THE WONDERFUL STORY OF MARCO POLO.
[Illustration: MARCO POLO.]
"What do you make out of Marco Polo's book?" said the Doctor to the
boys, after they had devoted a sufficient time to its perusal.
"We find it very interesting," Frank replied. "The style is quaint, and
the information it contains is curious. Evidently it is a true story,
and the man must have actually gone over the ground he describes, or it
would never be so accurate."
"It is some time since I read it," responded Doctor Bronson, "and
perhaps you had best tell me about it. By so doing you will refresh my
memory, and at the same time fix the information in your own minds."
Thus encouraged, the boys proceeded to tell the story of Marco Polo to
Doctor Bronson, just as though he had never heard it. The Doctor was a
patient listener, and both Frank and Fred showed, by the completeness of
their account, that they had thoroughly read the book.
"To begin with," said Frank, "Marco Polo was a Venetian adventurer. His
father was named Nicolo Polo, and he--Marco--had an uncle named Maffeo.
Marco was born in the year 1254, and six years later his father and
uncle started on a journey to Constantinople and the southern part of
Russia. They were merchants, and their business carried them into
Central Asia, and then to Cathay, where they spent some time with the
khan, or emperor, of that country."
"And what is Cathay?" said Dr. Bronson, with a smile.
"Cathay is the ancient name for China," Fred answered, "and even to-day
it is sometimes called so. Do you remember how Tennyson, in one of his
poems, says,
"'Better fifty years of Europe than a cycle of Cathay;'
"and I am sure you once told me that the Russian name of China is
'Kitie,' with the accent on the last syllable. That is pretty near the
sound of Cathay, and undoubtedly came from it."
"Quite correct," the Doctor responded; "you have a good memory both for
facts and poetry."
"Kublai-Khan, the Emperor of Cathay," Frank continued, "had never before
seen a gentleman from Europe. He was delighted with the Venetians, and
greatly interested in the stories they told him about Europe and its
countries and customs. How long they remained there we do not know, but
it is certain that the emperor, Kublai-Khan, determined to send them as
ambassadors to the Pope, who was then the greatest monarch of Europe.
Accordingly, he wrote letters to the Pope asking him to send a large
number of educated missionaries to Cathay to convert the people to
Christianity. These he intrusted to the two Polos, and sent with them an
officer of his own court.
[Illustration: THE GREAT KHAN DELIVERING A TABLET TO THE ELDER POLO
BROTHERS.
(From a Miniature of the Fourteenth Century.)]
"Before they started on their mission he gave them a golden tablet, upon
which there was inscribed an order for them to receive everything they
might desire for their comfort and convenience in the countries through
which they might pass; and his last order to them was 'to bring back to
him some oil of the lamp which burns on the sepulchre of our Lord at
Jerusalem.' On the road the Tartar prince who accompanied them fell
sick, and they were obliged to leave him behind. If the truth were
known, it is quite probable he did not wish to make the journey, and was
glad of an excuse for avoiding it.
[Illustration: ARMS OF THE POLO FAMILY.]
"In 1269 the brothel's arrived at Acre, in Palestine, and found that the
Pope, Clement IV., had died the year before, and no new one had been
chosen. So they went to Venice to see how matters stood in that city,
and to get some news of their families. Nicolo found that his wife had
died during his absence, and his son Marco was a fine youth of fifteen
years.
"They waited at Venice for two years; but the College of Cardinals could
not agree on a new Pope, and consequently the Church was without any
head to whom they could deliver their letters. Fearing that the Great
Khan would be displeased at their long absence, and believe them
faithless to their trust, they determined to return to him and explain
the state of affairs. Accordingly, they started in 1271, taking young
Marco with them, and in due time were once more at Acre. Before they
left the coast for the interior, they learned that a new Pope had been
chosen. The man on whom the choice fell was then in Syria, and so they
were able to carry out the khan's commission, and get a reply. But he
was only able to give them two priests to accompany them to Cathay, and
these soon found a reason for declining to go to the strange land. So
the three Polos set out alone for the dominions of the Great Khan.
[Illustration: NICOLO POLO, FATHER OF MARCO.]
"With the letters, presents from the Pope to the khan, and the holy oil
from Jerusalem, they took the route by Sivas, Mosul, and Bagdad to
Hormuz, where they turned north and went through Bokhara, Persia, and
by way of Kashgar, Yarkand, and Khoten. Then they went to the desert of
Gobi, and, after crossing it, reached the territories of the khan near
the great wall of China. They had been three years and a half on the
journey, and the date of their arrival at the khan's court is supposed
to be 1275.
"The khan was greatly pleased to see them, and he was especially
delighted with young Marco, to whom he seemed to take very kindly.
Marco, in his turn, sought to win the favor of the emperor by making
himself as useful as possible; he studied the Oriental languages, and in
a little while he could speak and write no less than four of them.
"The emperor soon began to employ him in the public service, and he
acquitted himself so well that he was sent in charge of missions to
distant countries. His first mission was to the province of Yunnan, and
in going there he was obliged to pass through several other provinces.
He had noticed, during his stay at court, that the emperor was very fond
of hearing about strange countries and their manners and customs, and so
he took good care to bring back as much information as possible. The
khan complimented him for his learning, and found him a great contrast
to the commissioners, who could never tell anything except the business
on which they had gone.
"We don't know much about the details of his employment while he was at
the court of the emperor," said Frank, "but we are told that he was for
three years governor of the great city of Yangtchoo; and we also learn
that he was in Tangut for a year or more, and that he went on missions
to Mongolia, to Cochin China, and other regions, and commanded
expeditions to the Indian seas. What his father and uncle were doing all
this time we do not know, except that the evidence shows they were
making themselves rich. Perhaps they were able to obtain good contracts
through the influence of Marco; and if they could get a monopoly of
government contracts for a few years, they would have no difficulty in
piling up a large fortune.
"Thus they remained at the court of the khan for eleven years, and
by-and-by they wanted to go home and enjoy their wealth. But the khan
would not listen to it, and perhaps they would never have been heard of
again if it had not been for an accident.
"Arghun-Khan of Persia, a great-nephew of Kublai-Khan, had lost his
wife, and her dying injunction was that her place should be filled by a
lady of her own kin--the Mongol tribe of Bayaut. An embassy came to
Kublai's court with the request, and the choice fell on Lady Kukachin,
who is described as a most beautiful woman. The overland road to Persia
was considered dangerous, and it was determined to send her by sea.
Accordingly, the khan fitted out an expedition in fine style, and, as
the Venetians were well acquainted with navigation, while the Tartars
were ignorant of it, the khan concluded to send the Polos with the
fleet. He was reluctant to let them go; but having once determined to do
so, he gave them a great many fine presents, and intrusted them with
messages to the various sovereigns of Europe, including the King of
England. They appear to have sailed from the Port of Zayton in the early
part of 1292. The voyage was long and unfortunate, and the greater part
of the embassy and suite perished on the way. The lady and the three
Venetians arrived safely in Persia, where it was found that her intended
husband had died, and so she was compelled to marry his son.
[Illustration: PORTRAIT OF KUBLAI-KHAN.
(From a Chinese engraving.)]
"As soon as their mission had ended, the Polos proceeded to Venice,
which they reached in the year 1295. Their long absence had caused them
to be well-nigh forgotten, and very few people could be found who
remembered anything about the Polos. They had changed much in their
complexions, had almost forgotten their own language; all their
utterances had a decidedly Tartar accent; and they were so
travel-stained and shabby that they had difficulty in being received in
their own house, which was now occupied by relatives.
"In order to establish their identity, the wanderers invited their
relatives to a grand banquet. When the time came for sitting down at
table, the three appeared in robes of crimson satin; a little later they
exchanged these for robes of crimson damask, and these again for the
richest velvet of the same color. Afterwards they dressed in clothing
like that of the rest of the company, and each of the crimson robes, as
soon as it was laid aside, was cut up and given to the servants.
"Just as the dinner was breaking up, Marco rose from the table and
retired for a moment. When he returned, he brought the shabby dresses
they had worn on their arrival, and the three Polos then went to work
with knives to rip open these apparently worthless garments. As they cut
away the seams, showers of great diamonds of the purest water, and also
emeralds, pearls, rubies, sapphires, and carbuncles, fell on the table.
"There could be no further doubt about the relationship; everybody at
table was ready to swear that he was father, son, and brother all at
once to any of the trio. Relatives poured in on them in great numbers,
and all Venice rushed to do them honor. They were appointed to offices
of high trust, and the young men of Venice came to hear Marco tell of
the wonders he had seen in his long absence. They were the most popular
men in the city, and received more invitations to dinner than they could
accept.
"There is a tradition that the wife of one of the Polos one day gave a
beggar an old coat belonging to her husband, as she considered it too
shabby for him to wear any longer. When he asked for it the next day, in
order to put away the jewels it contained, she told him she had given it
to a poor man whom she did not know. The tradition says, 'He went to the
Bridge of Rialto, and stood there turning a wheel, to no apparent
purpose, but as if he were a madman; and to all who crowded around to
see what prank was this, and asked him why he did it, he answered,
"He'll come, if God pleases." So, after two or three days, he recognized
his old coat on the back of one of those who came to stare at his mad
proceeding, and got it back again.
[Illustration: MARCO POLO'S GALLEY IN BATTLE.]
"Soon after his return, an expedition was sent from Venice against
Genoa, and Marco was placed in command of one of the ships or galleys. A
great battle was fought; the Venetians were defeated; Marco was
captured, placed in irons, and lodged in a prison at Genoa. While in
captivity, he told the story of his travels to a fellow-prisoner named
Rusticiano or Rustichello, of Pisa, and the latter committed it to
writing. It was fortunate for us, though not so for him, that Marco Polo
was in prison, as otherwise we might never have had an account of his
travels. After his release, he led a quiet life at Venice, and seems to
have died not far from the year 1325. He was buried in the Church of San
Lorenzo; but all trace of his tomb was lost when that edifice was
rebuilt.
"Now it is Fred's turn," said Frank; "I have told the history of Marco
Polo, and shown why and how he went to the East; Fred will give you an
account of what the great traveller saw in his absence from Europe of
nearly twenty years."
Fred drew his note-book from his pocket and proceeded to his share of
the entertainment.
"Marco Polo's work," said Fred, "consists of four divisions or books and
a prologue. The prologue opens as follows:
"'Great princes, emperors, and kings, dukes and marquises, counts,
knights, and burgesses, and people of all degrees, who desire to get
knowledge of the various races of mankind, and of the diversities of the
sundry regions of the world, take this book and cause it to be read to
you. For ye shall find therein all kinds of wonderful things, and the
divers histories of the great Hermenia, and of Persia, and of the land
of the Tartars, and of India, and of many another country of which our
book doth speak particularly, and in regular succession, according to
the description of Messer Marco Polo, a wise and noble citizen of
Venice, as he saw them with his own eyes. Some things, indeed, there be
therein which he beheld not; but these he heard from men of credit and
veracity. And we shall set down things seen as seen, and things heard as
heard only, so that no jot of falsehood may mar the truth of our book;
and that all who read it or hear it read may put full faith in the truth
of all its contents.'
"It is hardly worth while to read the whole prologue to you," Fred
remarked, "as it is long, and we can only give a general glance at the
contents of the whole work. A great many editions of the travels of
Marco Polo have been published; the most valuable of all is the latest,
which is by Colonel Yule, an English officer who spent a long time in
India. He has made a careful study of the subject, and his work, with
explanatory notes, is as complete as years of labor could make it.
Indeed, there are more pages taken up with the explanatory notes than
with the original text of Marco Polo.
"The four divisions or books give an account of the various countries he
visited in his years of wandering, and of the wonderful sights he
beheld. The route he followed can be traced by geographers without
difficulty, and the cities he visited have most of them been identified.
Many have had their names changed, and some have disappeared altogether,
so that in a few instances the localities are in dispute. But, taken as
a whole, the story is a truthful one, and shows Marco Polo to have been
the greatest traveller of his time.
"Some of the stories that seem at first to be the wildest fiction are
known to be founded in fact, if not literally correct. In speaking of
Syria, he says: 'There is a great lake at the foot of a mountain, and in
this lake are found no fish, great or small, throughout the whole year
till Lent comes. On the first day of Lent they find in it the finest
fish in the world, and great store, too, thereof; and these continue to
be found till Easter-eve. After that they are found no more till Lent
comes round again; and so 'tis every year.'
"Colonel Yule is unable to locate the particular lake mentioned, but
says there are several lakes in different parts of the East that are
deserted by the fish for certain periods of the year. It would not be at
all strange if such were the case, and a very little exaggeration of the
story would make the fish appear in Lent, and go away at other times.
[Illustration: ALAU SHUTS UP THE CALIPH OF BAUDAS IN HIS
TREASURE-TOWER.]
"While describing Baudas--the modern Bagdad--he tells how an army, under
Prince Alau, captured the city, and found the greatest accumulation of
treasure that ever was known. The prince was enraged at seeing so much
wealth, and asked the caliph why he did not take the money to hire
soldiers to defend the city. 'The caliph,' says Marco, 'wist not what to
answer, and said never a word. So the prince continued, "Now then,
caliph, since I see what a love thou hast borne thy treasure, I will
e'en give it thee to eat." So he shut the caliph up in the
treasure-tower, and bade that neither meat nor drink should be given
him, saying, "Now, caliph, eat of thy treasure as much as thou wilt,
since thou art so fond of it, for never shalt thou have aught else to
eat!"'
"So the caliph lingered four days in the tower, and then died. The story
has been used by several poets both in England and America, and it has
been made the basis of an Eastern romance.
"Some of the more fanciful stories he tells are about the men of Lambri,
and of Angamanain. Here is what he says of the former:
"'Now you must know that in this kingdom of Lambri there are men with
tails; these tails are of a palm in length, and have no hair on them.
These people live in the mountains, and are a kind of wild men. Their
tails are about the thickness of a dog's. There are also plenty of
unicorns in the country, and abundance of game in birds and beasts.'
"The story is not very definite," Frank suggested, "as there is a great
difference in the size of dogs' tails. The range from a terrier or pug
to a mastiff or a Siberian blood-hound is pretty wide. It reminds me of
the stone thrown at a man, that was described by a witness as about the
size of a piece of chalk."
"By the island of Angamanain," Fred continued, "Polo probably meant the
Andaman Islands. Here is what he says of them:
[Illustration: DOG-HEADED MEN OF ANGAMANAIN.]
"'The people are without a king, and are idolaters, and no better than
wild beasts. And I assure you that all the men of this island of
Angamanain have heads like dogs, and teeth and eyes likewise! In fact,
in the face they are just like big mastiff dogs! They have a quantity of
spices; but they are a most cruel generation, and eat everybody they can
catch, if not of their own race. They live on flesh and rice and milk,
and have fruits different from ours.'
"Now, the fact is," Fred explained, "that the natives of the Andaman
Islands have a bad reputation. Down to the present time they have been
repeatedly charged with murdering the crews of ships that were wrecked
there; and it is only recently that their cannibalism has been denied.
They are very black, and not at all handsome in face or figure; and out
of these facts I suppose the story came that they had heads like dogs.
"He describes a fountain in the kingdom of Mosul, 'from which oil
springs in great abundance, insomuch that a hundred ship loads might be
taken from it at one time. This oil is not good to use with food, but
'tis good to burn, and is also used to anoint camels that have the
mange.' Evidently they had petroleum in Asia six hundred years ago, as
we have it in America to-day, and thought we had made a new discovery.
"He speaks of oxen 'that are all over white as snow, and very large and
handsome. When they are to be loaded they kneel like the camel; once the
load is adjusted, they rise. Then there are sheep as big as asses; and
their tails are so large and fat that one tail shall weigh more than
thirty pounds. They are fine fat beasts, and afford capital mutton.'
These fat-tailed sheep are known in Asia and Africa, and the weight he
gives is said not to be excessive.
"In one place there is an account of the posting system of the Great
Khan of Tartary, which seems to have been more perfect than the posting
system of Europe at the same date. From Kambaluc, the capital--now known
as Peking--the roads branched in all directions, and 'each road,' says
Marco, 'is known by the name of the province to which it leads. And the
messengers of the emperor, in travelling from Kambaluc, be the road
whichsoever they will, find at every twenty-five miles of the journey a
station which they call _Yamb_, or, as we would say, the
Post-horse-house. And at each of those stations used by the messengers
there is a large and handsome building for them to put up at, in which
they find all the rooms furnished with fine beds, and all other
necessary articles in rich silk, and where they are provided with
everything they can want. If even a king were to arrive at one of these,
he would find himself well lodged. At some of these stations there shall
be posted more than 400 horses, standing ready for the use of
messengers; and at some 200, according to the requirements.... There are
more than 300,000 kept at all these posts, and more than 10,000 great
buildings for the use of messengers.'"
"How much China has declined since the days of Marco Polo," Frank
remarked. "The great buildings and the silk beds do not exist; and as
for the horses, we were unable to find them at the posting-stations, or
even to find any stations where they might be kept."
Fred took breath during this interruption, and then went on with the
story of what Marco Polo claimed to have seen.
[Illustration: MEDIÆVAL TARTAR HUTS AND WAGONS.]
"'The houses of the Tartars,' says Marco, 'are made of wands covered
with felt. These are carried along with them whithersoever they go. They
also have wagons covered with black felt so efficaciously that no rain
can get in. These are drawn by oxen and camels, and the women and
children travel in them. They eat all kinds of flesh, including horses
and dogs and Pharaoh's rats. Their drink is mares' milk.' This account
is confirmed by other writers; and the houses of the Tartars are made
to-day as Polo describes, though they are not drawn about on wheels. One
ancient writer says that he measured one of the Tartar wagons, and found
that the wheels were twenty feet apart, and it was drawn by twenty-two
oxen, eleven abreast.
[Illustration: THE ROC, FROM A PERSIAN DRAWING.]
"He has a good deal to say," Fred continued, "about the famous bird
known as the roc, or rukh. He does not claim to have seen one of these
birds, but was informed by persons who had done so. According to his
account, 'It was for all the world like an eagle, but one, indeed, of
enormous size; so big, in fact, that its wings covered an extent of
thirty paces, and its quills were twelve paces long, and thick in
proportion; and it is so strong that it will seize an elephant in its
talons and carry him up in the air and drop him, so that he is smashed
to pieces; having so killed him, the bird swoops down on him and eats
him at leisure.'
[Illustration: ROC'S EGG, NOW IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM.]
"In a note explaining this story, Colonel Yule says there was once a
bird in Madagascar, where Polo places the roc, that was much larger than
any known bird of the present day. Its eggs have been found in a fossil
state, and one of them is preserved in the British Museum. It measures
thirteen and a quarter by six and a half inches (length and width), and
the capacity of the shell is nearly three and a half gallons. It was
undoubtedly from this bird that the fable of the roc arose."
Frank ventured to ask Fred if he had found from Marco Polo's book what
kind of money was used in China at the time he visited that country.
[Illustration: CHINESE BANK-NOTE OF THE MING DYNASTY.]
"I am just coming to that," Fred answered. "Polo says that the great
emperor, Kublai-Khan, was a wonderful man. 'He transformed the bark of
the mulberry-tree into something resembling sheets of paper, and these
into money, which cost him nothing at all, so that you might say he had
the secret of alchemy to perfection. And these pieces of paper he made
to pass current universally, over all his kingdoms and provinces and
territories, and whithersoever his sovereignty extended; and nobody,
however important he thought himself, dared to refuse them on pain of
death."
"History repeats itself," said Doctor Bronson; "for many a modern
government has made the same laws in order to compel the circulation of
its promises to pay."
"And with the same result," Fred responded; "for we learn farther on
from Marco Polo that, in spite of the death penalty, the legal-tender
issue of the Great Khan was only worth half its nominal value in silver;
and the more money he issued, the greater was the depreciation. But the
khan was not the inventor of paper-money, for it was known at least four
centuries before his time. Its origin is disputed, but the probabilities
are that it came from the East.
"Some of the stories that are told about supernatural appearances are
very interesting," continued Fred. "In the desert of Gobi, Polo says
that the traveller who lags behind his party at night will hear spirits
talking, and will suppose them to be his comrades. Sometimes the spirits
will call him by name, and thus shall a traveller oft-times be led
astray, so that he never finds his party; and in this way many have
perished. And sometimes you shall hear the sound of a variety of musical
instruments, and still more commonly the sound of drums.
"He says, in another place, 'When the Great Khan, seated on a platform
some eight cubits above the pavement, desires to drink, cups filled with
wine are moved from a buffet in the centre of the hall, a distance of
ten paces, and present themselves to the emperor without being touched
by anybody.'
[Illustration: CHINESE CONJURING EXTRAORDINARY.]
"Polo describes other magical performances, some of which are partially
explained by Colonel Yule. Another traveller relates that a juggler
performed some remarkable tricks in his presence; and among them is the
following: 'He took a wooden ball with several holes in it, through
which loose thongs were passed, and, laying hold of one of these, slung
it into the air. It went so high that we lost sight of it altogether.
There now remained only a little of the end of a thong in the conjurer's
hand, and he desired one of the boys who assisted him to lay hold of it
and mount. He did so, climbing by the thong, and we lost sight of him!
The conjurer then called to him three times; but getting no answer, he
snatched up a knife as if in a great rage, laid hold of the thong, and
disappeared also. By-and-by he threw down one of the boy's hands; then a
foot; then the other hand, and then the other foot; then the trunk; and,
last of all, the head. Then he came down himself, all puffing and
panting, and, with his clothes all bloody, kissed the ground, and said
something in Chinese. Then he took the lad's limbs, laid them together,
gave a kick, when, presto! there was the boy, who got up and stood
before us.'"
"The Indian jugglers are said to do the same trick, or one very much
like it," said Doctor Bronson. "I have read a description of one of
their performances, in which they took a long chain and threw one end of
it in the air, where it remained as if fastened to something. A dog was
then brought forward, and ran up the chain and disappeared in the air.
In the same way a hog, a panther, a lion, and a tiger were sent up the
chain one after the other, and all disappeared at its upper end. Finally
they took down the chain, rolled it up and put it in a bag, no one being
able to discover how the trick was performed."
"We must come to a stop now," said Fred, "though we haven't heard a
tenth part of the strange things in Marco Polo's story of his travels.
His account of the Court of Kublai-Khan would take a long time to tell,
and perhaps you would get tired of it before I came to the end. So, if
you want to know more, you must do as I have done--read for yourself."
The interesting session of the party over the travels of the famous
Venetian were brought to a close. The Doctor complimented the boys on
the excellent work they had done in making a condensed account of the
book, and said he was so pleased with them that he would give them a
similar piece of employment whenever the opportunity occurred.
"It is a capital way," said Fred, "to fix in mind what we have read. I
find that I read with greater care when I know I must make a summary of
a book than if I am to throw it down when through and think no more of
it. I'm very glad we had to go through Marco Polo's history in this
way."
"And I too," Frank added. "But it is what we used to dislike so much at
school."
"What was that?" Fred asked.
"Why, writing compositions, to be sure," Frank responded. "Don't you
remember how we used to detest it?"
"Of course I do," was the answer; "but we always did it without an
object. The teacher told us to write something about 'spring,' or 'the
beauties of nature,' or some other subject that was not at all definite.
Now if he had given us an interesting book to read, and said he wanted
us to do with it as we have done with this, we should have 'written a
composition' with some relish."
"It will be eight bells soon," the captain interrupted, "and if you want
to see me take the sun you had better come forward."
[Illustration: CAPTAIN CLANCHY AT WORK.]
The boys had familiarized themselves with the process of finding a
ship's position; but anything at sea that varies the monotony is always
welcome. So they went forward with Captain Clanchy, and stood by the
rail till that brief performance was ended. Then they retired to the
cabin, and watched the operation of working up the steamer's position;
and by the time this was over, the steward announced that dinner was
ready.
[Illustration: COME TO DINNER!]