IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
z 5 6 . LIONS AND PAPIONES ARE CAUGHT IN FUGIU OMARCO POLO
z VA many- armies of the great Kaan stay there always. to guard the country, because through-z z z out the country many cities and villages very often rebel, because, as is said elsewhere, they are careless of death because they believe they will live in honour in the other world, and also because these people dwell in strong places in the mountains, and whenever they are intoxicated and stirred up against their rulers they kill theirs. And those of the army who stay in this VA city go there as soon as they rebel and take and destroy it, and do what is necessary to reserve the authority of the great Kaan. And for this reason many armies of the great Kaan stay there in this city. And you may know that a great river which is quite a R mile wide goes through the middle' of this city, upon the banks of which on one side
c on the other are very beautiful buildings. And in this city are made many ships which R Z sail on that river with merchandise, & especially cf sugar. • Over this river is also a very beautiful bridge upon great barges, and the said barges are held with strong anchors, and
z great planks and strong are fixed over them. They make sugar also in so great abundance V that no one could tell it. Great trade in pearls and in other precious stones and spices V is done there, and this is because the ships from Indie come there in numbers with z much merchandise and with many merchants who frequent the islands of Indic. In
this country many lions arc found, which are caught with a trap; namely, that in places
suitable for this two very deep pits are made one beside the other. It is true that between either
some ground is left perhaps for the width of one ell; and on either side of the pits a high hedge
is made, but nothing at the ends. And at night the owner of the pits will tie a little dog on
the ground which is in the middle and leaving him there will go away. Then the dog tied like
this, when it is left by the piaster, will not cease to bark; and the dog shall he white. And the
lion hearing from whatever distance thence the voice of the dog will run to him with much fury,
and when he shall see him gleaming white, wishing to leap hastily to catch him, will
fall in the pit. In the morning the master of the pits will come and will kill the lion in the ig
pits. Then the flesh will be eaten up because it is good, and the skin will be sold, for they are very dear. And if he shall wish to have hint alive, he will draw him out well with his tackle
alive. There are also found in that district certain animals called papiones, which papiones are
something like foxes. They indeed gnaw and do much harm to the canes which produce sugar. o~
And when merchants passing through the district with caravans stop in any place for the sake of resting and sleeping by night, these papiones come to them secretly and whatever they are able
to steal they steal and carry off, bringing much loss upon them. But they catch them in this way. For they have great gourds which they cut in the knob at the top, making a mouth for entry of a width calculated so that one of the papiones can put its head in with force. And that the mouth cf the gourd may not be broken by the violent impress of the head of the papio, they bore
t,
1 Z: ab uria parte For the width, just above, VA: riweko meiaro
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