Travels Of Marco Polo: Nine

After a long period in the palace of the Great Khan Polo brothers and their son felt a strong desire to revisit their native place. By this time they had accumulated enough wealth: gold and jewels. 

Nicolo therefore looked for an opportunity to expose their wish to the monarch. On the day he found the monarch in good humour, he threw himself at his feet, and solicited on behalf of all, the permission to depart. The sovereign was by now so much attached to them, that he did not listen to their proposal. There was another incident which must have influenced the denial by the Great Khan.

Queen Bolgana, the spouse of Argon, the Lord of the East died, and it was her last wish that he would marry a princess of her own family. He therefore sent ambassadors to the Great Khan. The ambassadors were Auatam, Alpusea, and Goza all barons, with a great train, requesting a lady of the same lineage with the deceased queen. The monarch received the embassy with great joy, and selected a young princess of that house. Everything being arranged, and a numerous train of attendants appointed, they began their return journey. After a journey of eight months, they were hindered by a war among Tartar princes; and their further movement was arrested. Marco had an earlier experience of his travels to India and he related to the ambassadors of Argon. They submitted a plea to the Great Khan that Polo brothers and his son should accompany them on their journey to India. The sovereign granted this favour, though unwillingly on account of his love for them.

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1. We have no record of this King Argon and Queen Bolgana, in public domain. But in the succeeding Section a footnote is given that Argon (Arghun) is the father of Mahmud Ghazan, Ghazan Khan, the seventh ruler of Mongol rulers' Second Khanate in modern day Iran. Queen Bolgana aka Zebeline was the favourite wife of Arghun 

2. Train: a number of vehicles and pack animals moving in a line.