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General SummaryMARCO POLO was the most famous of medieval travelers. He spent nearly twenty years in the Far East and brought back to Europe much entertaining knowledge about lands and peoples previously almost unknown. About 1260 his father, Nicolo, and his uncle, Maffeo, set out from Constantinople on a trading venture, which led them, ultimately, to the court of the Mongol ruler, Kublai Khan. Kublai received the Venetians graciously and intrusted them with a message to the pope, requesting one hundred wise men of the West to teach the Mongols Christianity and the arts of civilization. The two brothers returned to Venice in 1269, but found no pope to comply with the Great Khan’s wishes. Tired of waiting for a new pope to be chosen, the Polos started out in 1271 on a second journey to the East. They took with them this time Nicolo’s son, Marco, then a lad of seventeen. It had been their intention, after reaching Ormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, to follow the sea route to China. But this plan was abandoned, and the Polos struck northward from Ormuz through Persia to the upper Oxus and the plateau of Pamir. These wild and inaccessible regions of central Asia were not again explored by European travelers till the nineteenth century. Crossing the desert of Gobi, the Polos at last reached China and the court of the Great Khan at Cambaluc, or Peking. Kublai took the young Marco into his service and sent him on important missions to different parts of the Mongol realm. In this way. Marco became familiar with a large extent of the Far East. All the Polos amassed much wealth, in consequence of the khan’s favor, but for a long time he was unwilling to let them return to Europe. It was not until 1292 that they started from Zaitun on the coast of China for the long journey homeward. They reached Venice at the end of 1295 and displayed to the astonished eyes of their kinsmen the huge quantities of precious stones, rubies, sapphires, diamonds and emeralds, into which they had converted their wealth. The story of their remarkable adventures was written down, at Marco’s dictation, by a certain Rusticano, who thus preserved it for all time. The original text was in French, but translations of it were made into the principal languages of western Europe.
216. The Desert of Gobi1
Lop is a large town at the edge of the desert, which is called the desert of Gobi, and is situated between east and northeast. It belongs to the Great Khan, and the inhabitants worship Mohammed. Now, such persons as intend to cross the desert take a week’s rest in this town to refresh themselves and their cattle; and then they make ready for the journey, taking with them a month’s supply for man and beast. On quitting this city they enter the desert.
The length of this desert is so great that it is said it would take a year and more to ride from one end of it to the other. And here, where its breadth is least, it takes a month to cross it. The desert is entirely composed of hills and valleys of sand, and not a thing to eat is to be found on it. But after riding for a day and a night you find fresh water, perhaps enough for some fifty or one hundred persons with their beasts, but not for more. And all across the desert you will find water in like manner, that is to say, in some twenty-eight places altogether you will find good water, but not in great quantity.
Beasts there are none; for there is nought for them to eat. But there is a marvelous thing related of this desert, which is that when travelers are on the move by night, and one of them
chances to lag behind or to fall asleep or the like, when he tries to gain his company again he will hear spirits talking and will suppose them to be his comrades. Sometimes the spirits will call him by name; and thus a traveler ofttimes will be led astray so that he never finds his party. And in this way many have perished. . . . Even in the daytime one hears these spirits talking. And sometimes you may hear the sound of a variety of musical instruments, and still more commonly the sound of drums. Hence in making this journey it is customary for travelers to keep close together. All the animals, too, have bells at their necks, so that they cannot easily get astray. And at sleeping-time a signal is put up to show the direction of the next day’s march. Thus it is that the desert is crossed.
1 , bk. i, ch. 39.
Chicago: Book of Ser Narco Polo in Readings in Early European History, ed. Webster, Hutton (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1926), 470. Original Sources, accessed December 4, 2024, http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=JGU1ETXUGKT55P5.
MLA: . Book of Ser Narco Polo, Vol. i, in Readings in Early European History, edited by Webster, Hutton, Boston, Ginn and Company, 1926, page 470. Original Sources. 4 Dec. 2024. http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=JGU1ETXUGKT55P5.
Harvard: , Book of Ser Narco Polo. cited in 1926, Readings in Early European History, ed. , Ginn and Company, Boston, pp.470. Original Sources, retrieved 4 December 2024, from http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=JGU1ETXUGKT55P5.
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