国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
| |||||||||
|
The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 | |
マルコ=ポーロ卿の記録 : vol.1 |
CHAP. XXVI. THE KAAN'S POSTS AND RUNNERS
435
But now I will tell you another thing that I had
forgotten, but which ought to be told whilst I am on this
subject. You must know that by the Great Kaan's
orders there has been established between those post-
houses, at every interval of three miles, a little fort with
some forty houses round about it, in which dwell the
people who act as the Emperor's foot-runners. Every
one of those runners wears a great wide belt, set all over
with bells, so that as they run the three miles from post
to post their bells are heard jingling a long way off.
And thus on reaching the post the runner finds another
man similarly equipt, and all ready to take his place,
who instantly takes over whatsoever he has in charge,
and with it receives a slip of paper from the clerk, who
is always at hand for the purpose ; and so the new man
sets off and runs his three miles. At the next station he
finds his relief ready in like manner ; and so the post
proceeds, with a change at every three miles. And in
this way the Emperor, who has an immense number of
these runners, receives despatches with news from places
ten days' journey off in one day and night ; or, if need
be, news from a hundred days off in ten days and
nights ; and that is no small matter ! (In fact in the
fruit season many a time fruit shall be gathered one
morning in Cambaluc, and the evening of the next day
it shall reach the Great Kaan at Chandu, a distance of
ten days' journey.5 The clerk at each of the posts notes
the time of each courier's arrival and departure ; and
there are often other officers whose business it is to
make monthly visitations of all the posts, and to punish
those runners who have been slack in their work.6) The
Emperor exempts these men from all tribute, and pays
them besides.
Moreover, there are also at those stations other men
equipt similarly with girdles hung with bells, who are
VOL. I, 2 E 2
1•
4
|
Copyright (C) 2003-2019
National Institute of Informatics(国立情報学研究所)
and
The Toyo Bunko(東洋文庫). All Rights Reserved.
本ウェブサイトに掲載するデジタル文化資源の無断転載は固くお断りいたします。