Marco Polo in Central Asia: 48: The City of Erginul [1]

When a man departs from that city, he goes five days eastward to a country where there are many spirits who are often heard speaking during the night. You then find a kingdom named Erginul, belonging to the great Khan, and included in the great province of Tangut. There are good many towns, the chief one bearing the same name, and the people are a mixture of Nestorian Christians, idolaters and Mohammedans.  Proceeding thence south east, you come into the country of Cathay, when you will find in the way a city named Singuy.  There are a good many other towns still in Tangut, and subject to great Khan, and the inhabitants are as described above.  There are a great number of wild oxen as large as elephants, and very beautiful; their back being entirely covered with white and black hair three palms long.  These animals are also caught and tamed, when they do twice as much work as the common ox. This country produces best musk in the world, and I will describe the animals by which it is produced. It is small about the size of an antelope, which it resembles in the feet and tail, but has a soft thick hair like the stag, no horn, only four teeth, two above and two below, three inches long and very sharp. It is a very beautiful creature, and on it being taken, there is found a bag between the skin and the flesh, containing a bloody imposhthume, which, when the skin is cut through, is drawn out and forms the musk, whence issue a strong odour.  In this country it is abundant, and of good quality. The people also raise plenty of corn and engage in merchandise and manufactures.  The region extends a journey of full twenty five days. There are pheasants, twice as large as ours with tails as long as seven to ten palms. Others resemble ours; and there are various birds with finely coloured wings.  The people who are idolaters, are fat, with small nose, black hair, and no bird unless on the chin. Ladies have no hair except on the head, and are every way very handsome. The men are voluptuous and are authorised by their law and usage to take as many wives they can maintain.  If a woman is beautiful, though of humble birth, a great baron readily espouses her, giving to her mother such a sum of money as agreed on.

Note:-

Kazakh Steppe was the last station of Marco Polo. Towards the end of last section he stated his plan of return to Canpicon (modern day Ningxia) Now he is passing through it.
1. Erginul: Modern day Ejin, a banner (an administrative division of the Inner Mongolia) It is boardering Ganzu province to the west.
The animals he describes may be Asian Ibex found in Central Asian deserts. The other animals may be Musk deer.

End of the Section 

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