There Are Also Many Tame Eagles, So Trained As To Take
Hares, Roe-Bucks, Deers, And Foxes; And Some Of These Will Even Seize Upon
Wolves, And Vex Them So Grievously, That The Men May Take Them Without
Danger.
For the conduct of the imperial hunt, there are two great officers
called Ciurco, or masters of the game,
Who are brothers, named Boyan and
Mingan, each of whom have the command of 10,000 men; those who belong to
one of these divisions being clothed in red, and the others in sky blue;
and they keep various kinds of dogs, such as mastiffs and others, for
hunting, to the number of 5000 or more. When the khan goes to hunt, one of
these great companies of hunters stretches out on his right hand, and the
other on his left, occupying the plain country to the breadth of a whole
days journey, so that no beast can escape them; and when they have
collected the game into a circle, it is delightful to see the khan going
into the middle, with numbers of dogs, which hunt down the harts and bears,
and other wild beasts. The masters of the game are bound by their
commissions to send to court, between the beginning of October and end of
March, 1000 head of beasts, besides birds of various kinds, and fish, the
best they can procure.
[1] The proper name of this place is Kan-balgassan, or, for shortness,
Khan-balga, signifying the city of the khan. Arabian authors have
changed it to Khan-balick or Khan-baligh; and the Italians to
Chanbalig, Chanbalu, Cambalu, and even Gamelecco. The Chinese call
this northern part of the imperial city King-tshing, which has the
same meaning with the Tartar name, and may be translated Kingstown.
Pe-king, the other part of the same city, signifies the northern court
or residence. - Forst.
[2] The description of this palace is exceedingly confused and
unintelligible, most probably from erroneous transcription and
mistakes in translation. - E.
[3] By this obscure expression, it seems to be implied that there are no
upper rooms. - E.
[4] The soldiers mentioned here and in other places, as present in the
great hall upon solemn occasions, can only mean the officers of the
military actually on guard over the person of the khan at the time.
- E.
SECTION XII.
Of the Magnificence of the Court of the Great Khan, and of the Manners and
Customs of his Subjects.
In the beginning of March the great khan departs from Cambalu, and proceeds
north towards the ocean[1], which is at the distance of two days journey,
accompanied by 10,000 falconers, with falcons, ger-falcons, hawks, and
other birds of prey, that are trained to the sport. These falconers
disperse themselves in companies of 100 or 200 together, and most of the
birds that are taken are brought to the khan; who, on account of the gout,
which has disabled him from riding, sits in a wooden house, covered with
lions skins, and hung within with cloth of gold, which is carried on the
backs of two elephants.
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