It Is Mentioned By Ctesias, And By Aelian, Who Says The Shepherds
Used To Extract The Tallow From The Live Animal, Sewing Up The Tail Again;
Exactly The Same Story Is Told By The Chinese Pliny, Ma Twan-Lin.
Marco's
statements as to size do not surpass those of the admirable Kampfer:
"In
size they so much surpass the common sheep that it is not unusual to see
them as tall as a donkey, whilst all are much more than three feet; and as
to the tail I shall not exceed the truth, though I may exceed belief, if I
say that it sometimes reaches 40 lbs. in weight." Captain Hutton was
assured by an Afghan sheep-master that tails had occurred in his flocks
weighing 12 Tabriz mans, upwards of 76 lbs.! The Afghans use the fat as
an aperient, swallowing a dose of 4 to 6 lbs! Captain Hutton's friend
testified that trucks to bear the sheep-tails were sometimes used among
the Taimunis (north of Herat). This may help to locate that ancient and
slippery story. Josafat Barbaro says he had seen the thing, but is vague
as to place. (Aelian Nat. An. III. 3, IV. 32; Amoen. Exoticae;
Ferrier, H. of Afghans, p. 294; J. A. S. B. XV. 160.)
[Rabelais says (Bk. I. ch. xvi.): "Si de ce vous efmerveillez,
efmerveillez vous d'advantage de la queue des beliers de la Scythie, qui
pesait plus de trente livres; et des moutons de Surie, esquels fault (si
Tenaud, dict vray) affuster une charrette au cul, pour la porter tant
qu'elle est longue et pesante." (See G. Capus, A travers le roy. de
Tamerlan, pp. 21-23, on the fat sheep.) - H. C.]
NOTE 3. - The word rendered banditti is in Pauthier Carans, in G. Text
Caraunes, in the Latin "a scaranis et malandrinis." The last is no
doubt correct, standing for the old Italian Scherani, bandits. (See
Cathay, p. 287, note.)
NOTE 4. - This is a knotty subject, and needs a long note.
The KARAUNAHS are mentioned often in the histories of the Mongol regime in
Persia, first as a Mongol tribe forming a Tuman, i.e. a division or
corps of 10,000 in the Mongol army (and I suspect it was the phrase the
Tuman of the Karaunahs in Marco's mind that suggested his repeated use
of the number 10,000 in speaking of them); and afterwards as daring and
savage freebooters, scouring the Persian provinces, and having their
headquarters on the Eastern frontiers of Persia. They are described as
having had their original seats on the mountains north of the Chinese wall
near Karaun Jidun or Khidun; and their special accomplishment in war
was the use of Naphtha Fire. Rashiduddin mentions the Karanut as a
branch of the great Mongol tribe of the Kungurats, who certainly had their
seat in the vicinity named, so these may possibly be connected with the
Karaunahs. The same author says that the Tuman of the Karaunahs formed the
Inju or peculium of Arghun Khan.
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