Some Are
Very Large, Almost Ten Paces High, Standing Upright, And Having Many
Smaller Idols Placed Around, Which Seem To Give Reverence To The Great One.
The Priests Of These Idols Appear To Live More Regularly, And Are Less
Addicted To Voluptuousness Than Other Idolaters.
Yet wantonness is not
looked upon in this country as any great sin; for they say if a woman
invites a man, there is no harm in compliance, but if the man solicits the
woman, it is quite otherwise.
In this country they divide the year by lunations, and in every moon they
keep certain days as holy, in some five, or four, or three days, in which
they kill no beast or bird, and abstain from animal food. The people of
this country marry twenty or thirty wives, or as many as they are able to
maintain, but the first wife always has the precedence over the others. The
husband receives no portion with his wife, but on the contrary has to
assign her a dower in cattle, servants, and money, according to his
ability. If any of the wives does not live in harmony with the rest, or if
she becomes disliked by her husband, it is lawful for him to put her away.
They marry their own near relations, and even the wives of their deceased
father, excepting always their own mothers. In the manners and customs of
this country, I Marco was sufficiently experienced, having dwelt a whole
year in this place, along with my father and uncle, for the dispatch of
certain affairs of business.
In twelve days journey from Campion, we come to the city of Ezina[7], which
borders on a sandy desert towards the north. All the provinces and cities
before mentioned, viz. Sachion, Camul, Chinchintalas, Succair, Campion, and
Ezina, are comprehended in the great country of Tangut. The inhabitants of
Ezina are idolaters, who live by agriculture, and on the produce of their
flocks and herds, having great quantities of camels and other cattle, but
carry on no trade. In this country there are forests of pine trees, in
which there are wild asses, and many other wild beasts; there are likewise
abundance of falcons, particularly the lanner and sacre, which are reckoned
excellent. Such travellers as intend to pass through the great desert of
Shamo, which is forty days journey in extent, must provide all their
provisions in this place, as they afterwards meet with no habitations,
except a few straggling people here and there on the mountains and valleys.
[1] Called also Kamul, Chamul, Khami, and Came-xu. - Forst.
[2] The desert of Noman-Cobi; or Tzokurin of modern maps. - E.
[3] Called likewise Cinchincalas, Sanghin-talgin, Sankin-talai, and
Chitalas-dalai. - Forst. This appears to be the district stretching to
the S.E. of the Bogdo mountains, between the Changai ridge on the
north, and the Ungandag on the south, now occupied by a tribe of
Eluts, and in which there do not appear to be any towns. - E.
[4] Suchur, Succuir, Souk, or Suck, on the river Suck, which empties itself
into the river of Pegu to the north of Thibet. - Forst.
This I suspect to be Chioming of our modern maps, on a river which
runs north into the Soukouk lake. - E.
[5] The country of the genuine rhubarb has been described by the great
Russian traveller Palas, as situated on the river Selingol, not far
from the town of Selinga, which falls into the Chattungol, Hoang-ho,
Choango, or Karamuren. - Forst.
The travels of Palas will be found in an after portion of this work;
and it need only be remarked in this place, that there are at least
two kinds of true rhubarb, the China and Russia; and that two species
of the genus, the R. Palmatum and R. Undulatum, certainly produce the
drug nearly of the same quality, and are probably to be found in
various parts of central Asia or Tartary, - E.
[6] Kampion, Kampition, Kampiciou, Kantscheu, or Kan-tcheou, in the Chinese
province of Shensi, on the Etzine-moren, or Etchine river, which joins
the Souk. - Forst.
[7] Eziva, or Etzine, on a river of the same name, which runs into the Suck
or Souhouk. - Forst.
SECTION VIII.
Of the City of Caracarum and of the Tartars, with some account of their
History, Monarchs, and Manners.
Having passed over the before mentioned desert of forty days, travelling
always to the northward, we come to the large city of Charachoran, or
Caracarum[1] which is three miles in circumference, and strongly fortified
with an earthen rampart, as there is no stone in these parts. Near the city
there is a great castle with an elegant palace, in which the governor
usually resides. Near this place the Tartars used to assemble in old times,
and here therefore I shall explain the original of their empire.
They dwelt at first in the northern parts called Curza and Bargu[2], where
there are many vast plains without cities and towns, but abounding in
pastures, lakes, and rivers. They had no prince of their own nation, but
paid tribute to a certain great king, named, as I have been told, in their
language, Umcan, and which some people believe to signify, in the
languages of Europe, Prester-John[3]; and to whom the Tartars gave yearly a
tenth part of the increase of their flocks and herds, and of their horses.
In process of time, the Tartars so increased in numbers, that Umcan became
afraid of them, and endeavoured to disperse them into several parts of his
empire; and when any of them rebelled, he used to send parties into their
territories to reduce them to obedience; for which purpose, he even
frequently deputed some of their own nobles. At length it became obvious to
the whole nation, that their ruin was intended; and being unwilling to be
separated from each other, they retired into the northern deserts, where
they might be safe from the power of Umcan, to whom they refused the
accustomed tribute.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 129 of 217
Words from 131294 to 132307
of 222093
