Travels Of Marco Polo: Ten

When the great monarch saw that they are about to depart, he called them before him, and delivering a golden tablet signed with royal seal, ordered that they should have free passage through his land, and that their charges, with those of their all families, should be everywhere defrayed. He caused to be prepared fourteen ships, each with four masts, and many with twelve sails; upon which the barons, the lady and three members of Polo family, together with numerous attendants, took leave, and went on board of the ship. As promised, the monarch met all their expenses for two years. After sailing three months they came to a certain island called Java, many wonderful things took place. They then departed from the island, and sailed through the seas of India full eighteen months, and saw many strange objects. All these will be described hereafter. At last they came to the court of Arghun, but found that he was already dead, when it was decided to give the princess in marriage to Casan, his son. I must tell you that, though in the vessel there embarked six hundred persons, exclusive of mariners, all dead, except eighteen, and they found that the land of Arghun, held by Achatu, to whom they very tenderly recommended the lady on behalf of The Great Khan. Casan was then at a place near the boarders of Persia, which has its name from Arbor secco, where an army of 60000 men was assembled to guard certain positions against hostile irruption. They accordingly went from here, fulfilled their mission, and then returned to the residence of Achatu, where they reposed for nine months. Then they took leave and went on their way. When the monarch presented four golden tablets, with the instructions that they should be honoured, and all the expenses of themselves and their families defrayed. This was fully executed, so that they frequently went, accompanied by two hundred horsemen. Princess Kokochin was now Queen and Ghazan Khan was the King. Both of them treated the Polo family with much kindness. And when they were about to leave the Queen was in tears.

In the year 1295 Polo brothers and Marco Polo came back into Venice.

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1. Hitherto the account was quite formal, and from next it maybe a first person account by Marcopolo.

2. Casan: Khasan Khan aka Mahmud Ghazan of Second Khanate of Mongol empire based at Iran.

3. Achatu: Gaykhatu, the fifth Second Khanate ruler of Iran

4. Arbor secco: A kind of tree found in deserts. It is also known as dry tree. According to Marco Polo it was the only tree within hundreds of kilometres of desert.

5. The princess whom Polo family followed and guarded was princess Kokochin. She was in her sweet seventeen, and the choice of Kublai Khan.

End of the Section 

Here ends the Introductory Narrative.