You must know that it was in this same capital city of Tenduc that Prester
John had the seat of his government when he ruled over the Tartars, and
his heirs still abide there; for, as I have told you, this King George is
of his line, in fact, he is the sixth in descent from Prester John.
Here also is what we call the country of GOG and MAGOG; they, however,
call it UNG and MUNGUL, after the names of two races of people that
existed in that Province before the migration of the Tartars. Ung was
the title of the people of the country, and Mungul a name sometimes
applied to the Tartars.[NOTE 5]
And when you have ridden seven days eastward through this province you get
near the provinces of Cathay. You find throughout those seven days'
journey plenty of towns and villages, the inhabitants of which are
Mahommetans, but with a mixture also of Idolaters and Nestorian
Christians. They get their living by trade and manufactures; weaving those
fine cloths of gold which are called Nasich and Naques, besides silk
stuffs of many other kinds. For just as we have cloths of wool in our
country, manufactured in a great variety of kinds, so in those regions
they have stuffs of silk and gold in like variety.[NOTE 6]
All this region is subject to the Great Kaan. There is a city you come to
called SINDACHU, where they carry on a great many crafts such as provide
for the equipment of the Emperor's troops. In a mountain of the province
there is a very good silver mine, from which much silver is got: the place
is called YDIFU. The country is well stocked with game, both beast and
bird.[NOTE 7]
Now we will quit that province and go three days' journey forward.
NOTE 1. - Marco's own errors led commentators much astray about Tanduc or
Tenduc, till Klaproth put the matter in its true light.
Our traveller says that Tenduc had been the seat of Aung Khan's
sovereignty; he has already said that it had been the scene of his final
defeat, and he tells us that it was still the residence of his descendants
in their reduced state. To the last piece of information he can speak as a
witness, and he is corroborated by other evidence; but the second
statement we have seen to be almost certainly erroneous; about the first
we cannot speak positively.
Klaproth pointed out the true position of Tenduc in the vicinity of the
great northern bend of the Hwang-Ho, quoting Chinese authorities to show
that Thiante or Thiante-Kiun was the name of a district or group of
towns to the north of that bend, a name which he supposes to be the
original of Polo's Tenduc.
