On This, The Tartars Remounted Their Horses,
And Made A Furious Attack On The Enemy.
The battle continued for some time
undecided, and many men were slain on both sides.
At length the army of the
king of Mien was defeated and put to flight, leaving the victory to the
Tartars; who now hastened into the wood, and made many prisoners, by whose
assistance they seized two hundred of the elephants, which were sent to the
great khan. Before this time, the Tartars were unaccustomed to the use of
elephants in war; but the great khan has ever since had elephants in his
army. After this victory, the great khan subjected the kingdoms of Mien and
Bengala to his empire.
Departing from the province of Carian, or Caraiam, there is a great desert
which continues for two days and a half, without any inhabitants, at the
end of which desert there is a large plain, in which great multitudes meet
for traffic three days in every week. Many people come down from the great
mountains, bringing gold, which they exchange for five times its weight of
silver; on which account, many merchants come here from foreign countries
with silver, and carry away gold, bringing likewise large quantities of
merchandize to sell to these people; for no strangers can go into the high
mountains where the people dwell who gather gold, oh account of the
intricacy and impassable nature of the roads. After passing this plain, and
going to the south for fifteen days journey, through uninhabited and woody
places, in which there are innumerable multitudes of elephants,
rhinoceroses[10], and other wild beasts, we come to Mien, which borders
upon India. At the end of that journey of fifteen days, we come to the
great and noble city of Mien, the capital of the kingdom, which is subject
to the great khan. The inhabitants are idolaters, and have a peculiar
language. There was formerly a king in this city, who being on the point of
death, gave orders to erect two pyramidal monuments, or towers of marble,
near his sepulchre, one at the head and the other at the foot, each of them
ten fathoms high, and having a round ball on the top of each. One of these
he ordered to be covered with gold, and the other with silver, a fingers
breadth in thickness; and round about the tops of these pyramids many
little bells of gold and silver were hung, which gave a pleasing shrill
sound, when agitated by the wind. The monument or sepulchre between these
was likewise covered with plates of gold and silver. When the great khan
undertook the conquest of this country, he sent a valiant captain at the
head of a large army, mostly of cavalry, of which the Tartarian armies
principally consist. After the city was won, the general would not demolish
this monument without orders from the khan; who, on being informed that the
former king had erected it in honour of his soul, would not permit it to be
injured, as the Tartars never violate those things which belong to the
dead. In the country of Mien there are many elephants and wild oxen, large
stags and deer, and various other kinds of wild beasts in great abundance.
The province of Bengala borders on India towards the south[11], and was
subdued by the great khan, while I Marco Polo resided in the eastern
countries. It had its own proper king, and has a peculiar language. The
inhabitants are all idolaters, and have schools in which the masters teach
idolatries and enchantments, which are universal among all the great men of
the country. They eat flesh, rice, and milk; and have great abundance of
cotton, by the manufacture of which a great trade is carried on. They
abound also in spike, galingal, ginger, sugar, and various other spices;
and they make many eunuchs, whom they sell to the merchants. This province
continues for thirty days journey going eastwards, when we come to the
province of Cangigu[12]. This country has its own king, who is tributary to
the great khan. The inhabitants are idolaters, and have a peculiar
language. The king has about three hundred wives. The province has much
gold and many spices, but these cannot be easily transported, as it is far
distant from the sea. It has also many elephants and much game. The
inhabitants live on flesh, rice, and milk, having no wine, but they make an
excellent drink of rice and spices. Both men and women ornament their
faces, necks, hands, bellies, and legs, with the figures of lions, dragons,
and birds, and these are so firmly imprinted, as to be almost indelible.
There are in this country professors of this foolish art of skin
embroidery, who follow no other trade but this needle work, and dying of
fools skins; and the person who has the greatest number and variety of
these images, is considered the finest and most gallantly ornamented.
Amu or Aniu, twenty-five days journey to the east of the province of
Cangigu, is subject to the great khan, and its inhabitants are idolaters
who have a peculiar language. This country abounds in provisions, and has
great quantities of cattle and many horses; and these last being excellent,
are carried by the merchants for sale into India. The country is full of
excellent pastures, and therefore abounds in buffalos and oxen. Both men
and women wear bracelets of gold and silver of great value on their legs
and arms, but those of the women are the most valuable.
The province of Tholoman, which is likewise subject to the great khan, is
at the distance of eight days journey east from Amu; the inhabitants are
idolaters, and use a peculiar language; both men and women are tall, well
shaped, and of a brown complexion. This country is well inhabited, having
many strong towns and castles, and the men are practised in arms, and
accustomed to war.
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