The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 / Page 346 (Color Image)

0346	The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2

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MARCO POLO BooK III.

CHAPTER X.

THE KINGDOMS OF SAMARA AND DAGROIAN.

POE

.•-

•

So you must know that when you leave the kingdom of

Basma you come to another kingdom called Samara,

on the same Island.' And in that kingdom Messer

Marco Polo was detained five months by the weather,

which would not allow of his going on. And I tell you

that here again neither the Pole-star nor the stars of the

Maestro 2 were to be seen, much or little. The people

here are wild Idolaters ; they have a king who is great

and rich ; but they also call themselves subjects of the

j f Great Kaan. When Messer Mark was detained on this

Island five months by contrary winds, [he landed with

.. + about 2000 men in his company ; they dug large ditches

on the landward side to encompass the party, resting at

either end on the sea-haven, and within these ditches

they made bulwarks or stockades of timber] for fear of

those brutes of man-eaters ; [for there is great store of

`• ,{ wood there ; and the Islanders having confidence in the

ful.] There is abundance of fish to be had, the best in

the world. The people have no wheat, but live on

rice. Nor have they any wine except such as I shall

now describe.

You must know that they derive it from a certain

kind of tree that they have. When they want wine they

cut a branch of this, and attach a great pot to the stem

of the tree at the place where the branch was cut ; in a

day and a night they will find the pot filled. This wine

is excellent drink, and is got both white and red. [It is

of such surpassing virtue that it cures dropsy and tisick

and spleen.] The trees resemble small date-palms ; . .

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