Travels Of Marco Polo: Thirty Two

When the monarch has remained in Kambalu, these three months, he departs and goes southward [1 ]to the ocean, at a distance of two days journey.  He leads with him 10000 falconers [2] conveying full 5000 gyrfalcons, peregrine falcons in abundance, and also many vultures; but do not imagine that these are all kept in one place; there are 200 here 300 there, and so on.  The birds caught are mostly presented to the sire, and when he goes to hunt with his gyrfalcons, vultures and falcons, 10000 men are ranged, two together so as to enclose the ground; these are called toscoar, meaning in our own language men who remain on the watch, each has a call and a hood to invite birds.  And when any falconer by order of his Majesty, sends forth a falcon, he has no need to follow it, because wherever it may go, it is watched by the men ranged in double order, who can either catch it again, or if necessary afford it to succour.  Each of the bird belonging to the sovereign and the barons has a tablet on his feet, with its name, and that of the owner inscribed, so that whenever caught, it can be returned to him.  If he is unknown, the animal must be carried to a chief named bulangazi, or guardian of things that are lost, who stands with his flag, on an elevated spot, and all who have missed anything go to him and recover it.  Whoever finds a horse, a bird, or a sword, or anything else, and does not carry it to the owner or to the bulangazi is treated as a robber; thus scarcely anything is ever lost.  When the monarch goes upon this excursions, he has with him four elephants and a chamber prepared and covered within, with cloth of beaten gold, and outwardly with lion's skin, where he keeps twelve of his very best gyrfalcons, with twelve barons to amuse him by their society.  As the falconers ride by, they call, "Sire, the birds are passing", when he throws open the chamber, and seeing the object, select the gyrfalcons that please him, and send them forth against the birds, few of which ever escape.  Lying on his couch, he can view and enjoy the chase.  Thus, I think, there is not, and never will be, any lord in the world, who has or can have so much diversion as the great Khan.

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1.  The concept of four cardinal directions or cardinal points - North, East, South and West - were developed during the period of Marco Polo. It was developed by Chinese during the period of Han dynasty. Song dynasty and later Mongols under Kublai Khan adopted it. Tianjin is the city nearest to Kambalu, it is on the shore of Bohai sea. It is in the southeast direction, an inter cardinal point. The concept of intercardinal directions were not there at the time.

2. Falconry is an ancient sport practiced since preliterate times It is the sport of employing falcons, hawks and eagles in hunting game. Stelae depicting falconry that were created by Hittite date to thirteenth century BCE.

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