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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
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Citation Information
124
MARCO POLO BooK IL
ashes. Their attachment to him as their sole master is such that nothing can drive or tempt them from their allegiance. Their large bows, long spears, and sharp swords, are strong and well-wrought. They train excellent horses, love archery and hunting and so expert are they in tactics that their soldiers rank as the best among all the uncivilized tribes. There is this proverb : ` The Lo Dragons of Shwui-si rap the head and strike the tail,' which is intended to indicate their celerity in defence." (B1•idgman, pp. 272-273.)
The character Lo, here applied in the Chinese Tract to these people, is the same as that in the name of the Kwangsi Lo of M. Pauthier.
I append a cut (opposite page) from the drawing representing these Kolo-man in the original work from which Bridgman translated, and which is in the possession of Dr. Lockhart.
[I believe we must read To-lo-man. Man, barbarian, T'u-lao or Shan-tzzi (mountaineers) who live in the Yunnanese prefectures of Lin-ngan, Cheng-kiang, etc. T'u-la-Man or T'u-la barbarians of the Mongol Annals. ( Yuen-ski lei j5ien, quoted by Devéria, p. 115.)—H. C.]
NOTE 2.—Magail]ans, speaking of the semi-independent tribes of Kwei-chau and Kwang-si, says : " Their towns are usually so girt by high mountains and scarped rocks that it seems as if nature had taken a pleasure in fortifying them " (p. 43). (See cut at p. 131.)
CHAPTER LIX.
CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF CUIJU.
Cuiju is a province towards the East.' After leaving
Coloman you travel along a river for I2 days, meeting
with a good number of towns and villages, but nothing
worthy of particular mention. After you have travelled
those twelve days along the river you come to a great
and noble city which is called FUNGUL.
The people are Idolaters and subject to the Great
Kaan, and live by trade and handicrafts. You must
know they manufacture stuffs of the bark of certain trees
which form very fine summer clothing.' They are good
soldiers, and have paper-money. For you must under-
stand that henceforward we are in the countries where
the Great Kaan's paper-money is current.
The country swarms with lions to that degree that
no man can venture to sleep outside his house at night.3
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