The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 / Page 577 (Color Image)

0577	The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1

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CHAP. LVII. THE KINGDOM OF ERGUIUL 275

and the cattle from this cross are wonderful beasts,

and better for work than other animals.] These the

People use commonly for burden and general work,

and in the plough as well ; and at the latter they

will do full twice as much work as any other cattle,

being such very strong beasts.' `

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In this country too is found the best musk in

the world ; and I will tell you how 'tis produced. There

exists in that region a kind of wild animal like a

gazelle. It has feet and tail like the gazelle's, and

stag's hair of a very coarse kind, but no horns. It

has four tusks, two below and two above, about three

inches long, and slender in form, one pair growing

upwards, and the other downwards. It is a very

pretty creature. The musk is found in this way.

When the creature has been taken, they find at the

navel between the flesh and the skin something like

an impostume full of blood, which they cut out and

remove with all the skin attached to it. And the

blood inside this impostume is the musk that produces

that powerful perfume. There is an immense number

of these beasts in the country we are speaking of.

[The flesh is very good to eat. Messer Marco brought

the dried head and feet of one of these animals to

Venice with him.'1]

The people are traders and artizans, and also grow

abundance of corn. The province has an extent of 26

days' journey. Pheasants are found there twice as big

as ours, indeed nearly as big as a peacock, and having -a• 4"... ~

tails of7 jo palms alms in length ; and besides them 1.'a~,.

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other pheasants in aspect like our own, and birds of -~

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many other kinds, and of beautiful variegated plumage.' ' t

The people, who are Idolaters, are fat folks with little

noses and black hair, and no beard, except a few hairs

on the upper lip. The women too have very smooth

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National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

Citation Information

OCR Text

National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

Citation Information

OCR Text

National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books