There Is A Lake In This Country 100 Miles In
Circuit, Which Has Great Quantities Of Fish.
The people of this country eat
the raw flesh of beef, mutton, buffalo, and poultry, cut into small pieces
and seasoned with excellent spices, but the poorer sort are contented with
garlic shred down among their meat.
The men have no objections to permit
the intercourse of strangers with their wives, on condition only of being
previously asked for their consent.
We departed from Jaci or Lazi, and travelling westwards for ten days
journey, we came to a province called Carazan after the name of its chief
city, which is governed by a son of the great khan, named Cogatin[4]. The
rivers in this province yield large quantities of washed gold, and,
likewise in the mountains, solid gold is found in veins; and the people
exchange gold against silver, at the rate of one pound of gold for six
pounds of silver[5]. The ordinary currency of the country is in porcelain
shells brought from India. In this country there are very large serpents,
some of which are ten paces long, and ten spans in thickness, having two
little feet before, near the head, with three talons or claws like lions,
and very large bright eyes[6]. Their jaws have large sharp teeth, and their
mouths are so wide, that they are able to swallow a man; nor is there any
man, or living creature, that can behold these serpents without terror.
Some of these are only eight, six, or five paces in length.
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