overed with gold a good finger in
thickness, so that the tower looks as if it were all of solid gold; and
the other is covered with silver in like manner so that it seems to be all
of solid silver. Each tower is a good ten paces in height and of breadth
in proportion. The upper part of these towers is round, and girt all about
with bells, the top of the gold tower with gilded bells and the silver
tower with silvered bells, insomuch that whenever the wind blows among
these bells they tinkle. [The tomb likewise was plated partly with gold,
and partly with silver.] The King caused these towers to be erected to
commemorate his magnificence and for the good of his soul; and really they
do form one of the finest sights in the world; so exquisitely finished are
they, so splendid and costly. And when they are lighted up by the sun they
shine most brilliantly and are visible from a vast distance.

Now you must know that the Great Kaan conquered the country in this
fashion.

[Illustration: THE CITY OF MIEN WITH THE GOLD AND SILVER TOWERS]

You see at the Court of the Great Kaan there was a great number of gleemen
and jugglers; and he said to them one day that he wanted them to go and
conquer the aforesaid province of Mien, and that he would give them a good
Captain to lead them and other good aid. And they replied that they would
be delighted. So the Emperor caused them to be fitted out with all that an
army requires, and gave them a Captain and a body of men-at-arms to help
them; and so they set out, and marched until they came to the country and
province of Mien. And they did conquer the whole of it! And when they
found in the city the two towers of gold and silver of which I have been
telling you, they were greatly astonished, and sent word thereof to the
Great Kaan, asking what he would have them do with the two towers, seeing
what a great quantity of wealth there was upon them. And the Great Kaan,
being well aware that the King had caused these towers to be made for the
good of his soul, and to preserve his memory after his death, said that he
would not have them injured, but would have them left precisely as they
were. And that was no wonder either, for you must know that no Tartar in
the world will ever, if he can help it, lay hand on anything appertaining
to the dead.[NOTE 2]

They have in this province numbers of elephants and wild oxen;[NOTE 3]
also beautiful stags and deer and roe, and other kinds of large game in
p