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National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
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Citation Information
CHAP. XL\'I. PEOPLE OF TEBET
49
Pauthier and in the G. T., ascribes the word Gudderi to the language "of that people," i.e. of the Tibetans. The Geog. Latin, however, has " lingua Tartaric'Q," and this is the fact. Klaproth informs us that Guderi is the Mongol word. And it will be found (Kuderi) in Kovalevski's Dictionary, No. 2594. Musk is still the most valuable article that goes from Ta-t'sien-lu to China. Much is smuggled, and single travellers will come all the way from Canton or Si-ngan fu to take back a small load of it. (Richthofen. )
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CHAPTER XLVI.
FURTHER DISCOURSE CONCERNING TEBET.
Tms province, called Tebet, is of very great extent.
The people, as I have told you, have a language of their
own, and they are Idolaters, and they border on Manzi
and sundry other regions. Moreover, they are very
great thieves.
The country is, in fact, so great that it embraces
eight kingdoms, and a vast number of cities and villages.'
It contains in several quarters rivers and lakes, in which
gold-dust is found in great abundance.' Cinnamon also
grows there in great plenty. Coral is in great demand
in this country and fetches a high price, for they delight
to hang it round the necks of their women and of their
idols.3 They have also in this country plenty of fine
woollens and other stuffs, and many kinds of spices are
produced there which are never seen in our country.
Among this people, too, you find the best enchanters
and astrologers that exist in all that quarter of the world ;
they perform such extraordinary marvels and sorceries by
diabolic art, that it astounds one to see or even hear of
them. So I will relate none of them in this book of
ours ; people would be amazed if they heard them, but it
would serve no good purpose.'
These people of Tebet are an ill-conditioned race.
They have mastiff dogs as bigs as donkeys, which are
VOL. II. D
1,4illi,1E
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