The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 / Page 275 (Color Image)

0275	The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2

CHAP. LXXX. THE KINGDOM OF FUJU

225

abundance of game. Lions, great and strong, are also

very numerous. The country produces ginger and

galingale in immense quantities, insomuch that for a

Venice groat you may buy fourscore pounds of good

fine-flavoured ginger. They have also a kind of fruit

resembling saffron, and which serves the purpose of

saffron just as well.'

And you must know the people eat all manner of

unclean things, even the flesh of a man, provided he has

not died a natural death. So they look out for the

bodies of those that have been put to death and eat

their flesh, which they consider excellent.'

Those who go to war in those parts do as I am going

to tell you. They shave the hair off the forehead and

cause it to be painted in blue like the blade of a glaive.

They all go afoot except the chief ; they carry spears

and swords, and are the most savage people in the

world, for they go about constantly killing people, whose

blood they drink, and then devour the bodies.

Now I will quit this and speak of other matters.

You must know then that after going three days out of

the six that I told you of you come to the city of

KELINFU, a very great and noble city, belonging to the

Great Kaan. This city bath three stone bridges which

are among the finest and best in the world. They are a

mile long and some nine paces in width, and they are

all decorated with rich marble columns. Indeed they are

such fine and marvellous works that to build any one of

them must have cost a treasure.4

The people live by trade and manufactures, and have

great store of silk [which they weave into various stuffs],

and of ginger and galingale.5 [They also make much

cotton cloth of dyed thread, which is sent all over Manzi.]

Their women are particularly beautiful. And there is a

strange thing there which I needs must tell you. You

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