IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
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CHAP. XX. HOW THE EMPEROR GOES HUNTING
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403
Toscaol, which is as much as to say, " Watchers." And
the name describes their business.3 They are posted
from spot to spot, always in couples, and thus they cover
a great deal of ground ! Every man of them is provided
with a whistle and hood, so as to be able to call in a
hawk and hold it in hand. And when the Emperor
makes a cast, there is no need that he follow it up, for
those men I speak of keep so good a look out that they
never lose sight of the birds, and if these have need of
help they are ready to render it.
All the Emperor's hawks, and those of the Barons as
well, have a little label attached to the leg to mark them,
on which is written the names of the owner and the keeper
of the bird. And in this way the hawk, when caught, is at
once identified and handed over to its owner. But if not,
the bird is carried to a certain Baron, who is styled the
I]ularg Zlclli, which is as much as to say " The Keeper of
Lost Property." And I tell you that whatever may be
found without a known owner, whether it be a horse, or
a sword, or a hawk, or what not, it is carried to that
Baron straightway, and he takes charge of it. And if the
finder neglects to carry his trover to the Baron, the latter
punishes him. Likewise the loser of any article goes to
the Baron, and if the thing be in his hands it is imme-
diately given up to the owner. Moreover, the said Baron
always pitches on the highest spot of the camp, with his
banner displayed, in order that those who have lost or
found anything may have no difficulty in finding their
way to him. Thus nothing can be lost but it shall be
incontinently found and restored.'
And so the Emperor follows this road that I have
mentioned, leading along in the vicinity of the Ocean
Sea (which is within two days' journey of his capital city,
Cambaluc), and as he goes there is many a fine sight to
be seen, and plenty of the very best entertainment in
VOL. 1. 2 C 2
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