ore Marco's visit, and seeing that the king and his host of elephants
in all probability entered the valley from the south, travellers to Burma
would naturally have quitted it by the same route.

"But again, our mediaeval Herodotus reports that 'the country is wild and
hard of access, full of great woods and mountains which 'tis impossible to
pass, the air is so impure and unwholesome; and any foreigners attempting
it would die for certain.'

"This is exactly and literally the description given us of the district in
which we crossed the Salwen.

"To insist on the theory of the descent by this route is to make the
traveller ride downhill, 'over mountains it is impossible to pass.'

"The fifteen days' subsequent journey described by Marco need not present
much difficulty. The distance from the junction of the Nan-tien with the
Salwen to the capital of Burma (Pagan) would be something over 300 miles;
fifteen days seems a fair estimate for the distance, seeing that a great
part of the journey would doubtless be by boat."

Regarding this last paragraph, Captain Gill says (II. 345): "An objection
may be raised that no such route as this is known to exist; but it must be
remembered that the Burmese capital changes its position every now and
then, and it is obvious that the trade routes would be directed to the
capital, and would change with it. Altogether, with the knowledge at
present available, this certainly seems the most satisfactory
interpretation of the old traveller's story."--H.C.]

CHAPTER LIV.

CONCERNING THE CITY OF MIEN, AND THE TWO TOWERS THAT ARE THEREIN, ONE OF
GOLD AND THE OTHER OF SILVER.

And when you have travelled those 15 days through such a difficult country
as I have described, in which travellers have to carry provisions for the
road because there are no inhabitants, then you arrive at the capital city
of this Province of Mien, and it also is called AMIEN, and is a very great
and noble city.[NOTE 1] The people are Idolaters and have a peculiar
language, and are subject to the Great Kaan.

And in this city there is a thing so rich and rare that I must tell you
about it. You see there was in former days a rich and puissant king in
this city, and when he was about to die he commanded that by his tomb they
should erect two towers [one at either end], one of gold and the other of
silver, in such fashion as I shall tell you. The towers are built of fine
stone; and then one of them has been c