Marco Polo : vol.1 / Page 307 (Color Image)

0307	Marco Polo : vol.1

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD THE LIONS OF CUIGIU • I 3 0.

they wear these cloths in summer' time, both men and women. They are almost all •very R VB v

valiant men of arms. They have no money but only the notes with the seal of the great v VB

Kaan, of which I have told you before. For I tell you that henceforth we are in the v

lands where they spend the notes of the great Kaan. There are so many lions that

it is a great marvel and no man can dare to sleep at night outside the house' for fear TA z R

of them, for the lions would eat him immediately. Moreover I tell you another thing,

that when the men go by this river of which I have spoken above, on which much mer- VA

chandise is carried, and stay the night at any place and rest on the river, if they did not z

sleep quite far from the land the lions go to them, jumping into the water and swimming VB

up to the boat, and take a man from it by force and go their way and eat him; and R v

if anyone lies near the land by night the lions go to the boat very softly so that they do not

perceive them, and eat all the men they find, who cannot keep them off. • But they anchor in R

the middle of the river which is very broad, and so they are safe. But yet I tell you that the

men know well how to protect themselves from them. And if it were not for a help FB

which they have, none could journey through this province for the great number of the lions

which are there. And I tell you that they area very large lions and dangerous; but

yet you may know that I shall tell you a wonder. For I tell you that there are

many dogs in this country which are more large and the fiercest that can be said, and they FB VB

have the courage and strength to go to attack the lions. But yet they like to be two, VB

so that whenever the men travel they take two of them . For you may know that a brave FB VA

man on horseback and two of those dogs kill a fierce and very great lion, and I shall tell z z v

you how. When a nun rides alone by a road through the forest with bow and with VB VA

arrows and takes with him two of these good huge dogs they go safely, and when it happens vs TA TA VB V

that they find a great lion, the dogs [59b] which are brave and strong, as soon as

they see the lion they run upon him very bravely, encouraged by the man and incited, • one VB TA'

in front and the other behind. •And the lion turns itself towards the dogs, but the dogs are y TA'

trained. so well to protect themselves• and so agile that the lion does not touch them; • and the FB TA' TA3

lion looks at the man and not at the dogs. • And so the lions go flying. But the dogs, as soon FB

as they see that the lion is going off, they run behind him barking and howling and FB

bite him in the legs or in the tail or wherever they can reach him, and the lion turns FB

himself very fiercely and would kill them, but cannot catch them, because the dogs FB

know well how to protect themselves . And what shall I tell you about it ? The lion

is much frightened by the great noise which the dogs make, and then he sets himself

1 TA' adds elle sono cierte file traghono delle dette ischorze 2 VB,R: citta

3 & uof di car il sunt At first it seemed best to supply cornent after di, as B. afterwards did, but in that case we should probably have had dirai.

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