The Travels of Marco Polo
Chapter 15 : XLVII.--OF CHINGHIS, AND HOW HE BECAME THE FIRST KAAN OF THE TARTARS NOTES.--1. Chronol

XLVII.--OF CHINGHIS, AND HOW HE BECAME THE FIRST KAAN OF THE TARTARS

NOTES.--1. Chronology. 2. Relations between Chinghiz and Aung Khan, the Prester John of Polo.

XLVIII.--HOW CHINGHIS MUSTERED HIS PEOPLE TO MARCH AGAINST PRESTER JOHN

XLIX.--HOW PRESTER JOHN MARCHED TO MEET CHINGHIS

NOTES.--1. Plain of Tanduc. 2. Divination by Twigs and Arrows.

L.--THE BATTLE BETWEEN CHINGHIS KAAN AND PRESTER JOHN. DEATH OF CHINGHIS

NOTE.--Real circ.u.mstances and date of the Death of Chinghiz.

LI.--OF THOSE WHO DID REIGN AFTER CHINGHIS KAAN, AND OF THE CUSTOMS OF THE TARTARS

NOTES.--1. Origin of the _Cambuscan_ of Chaucer. 2. Historical Errors.

3. The Place of Sepulture of Chinghiz. 4. Barbarous Funeral Superst.i.tion.

LII.--CONCERNING THE CUSTOMS OF THE TARTARS

NOTES.--1. Tartar Huts. 2. Tartar Waggons. 3. Pharaoh's Rat. 4. Chast.i.ty of the Women. 5. Polygamy and Marriage Customs.

LIII.--CONCERNING THE G.o.d OF THE TARTARS

NOTES.--1. The old Tartar idols. 2. k.u.miz.

LIV.--CONCERNING THE TARTAR CUSTOMS OF WAR

NOTES.--1. Tartar Arms. 2. The Decimal Division of their Troops.

3. Textual. 4. Blood-drinking. 5. _Kurut_, or Tartar Curd. 6. The Mongol military rapidity and terrorism. 7. Corruption of their Nomade simplicity.

LV.--CONCERNING THE ADMINISTERING OF JUSTICE AMONG THE TARTARS

NOTES.--1. The Cudgel. 2. Punishment of Theft. 3. Marriage of the Dead.

4. Textual.

LVI.--SUNDRY PARTICULARS ON THE PLAIN BEYOND CARACORON

NOTES.--1. Textual. 2. Bargu, the Mecrit, the Reindeer, and Chase of Water-fowl. 3. The bird _Barguerlac_, the Syrrhaptes. 4. Gerfalcons.

LVII.--OF THE KINGDOM OF ERGUIUL, AND PROVINCE OF SINJU

NOTES.--1. Erguiul. 2. Siningfu. 3. The Yak. 4. The Musk Deer.

5. Reeves's Pheasant.

LVIII.--OF THE KINGDOM OF EGRIGAIA

NOTES.--1. Egrigaia. 2. Calachan 3. White Camels, and Camlets: Siclatoun.

LIX.--CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF TENDUC, AND THE DESCENDANTS OF PRESTER JOHN

NOTES.--1. The name and place Tenduc. King George. 2. Standing Marriage Compact. The t.i.tle _Gurgan_. 3. Azure. 4. The terms _Argon_ and _Guasmul_. The _Dungens_. 5. The Rampart of Gog and Magog. 6. Tartary cloths. 7. Siuen-hwa fu.

LX.--CONCERNING THE KAAN'S PALACE OF CHAGANNOR.

NOTES.--1. Palace. 2. The word _Sesnes_. 3. Chagan-nor. 4. The five species of Crane described by Polo. 5. The word _Cator_.

LXI.--OF THE CITY OF CHANDU, AND THE KAAN'S PALACE THERE

NOTES.--1. Two Roads. 2. Chandu, properly Shangtu. 3. Leopards. 4. The Bamboo Palace. Uses of the Bamboo. 5. Kublai's Annual Migration to Shangtu. 6. The White Horses. The Oirad Tribe. 7. The Mare's Milk Festival. 8. Weather Conjuring. 9. Ascription of Cannibalism to Tibetans, etc. 10. The term _Bacsi_. 11. Magical Feats ascribed to the Lamas. 12. Lamas. 13. Vast extent of Lama Convents. 14. Married Lamas.

15. Bran. 16. Patarins. 17. The Ascetics called _Sensin_. 18. Textual.

19. Tao-sze Idols.

BOOK SECOND.

PART I.

I.--OF CUBLAY KAAN, THE GREAT KAAN NOW REIGNING, AND OF HIS GREAT PUISSANCE

NOTE.--Eulogies of Kublai.

II.--CONCERNING THE REVOLT OF NAYAN, WHO WAS UNCLE TO THE GREAT KAAN CUBLAY

NOTES.--1. Chronology. 2. Kublai's Age. 3. His Wars. 4. Nayan and his true relations.h.i.+p to Kublai.

III.--HOW THE GREAT KAAN MARCHED AGAINST NAYAN

NOTE.--Addition from Ramusio.

IV.--OF THE BATTLE THAT THE GREAT KAAN FOUGHT WITH NAYAN

NOTES.--1. The word _Bretesche_. 2. Explanatory. 3. The Nakkara.

4. Parallel Pa.s.sages. 5. Verbal. 6. The Story of Nayan. (_See App. L.

7._)

V.--HOW THE GREAT KAAN CAUSED NAYAN TO BE PUT TO DEATH

NOTES.--1. The Shedding of Royal blood avoided. 2. Chorcha, Kaoli, Barskul, Sikintinju. 3. Jews in China.

VI.--HOW THE GREAT KAAN WENT BACK TO THE CITY OF CAMBALUC

NOTE.--Pa.s.sage from Ramusio respecting the Kaan's views of Religion.

Remarks.