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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
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Citation Information
CHAP. XXVII. TILE KINGDOM OF TANA
395
Cycloj5ædia that to this species is assigned a height of i5 to 20 feet. Polo's six paces therefore, even if it means 3o feet as I think, is not a great exaggeration. (Doyle, Cult. of Cotton, 144, 145, I 52 ; Eng. Cycl. art. Gossypiunz. )
NOTE 4. — Embroidered and Inlaid leather-work for bed-covers, palankin mats and the like, is still a great manufacture in Rajkot and other places of Kattiawar in Peninsular Guzerat, as well as in the adjoining region of Sind. (Note from Sir Bartle Frere.) The embroidery of Guzerat is highly commended by Barbosa, Linschoten, and A. Hamilton.
The G. T. adds at the end of this passage : "E qe voz en diroi ? Sack/6"s tout voiremant qe en ceste reingne se labore roiaus dereusse de cuir et plus sotilmnent que ne fait en tout lo monde, e celz qe sunt de greind Hors vailance."
The two words in Roman type I cannot explain ; qu. royaux devises?
CHAPTER XXVII.
CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF TANA.
TANA is a great kingdom lying towards the west, a
kingdom great both in size and worth. The people are
Idolaters, with a language of their own, and a king of
their own, and tributary to nobody.' No pepper grows
there, nor other spices, but plenty of incense ; not the
white kind however, but brown.2
There is much traffic here, and many ships and mer-
chants frequent the place ; for there is a great export of
leather of various excellent kinds, and also of good buck-
ram and cotton. The merchants in their ships also
import various articles, such as gold, silver, copper, and
other things in demand.
With the King's connivance many corsairs launch
from this port to plunder merchants. These corsairs
have a covenant with the King that he shall get all the
horses they capture, and all other plunder shall remain
with them. The King does this because he has no
horses of his own, whilst many are shipped from abroad
towards India ; for no ship ever goes thither without
horses in addition to other cargo. The practice is
naughty arid unworthy of a king.
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