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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
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Citation Information
16o
MARCO POLO BooK II.
the Kaan ordered that the engines should be carried
to his army which was at the leaguer of Saianfu.3
And when the engines were got to the camp they
were forthwith set up, to the great admiration of the
Tartars. And what shall I tell you ? When the
engines were set up and put in gear, a stone was shot
from each of them into the town. These took effect
among the buildings, crashing and smashing through
everything with huge din and commotion. And when
the townspeople witnessed this new and strange visitation
they were so astonished and dismayed that they wist
not what to do or say. They took counsel together, but
no counsel could be suggested how to escape from these
engines, for the thing seemed to them to be done by
sorcery. They declared that they were all dead men if
they yielded not, so they determined to surrender on
such conditions as they could get.' Wherefore they
straightway sent word to the commander of the army
that they were ready to surrender on the same terms as
the other cities of the province had done, and to become
the subjects of the Great Kaan ; and to this the captain
of the host consented.
So the men of the city surrendered, and were received
to terms ; and this all came about through the exertions
of Messer Nicolo, and Messer Maffeo, and Messer
Marco ; and it was no small matter. For this city and
province is one of the best that the Great Kaan possesses,
and brings him in great revenues.5
NOTE I.—Pauthier's MS. C. here says : " When the Great Kaan, and the Barons about him, and the messengers from the camp . . . heard this, they all marvelled greatly ; for I tell you that in all those parts they know nothing of mangonels or trebuchets ; and they were so far from being accustomed to employ them in their wars that they had never even seen them, nor knew what they were." The MS. in question has in this narrative several statements peculiar to itself,* as indeed it has in various other passages of the book ; and these often look very like the result of revision by
* And to the Bern MS. which seems to be a copy of it, as is also I think (in substance) the Bodleian.
r
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