But This I Can
Tell You For Certain, That They Are Not Half Lion And Half Bird As Our
Stories Do Relate; But Enormous As They Be They Are Fashioned Just Like An
Eagle.
The Great Kaan sent to those parts to enquire about these curious matters,
and the story was told by those who went thither.
He also sent to procure
the release of an envoy of his who had been despatched thither, and had
been detained; so both those envoys had many wonderful things to tell the
Great Kaan about those strange islands, and about the birds I have
mentioned. [They brought (as I heard) to the Great Kaan a feather of the
said Ruc, which was stated to measure 90 spans, whilst the quill part was
two palms in circumference, a marvellous object! The Great Kaan was
delighted with it, and gave great presents to those who brought it.
[NOTE 6]] They also brought two boars' tusks, which weighed more than 14
lbs. apiece; and you may gather how big the boar must have been that had
teeth like that! They related indeed that there were some of those boars as
big as a great buffalo. There are also numbers of giraffes and wild asses;
and in fact a marvellous number of wild beasts of strange aspect.[NOTE 7]
NOTE 1. - Marco is, I believe, the first writer European or Asiatic, who
unambiguously speaks of MADAGASCAR; but his information about it was very
incorrect in many particulars.
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