16 - The Book of Ser Marco Polo, Volume 2.

16 - The Book of Ser Marco Polo, Volume 2.  
16 - Book Third, Chapters 32 to 35. Concerning the island of Scotra. Concerning the island of Madeigascar. Of the island of Zanghibar. A word in India in general. Of the great province of Abash.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Section sixteen of the Book of Sir Marco Polo, the
Venetian concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East, Volume two.
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visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Dave Gillespie, Ashland, Kentucky.

(00:23):
The Book of Sir Marco Polo, the Venetian concerning the
Kingdoms and Marvels of the East, Volume two by Rodeschello
de Pisa, translated by Henry Yule, Book second Part two,
chapters thirty two to thirty five, Chapter thirty two concerning
the Island of Scotra. When you leave those two islands

(00:47):
and go about five hundred miles further toward the south,
then you come to an island called Scotra. The people
are all baptized Christians, and they have an archbishop. They
have a great deal man ambergris, and plenty also of
cotton stuffs and other merchandise, especially great quantities of salt
fish of a large and excellent kind. They also eat

(01:10):
flesh and milk and rice, for that is their only
kind of corn. And they all go naked like other Indians.
The ambergris comes from the stomach of the whale, and
it is a great object of trade. The people contrive
to take the whales with barbed iron darts, which once
they are fixed in the body, cannot come out again.

(01:33):
A long cord is attached to this end, to that
a small boy which floats on the surface, so that
when the whale dies they know where to find it.
They then draw the body ashore and extract the ambergris
from the stomach and the oil from the head. There
is a great deal of trade there, for many ships

(01:54):
come from all quarters with goods to sell to the natives.
The merchants also perch gold there by which they make
a great profit. And all the vessels bound for Aiden
touch at this island. Their archbishop has nothing to do
with the Pope of Rome, but is subject to the
Great Archbishop who lives at Bodhis He rules over the

(02:16):
bishop of that island, and over many other bishops in
those regions of the world, just as our Pope does.
In these A multitude of corsairs frequent the island. They
come there and in camp and put up their plunder
to sail, and this they do to good profit, where
the Christians of the island purchase it, knowing well that

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it is Saracen or pagan gear. And you must know
that in this island there are the best enchanters in
the world. It is true that their archbishop forbids the
practice to the best of his ability, but tis all
to no purpose, for they insist that their forefathers followed it,
and so they must also. I will give you a

(02:58):
sample of their enchantment. Thus, if a ship be sailing
past with a fair wind and a strong they will
raise a contrary wind and compel her to turn back.
In fact, they make the wind blow as they list
and produce great tempests and disasters, and other such sorceries
they perform, which it will be better to say nothing

(03:20):
about in our book. End of chapter thirty two, Chapter
thirty three concerning the island of Madagascar. Madagascar is an
island toward the south, about one thousand miles from Scotra.
The people are all Saracens adore in Mohammad. They have

(03:41):
four ashikhs, that is, four elders, who are said to
govern the whole island. And you must know that it
is a most noble and beautiful island, and one of
the greatest in the world, for it is about four
thousand miles in compass. The people live by trade and
handicraffs in this island and in another beyond it called Zanzibar,

(04:03):
about which we shall tell you afterwards. There are more
elephants than in any country of the world. The amount
of traffic in elephant's teeth in these two islands is
something astonishing. In this island they eat no flesh but
that of camels, and of these they kill an incredible
number daily. They say it is the best and wholesomest

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of all flesh, and so they eat of it all
the year round. They have in this island many trees
of red sanders, of excellent quality. In fact, all their
forests consist of it. They have also a quantity of ambergris,
for whales are abundant in that sea, and they catch

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numbers of them, and so are oil heads, which are
a huge kind of fish, which also produce ambergris. Like
the whale, there are numbers of leopards, bears, and lions
in the country, and other wild beasts in abundance. Many
traders and many ships go thither with cloths of gold

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and silk, and many other kinds of goods, and drive
a profitable trade. You must know that this island lies
so far south that ships cannot go further south or
visit other islands in that direction, except this one and
that other of which we have to tell you called Zanzibar.

(05:25):
This is because the sea current runs so strong towards
the south that the ships which should attempt it would
never get back again. Indeed, the ships of Maybar, which
visit this island of Madagascar and that other of Zanzibar,
arrive thither with marvelous speed. For great as the distances,
they accomplish it in twenty days, whilst the return voyage

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takes them more than three months. This, I say, is
because of the strong current running south, which continues with
such singular force and in the same direction at all seasons.
Tis said that in those other islands to the south,
which the ships are unable to visit because the strong
current prevents their return, is found the bird griffin, which

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appears there at certain seasons. The description given of this is, however,
entirely different from what our stories and pictures make it.
For persons who had been there and had seen it,
told Messer Marco Polo that it was for all the
world like an eagle, but one indeed of enormous size,

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so big in fact, that its wings covered an extent
of thirty paces, and its quills were twelve paces long
and thick in proportion. And it is so strong that
it will seize an elephant in its talons and carry
him high into the air, and drop him so that
he is smashed to pieces. Having so killed him, the

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bird griffin swoops down on him and eats him at leisure.
The people of those isles called the bird, and it
has no other name. So I WoT not if this
be the real griffin, or if there be another manner
of bird as great, But this I can tell you
for certain that they are not half lion and half bird,

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as our stories do relate, But enormous as they be,
they are fashioned just like an eagle. The Great Khan
sent to those parts to inquire about these curious matters,
and the story was told by those who went thither.
He also sent to procure the release of an envoy
of his who had been dispatched thither and had been detained.

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So both those envoys had many wonderful things to tell
the Great Khan about those strange islands, and about the
birds I have mentioned. They brought, as I heard, to
the Great Khan, a feather of the said ruck, which
was stated to measure ninety spans, whilst the quill part
was two palms in circumference, a marlous object. The Great

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Khan was delighted with it, and gave great presents to
those who brought it. They also brought two bores tusks,
which weighed more than fourteen pounds apiece. And you may
gather how big the boar must have been that had
teeth like that. They related, indeed, that there were some
of those boers as big as a great buffalo. There

(08:23):
are also numbers of giraffes and wild asses, and in
fact a marvelous number of wild beasts of strange aspect.
End of Chapter thirty three. Chapter thirty four concerning the
island of Zanzibar, A word on India in general. Zanzibar
is a great and noble island with a compass of

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some two thousand miles. The people are all idolaters and
have a king in the language of their own, and
pay tribute to nobody. They are both tall and stout,
but not tall in proportion to their stoutness, for if
they were being so stout and brawny, they would be
absolutely like giants. And they are so strong that they

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will carry for four men, indeed for five. They are
all black and go stark naked, with only a little
covering for decency. Their hair is as black as pepper,
and so frizzly that even with water you can scarcely
straighten it. And their mouths are so large, their nose
so turned up, their lips so thick, their eyes so

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big and bloodshot, that they look like very devils, and
are in fact so hideously ugly, that the world has
nothing to show more horrible elephants are produced in this
country in wonderful profusion. There are also lions that are
black and quite different from ours, and their sheep and
weathers are all exactly alike in color, the body all

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white and head black. No other kind of sheep is
found there. You may rest assured they have also many giraffes.
This is a beautiful creature, and it must give you
a description of it. Its body is short and somewhat
sloped to the rear, for its hind legs are short,
whilst the fore legs in the neck are both very long,

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and thus its head stands about three paces from the ground.
The head is small, and the animal is not at
all mischievous. Its color is all red and white and
round spots, and it is really a beautiful object. The
women of this island are the ugliest in the world,
with their great mouths and big eyes and thick noses.

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Their breasts, too, are four times bigger than those of
any other women, a very disgusting sight. The people live
on rice and flesh, and milk and dates, and they
make wine of dates and of rice, and of good
spices and sugar. There is a great deal of trade,
and many merchants and vessels go thither. But the staple

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trade of the island is an elephant's teeth, which are
very abundant, and they have also much ambergris as whales
are plentiful. They have among them excellent and valiant warriors,
and have little fear of death. They have no horses,
but fight mounted on camels and elephants. On the latter
they set wooden castles, which carry from ten to sixteen

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persons armed with lances, swords, and stones, so that they
fight to great purpose. From these castles. They wear no armor,
but carry only a shield of hide besides their swords
and lances, and so a marvelous number of them fall
in battle. When they are going to take an elephant
into battle, they ply him well with their wine, so

(11:39):
that he is made half drunk. They do this because
they drink makes him more fierce and bald, and of
more service in battle. As there is no more to
say on this subject, I will go on to tell
you about the great province of Abesh, which constitutes the
Middle India. But I must first say something about India
in general. You must understand that in speaking of the

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Indian islands, we have described only the most noble provinces
and kingdoms among them, for no men on earth could
give you a true account of the whole of the
islands of India. Still, what I have described are the best,
and as it were, the flower of the Indies. For
the greater part of the other Indian islands that I
have omitted are subject to those that I have described.

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It is a fact that in the Sea of India
there are twelve thousand, seven hundred islands, inhabited and uninhabited,
according to the charts and documents of experienced mariners who
navigate that Indian Sea. India. The greater is that which
extends from Mahabar to Kesmo Koran, and it contains thirteen

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great kingdoms, of which we have described ten. These are
all on the mainland India. The lesser extends from the
province of Champa to Mephili and contains eight great kingdoms.
These are likewise all on the mainland, and neither of
these numbers include the islands, among which also there are

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very numerous kingdoms. As I have told you end of
Chapter thirty four, Chapter thirty five treating of the Great
Province of Abash, which is Middle India and is on
the mainland. Abash is a very great province, and you
must know that it constitutes Middle India, and it is

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on the mainland. There are in it six great kings,
with six great kingdoms. And of the six kings, there
are three that are Christians and three that are Saracens.
But the greatest of all the six is a Christian,
and all the others are subject to him. The Christians
in this country bear three marks on the face. One

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from the forehead to the middle of the nose, and
one on either cheek. These marks are made with a
hot iron and foreign part of their baptism, for after
that they have been baptized with water. These three marks
are made partly as a token of gentility, and partly
as completion of their baptism. There are also Jews in

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the country, and these bear two marks, one on either cheek,
and the Saracens have but one to wit on the forehead,
extending half way down the nose. The great king lives
in the middle of the country the Saracens to ward Aiden.
Saint Thomas the Apostle preached in this region, and after

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he had converted the people, he went away to the
province of Mabar, where he died, and there his body lies.
As I have told you in a former place. The
people here are excellent soldiers, and they go on horseback,
for they have horses, and plenty well they may, for
they are in daily war with the Sultan of Aden,
and with the Nubians and a variety of other nations.

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I will tell you famous story of what befell in
the year of christ twelve eighty eight. You must know
that this Christian king, who is the lord of the
province of Abesh, declared his intention to go on pilgrimage
to Jerusalem to adore the Holy Sepulcher of our Lord God,
Jesus Christ the Savior. But as baron said that for

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him to go in person would be to run too
great a risk, and they recommended him to send some
bishop or prelate in his stead. So the king ascended
to the council, which as barons gave and despatched a
certain bishop of his, a man of very holy life.
The bishop then departed and traveled by land and by

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sea till he arrived at the Holy Sepulcher. And there
he paid at such honor as Christian man is bound
to do, and presented a great offering on the part
of his king, who had sent him in his own stead.
And when he had done all that behooved him, he
set out again and traveled day by day till he
got to Aden. Now that is a kingdom wherein Christians

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are help in great detestation, for the people are all
Saracens and their enemies unto the death. So when the
Sultan of Aden heard that this man was a Christian
and a bishop and an envoy of the Great King
of Abash. He had him seized and demanded of him
if he were a Christian. To this, the bishop replied

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that he was a Christian. Indeed, the Souldan then told
him that unless he would turn to the love of Mohammed,
he should work him great shame and dishonor. The bishop
answered that they might kill him ere he would deny
his creator. When the Sultan heard that, he waxed wroth
and ordered that the bishop should be circumcised. So they

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took and circumcised him after the manner of the Saracens.
And then the Souldans told him that he had been
thus put to shame in despite to the king as master,
and so they let him go. The bishop was sorely
cut to the heart for the shame that had been
wrought him, but he took comfort because it had befallen
him in holding fast by the law of our Lord

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Jesus Christ, and the Lord God would recompense his soul
in the world to come. So when he was healed,
he set out and traveled by land and by sea
till he reached the King, his lord in the Kingdom
of the bash, And when the king beheld him, he
welcomed him with great joy and gladness, and he asked
him all about the Holy Sepulcher, and the bishop related

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all about it, truly, the king listening the while as
to a most holy matter in all faith. But when
the bishop had told all about Jerusalem, he then related
the outrage done on him by the Sultan of Aden
in the King's despite. Great was the King's wrath and
grief when he heard that, and it so disturbed him

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that he was like to die of vexation. And at
length his words waxed so loud that all round about
could hear what he was saying. He vowed that he
would never wear crown or hold kingdom if he took
no not such condign vengeance on the Sultan of Aden,
that all the world should ring. Therewithal even until the

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insult had been well and thoroughly redressed. And what shall
I say of it? He straightway caused the array of
his horse and foot to be mustered, and great numbers
of elephants with castles to be prepared to accompany them.
And when all was ready, he set out with his
army and advanced till he entered the Kingdom of Aden
in great force. The kings of this province of Aden

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were well aware of the King's advance against them, and
went to encounter him at the strongest pass on their
frontier with a great force of armed men, in order
to bar the enemy from entering their territory. When the
king arrived at this strong pass where the Saracens had
taken posts, a battle began fierce and fell on both sides,

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for they were very bitter against each other. But it
came to pass, as it pleased our Lord God Jesus Christ,
that the kings of the Saracens, who were three in them,
could not stand against the Christians, for there are not
such good soldiers as the Christians are. So the Saracens
were defeated and the marvelous number of them slain, and

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the King of Abash entered the Kingdom of Aden with
all his host. The Saracens made various sallies on them
in the narrow defiles, but it availed nothing. They were
always beaten and slain. And when the king had greatly
wasted and destroyed the kingdom of his enemy, and had
remained in it more than a month, with all his

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host continually slaying the Saracens and ravaging their lands, so
the great numbers of them perished. He thought it time
to return to his own kingdom, which he could now
do with great honor. Indeed, he could tarry no longer,
nor could he, as he was aware, do more injury
to the enemy, for he would have had to force

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away by still stronger passes, where in the narrow defiles
a handful of men might cause him heavy loss. So
he quitted the enemy's kingdom of Aden and began to retire.
And he with his host, got back to their own
country of Abash, in great triumph and rejoicing, for he
had well avenged the shame cast on him and on

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his bishop for his sake. For they had slain so
many Saracens, and so wasted and harried the land that
twas something to be astonished at, and in sooth twas
a deed well done. For it is not to be
borne that the dogs of Saracen should lord it over
a good Christian people. Now you have heard the story,

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I have still some particulars to tell you of the
same province. It amounts greatly in all kinds of victual
and the people live on flesh and rice and milk
and sesame. They have plenty of elephants, not that they
are bred in the country, but they are brought from
islands of the other India. They have, however, many giraffes

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which are produced in the country. Besides bears, leopards, lions,
and abundance and many other passing strange beasts. They have
also numerous wild asses and cocks, and hens the most
beautiful that exist, and many other kinds of birds. For instance,
they have ostriches that are nearly as big as asses,

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and plenty of beautiful parrots, with apes of sundry kinds,
and baboons and other monkeys that have countenances all but human.
There are numerous cities and villages in this province of Abash,
and many merchants, for there is much trade to be
done there. The people also manufacture very fine buckrams and

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other cloths of cotton. There is no more to say
on the subject, so now let us go forward and
tell you of the province of Aden. End of chapter
thirty five and of section sixteen