The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 / Page 601 (Color Image)

0601	The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1

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CHAP. LXI. TIIE CITY AND PALACE OF CHANDU

299

of 16 miles, and inside the Park there are fountains and

rivers and brooks, and beautiful meadows, with all kinds

of wild animals (excluding such as are of ferocious

nature), which the Emperor has procured and placed

there to supply food for his gerfalcons and hawks,

which he keeps there in mew. Of these there are

more than 200 gerfalcons alone, without reckoning the

oher hawks. The Kaan himself goes every week to

see his birds sitting in mew, and sometimes he rides

through the park with a leopard behind him on his

horse's croup ; and then if he sees any animal that

takes his fancy, he slips his leopard at it,3 and the

game when taken is made over to feed the hawks in

mew. This he does for diversion.

Moreover [at a spot in the Park where there is a

charming wood] he has another Palace built of cane, of

which I must give you a description. It is gilt all over,

and most elaborately finished inside. [It is stayed on

gilt and lackered. columns, on each of which is a dragon

all gilt, the tail of which is attached to the column

whilst the head supports the architrave, and the claws

likewise are stretched out right and left to support the

architrave.] The roof, like the rest, is formed of canes,

covered with a varnish so strong and excellent that no

amount of rain will rot them. These canes are a good

3 palms in girth, and from 1 o to 15 paces in length.

[They are cut across at each knot, and then the pieces

are split so as to form from each two hollow tiles, and

with these the house is roofed ; only every such tile of

cane has to be nailed down to prevent the wind from

lifting it.] In short, the whole Palace is built of these

canes, which (I may mention) serve also for a great

variety of other useful purposes. The construction of

the Palace is so devised that it can be taken down and

ut up again with great celerity ; and it can all be taken

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