After Some Time,
They Met The Dogs On The Other Side Of A River.
It being in winter, the
dogs plunged into the water, and then rolled themselves in the dust on the
Land, till the dust and water was frozen on their backs; and having done
this repeatedly till the ice was thick and strong, they attacked the
Mongals with great fury; but when the Mongals threw their darts, or shot
their arrows at them, they rebounded as if they had fallen on stones,
neither could their weapons in any way hurt them. But the dogs killed some
of the Tartars, and wounded many with their teeth, and finally drove them
out of the country[1].
On their return home, the Mongals came into the country of Burithabeth, of
which the inhabitants are pagans, and conquered the people in battle. These
people have a strange custom of eating their kindred when they die. They
have no beard, for we saw some of them going about with certain iron
instruments in their hands, with which they pluck out any hairs they find
on their faces[2].
[1] It is surely unnecessary to remark on this ridiculous story of the
canine men, which no commentary could reduce to sense. - E.
[2] These people may possibly have been the Burats. The same practice of
eradicating the beard is still followed by the native tribes of
America. - E.
SECTION XII.
How the Mongals were repulsed at the Caspian Mountains, by Men dwelling in
Caves.
When Zingis sent the before-mentioned armies into the east, he marched
personally into the land of the Kergis[1], which, however, he did not now
conquer. In this expedition the Mongals are said to have penetrated to the
Caspian mountains, which being of adamant, attracted their arrows and other
weapons of iron[2].
[1] The Kirguses, inhabiting Western Turkestan, between Lake Balkash and
the Caspian. - E.
[2] The remainder of this short section is so ridiculously fabulous as not
to merit translation, and is therefore omitted. - E.
SECTION XIII.
Of the death of Zingis, and concerning his Sons, and the Tartar Dukes or
Princes.
Zingis is said to have been killed by lightning. He had four sons, the
first was called Occoday, or Oktai, the second Thosut, Tuzi, or Tuschi, the
third Thiaday, or Zagathai, and the name of the fourth I could not learn.
From these four all the dukes of the Mongals are descended[1]. Cuyne, or
Kajuk, the eldest son of Occoday, or Oktai, is now emperor; and he has two
brothers Cocten, and Chyrinen. Bathy, or Baatu, Ordu, Siba, and Boru are
the sons of Thosut-khan. Baatu is richer and mightier than all the rest,
being next in power to the emperor; but Ordu is the superior of all the
dukes. The sons of Thiaday are Hurin and Cadan. The sons of the son of
Zingis whose name I could not learn, are Mengu, Bithat, and several others.
The mother of Mengu was Seroctan, the greatest lady among the Tartars, and
the most honoured except the emperor's mother, and more powerful than any
subject except Bathy. The following is a list of their dukes: Ordu, Bathy,
Huryn, Cadan, Syban, and Ouygat, who were all in Hungary; Cyrpodan, who
remains beyond the sea[2], making war against certain soldans of the
Saracens, and other transmarine nations. Mengu, Chyrinen, Hubilai, Sinocur,
Cara, Gay, Sybedey, Bora, Berca, and Corensa, all remain in Tartary. But
there are many other dukes whose names I could not learn.
[1] Other authors give a different account of the family of Zingis.
According to Harris, I. 556, Zuzi, or Tuschi, was his eldest son, who
died six months before his father, and his son Baatu got a great part
of Tartary for his share. Zagathai, a son of Zingis, got Transoxiana,
or the country of the Kirguses. Tuli, another son, had Chorassan,
Persia, and western India. Octai had Mongalia and Cathay, or Northern
China. Carpini, or rather Vincentius, has sadly confounded all
authentic history, by his rambling colloquial collections from
ignorant relators, and has miserably corrupted the orthography of
names of nations, places, and persons. - E.
[2] Probably meaning in Persia, beyond the Caspian Sea. - E
SECTION XIV.
Of the Power of the Emperors, and of his Dukes..
The Tartar emperor enjoys incontrollable power over all his subjects,
insomuch, that no man dare abide in any other place than he has assigned;
and he even appoints the residences of all the dukes. The dukes appoint the
residence of the millenaries, or commanders of a thousand men; the
millenaries do the same with the centurions, or captains of hundreds; and
the centurions direct in what place the decurions or commanders of tens are
to dwell. Whatsoever order any of these officers receive from their
immediate superiors must be instantly and implicitly obeyed. If the emperor
demands the virgin daughter or sister of any one, she is instantly
delivered up; nay, he often collects the virgins from all the Tartar
dominions, and retains such as he pleases for himself, giving away others
among his followers. All his messengers must be everywhere provided with
horses and necessaries without delay: and all messengers coming to him with
tribute or otherwise, must be provided on their way with horses, carriages,
and all necessaries; yet messengers from strange countries, suffer great
distresses and much want of provisions and clothing, especially when sent
to any of the princes, and when they have to make any stay; as they often
allot for ten men, what would hardly suffice for two, and if they suffer
any injury it is even dangerous to complain. Many gifts are demanded of
them, both by the princes and others, and if these are refused they are
contemned. Owing to this, we were constrained to expend in presents, a
large portion of what had been bestowed upon us by well disposed persons to
defray our expences. In fine, every thing whatever belongs to the emperor,
so that no one dare to say that any thing is his own; and the dukes and
princes exercise an equally incontrollable dominion upon all below them.
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