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Marco Polo, Rustichello of Pisa - The Travels of Marco Polo, 1
aid in extinguishing them.
[The Rev. G. B. Farthing mentions (North-China Herald, 7th September, 1884) at T'ai-yuen fu
the remains of an object in the bell-tower, which was, and is still known, as one of the eight wonders of
this city; it is a vessel of brass, a part of a water-clock from which water formerly used to flow down
upon a drum beneath and mark off time into equal divisions. - H. C.]
The tower indicated by Marco appears still to exist. It occupies the place which I have marked as Alarm
Tower in the plan of Taidu. It was erected in 1272, but probably rebuilt on the Ming occupation of the
city. ["The Yuen yi t'ung chi, or 'Geography of the Mongol Empire' records: 'In the year 1272,
the bell-tower and the drum-tower were built in the middle of the capital.' A bell-tower (
chung-lou) and a drum-tower (ku-lou) exist still in Peking, in the northern part of the Tartar
City. The ku-lou is the same as that built in the thirteenth century, but the bell-tower dates only
from the last century. The bell-tower of the Yuen was a little to the east of the drum-tower, where now
the temple Wan-ning sse stands. This temple is nearly in the middle of the position I
(Bretschneider) assign to Khanbaligh." (Bretschneider, Peking, 20.) - H. C.] In the Court of the
Old Observatory at Peking there is preserved, with a few other ancient instruments, which date from the
Mongol era, a very elaborate water-clock, provided with four copper basins embedded in brickwork, and
rising in steps one above the other. A cut of this courtyard, with its instruments and aged trees, also
ascribed to the Mongol time, will be found in ch. xxxiii. (Atlas Sinensis, p. 10;
Magaillans, 149-151; Chine Moderne, p. 26; Tour du Monde for 1864, vol. ii. p. 34.)
NOTE 7. - "Nevertheless," adds the Ramusian, "there does exist I know not what uneasiness about the
people of Cathay."
[1] Mr. Wylie confirms my assumption: "Whilst in Peking I traced the old
mud wall,... and found it quite in accordance with the outline in your
map. Mr. Gilmour (a missionary to the Mongols) and I rode round it, he
taking the outside and I the inside.... Neither of us observed the
arch that Dr. Lockhart speaks of.... There are gate-openings about
the middle of the east and west sides, but no barbicans." (4th
December 1873.)
CHAPTER XII. HOW THE GREAT KAAN MAINTAINS A GUARD OF TWELVE THOUSAND
HORSE, WHICH ARE CALLED KESHICAN.
You must know that the Great Kaan, to maintain his state, hath a guard of twelve thousand horsemen,
who are styled KESHICAN, which is as much as to say "Knights devoted to their Lord." Not that he
keeps these for fear of any man whatever, but merely because of his own exalted dignity. These 12,000
men have four captains, each of whom is in command of 3000; and each body of 3000 takes a turn of
three days and nights to guard the palace, where they also take their meals. After the expiration of three
days and nights they are relieved by another 3000, who mount guard for the same space of time, and then
another body takes its turn, so that there are always 3000 on guard. Thus it goes until the whole 12,000,
who are styled (as I said) Keshican, have been on duty; and then the tour begins again, and so runs on
from year's end to year's end.[NOTE 1]
NOTE 1. - I have deduced a reading for the word Quescican (Keshican), which is not
found precisely in any text. Pauthier reads Questiau and Quesitau; the G. Text has
Quesitam and Quecitain; the Crusca Questi Tan; Ramusio, Casitan; the
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