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Marco Polo, Rustichello of Pisa - The Travels of Marco Polo, 1
bouge et bougete, bourse; he adds in a note, "Festus writes: 'Bulgas galli sacculos
scorteos vocant.'" - H. C.]
NOTE 3. - "Then come mummers leading lions, which they cause to salute the Lord with reverence."
(Odoric, p. 143.) A lion sent by Mirza Baisangar, one of the Princes of Timur's House,
accompanied Shah Rukh's embassy as a present to the Emperor; and like presents were frequently
repeated. (See Amyot, XIV. 37, 38.)
CHAPTER XVII. HOW THE GREAT KAAN ENJOINETH HIS PEOPLE TO SUPPLY HIM
WITH GAME.
The three months of December, January, and February, during which the Emperor resides at his Capital
City, are assigned for hunting and fowling, to the extent of some 40 days' journey round the city; and it is
ordained that the larger game taken be sent to the Court. To be more particular: of all the larger beasts of
the chase, such as boars, roebucks, bucks, stags, lions, bears, etc., the greater part of what is taken has to
be sent, and feathered game likewise. The animals are gutted and despatched to the Court on carts. This
is done by all the people within 20 or 30 days' journey, and the quantity so despatched is immense. Those
at a greater distance cannot send the game, but they have to send the skins after tanning them, and these
are employed in the making of equipments for the Emperor's army.[NOTE 1]
NOTE 1. - So Magaillans: "Game is so abundant, especially at the capital, that every year during the
three winter months you see at different places, intended for despatch thither, besides great piles of every
sort of wildfowl, rows of four-footed game of a gunshot or two in length: the animals being all frozen
and standing on their feet. Among other species you see three sundry kinds of bears ... and great
abundance of other animals, as stags and deer of different sorts, boars, elks, hares, rabbits, squirrels,
wild-cats, rats, geese, ducks, very fine jungle-fowl, etc., and all so cheap that I never could have believed
it" (pp. 177-178). As this writer mentions wild-cats, we may presume that the "lions" of Polo also
were destined to be eaten.
["Kubilai Khan kept a whole army, 14,000 men, huntsmen, distributed in Peking and other cities in the
present province of Chili ( Yuen-shi). The Khan used to hunt in the Peking plain from the
beginning of spring, until his departure to Shang-tu. There are in the Peking department many low and
marshy places, stretching often to a considerable extent and abounding in game. In the biography of
Ai-sie (Yuen shi, chap. cxxxiv.), who was a Christian, it is mentioned that Kubilai was
hunting also in the department of Pao-ting fu." (Palladius, p. 45.) - H. C.]
CHAPTER XVIII. OF THE LIONS AND LEOPARDS AND WOLVES THAT THE KAAN
KEEPS FOR THE CHASE.
The Emperor hath numbers of leopards[NOTE 1] trained to the chase, and hath also a great many lynxes
taught in like manner to catch game, and which afford excellent sport.[NOTE 2] He hath also several
great Lions, bigger than those of Babylonia, beasts whose skins are coloured in the most beautiful way,
being striped all along the sides with black, red, and white. These are trained to catch boars and wild
cattle, bears, wild asses, stags, and other great or fierce beasts. And 'tis a rare sight, I can tell you, to see
those lions giving chase to such beasts as I have mentioned! When they are to be so employed the Lions
are taken out in a covered cart, and every Lion has a little doggie with him. [They are obliged to
approach the game against the wind, otherwise the animals would scent the approach of the Lion and be
off.][NOTE 3]
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