] The last is also stated by Klaproth. Ritter has overlooked the
discrepancy of the dates (B.C. and A.D.) and has supposed Liu Pei and
Liu Pang to be the same. The resemblance of the names, and the fact
that both princes were founders of Han Dynasties, give ample room for
confusion.
[2] See cut from Mr. Cooper's book at p. 51 below. This so exactly
illustrates Baron R.'s description that I may omit the latter.
CHAPTER XLIII.
CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF ACBALEC MANZI.
After you have travelled those 20 days through the mountains of CUNCUN
that I have mentioned, then you come to a province called ACBALEC MANZI,
which is all level country, with plenty of towns and villages, and belongs
to the Great Kaan. The people are Idolaters, and live by trade and
industry. I may tell you that in this province, there grows such a great
quantity of ginger, that it is carried all over the region of Cathay, and
it affords a maintenance to all the people of the province, who get great
gain thereby. They have also wheat and rice, and other kinds of corn, in
great plenty and cheapness; in fact the country abounds in all useful
products. The capital city is called ACBALEC MANZI [which signifies "the
White City of the Manzi Frontier"].[NOTE 1]
This plain extends for two days' journey, throughout which it is as fine
as I have told you, with towns and villages as numerous. After those two
days, you again come to great mountains and valleys, and extensive
forests, and you continue to travel westward through this kind of country
for 20 days, finding however numerous towns and villages. The people are
Idolaters, and live by agriculture, by cattle-keeping, and by the chase,
for there is much game. And among other kinds, there are the animals that
produce the musk, in great numbers.[NOTE 2]
NOTE 1. - Though the termini of the route, described in these two chapters,
are undoubtedly Si-ngan fu and Ch'eng-tu fu, there are serious
difficulties attending the determination of the line actually followed.
The time according to all the MSS., so far as I know, except those of one
type, is as follows:
In the plain of Kenjanfu . . . . . 3 days.
In the mountains of Cuncun . . . . 20 "
In the plain of Acbalec . . . . . 2 "
In mountains again . . . . . . 20 "
-
45 days.
-
[From Si-ngan fu to Ch'eng-tu (Sze-ch'wan), the Chinese reckon 2300 li
(766 miles). (Cf. Rockhill, Land of the Lamas, p. 23.) Mr. G.F. Eaton,
writing from Han-chung (Jour. China Br.R.A.S. xxviii. p. 29) reckons:
"From Si-ngan Fu S.W. to Ch'eng-tu, via K'i-shan, Fung-sien, Mien,
Kwang-yuan and Chao-hwa, about 30 days, in chairs." He says (p. 24): "From
Ch'eng-tu via Si-ngan to Peking the road does not touch Han-chung, but
20 li west of the city strikes north to Pao-ch'eng. The road from
Han-chung to Ch'eng-tu made by Ts'in Shi Hwang-ti to secure his conquest of
Sze-ch'wan, crosses the Ta-pa-shan." - H.C.]
It seems to me almost impossible to doubt that the Plain of Acbalec
represents some part of the river-valley of the Han, interposed between
the two ranges of mountains called by Richthofen T'sing-Ling-Shan and
Ta-pa-Shan. But the time, as just stated, is extravagant for anything
like a direct journey between the two termini.
The distance from Si-ngan fu to Pao-ki is 450 li, which could be done in
3 days, but at Polo's rate would probably require 5. The distance by the
mountain road from Pao-ki to the Plain of Han-chung, could never have
occupied 20 days. It is really a 6 or 7 days' march.
But Pauthier's MS. C (and its double, the Bern MS.) has viii. marches
instead of xx., through the mountains of Cuncun. This reduces the time
between Kenjanfu and the Plain to 11 days, which is just about a proper
allowance for the whole journey, though not accurately distributed. Two
days, though ample, would not be excessive for the journey across the
Plain of Han-chung, especially if the traveller visited that city. And "20
days from Han-chung, to Ch'eng-tu fu would correspond with Marco Polo's
rate of travel." (Richthofen).
So far then, provided we admit the reading of the MS. C, there is no ground
for hesitating to adopt the usual route between the two cities,
via Han-chung.
But the key to the exact route is evidently the position of Acbalec Manzi,
and on this there is no satisfactory light.
For the name of the province, Pauthier's text has Acbalec Manzi, for the
name of the city Acmalec simply.
