m of Basma you come to
another kingdom called Samara, on the same Island.[NOTE 1] And in that
kingdom Messer Marco Polo was detained five months by the weather, which
would not allow of his going on. And I tell you that here again neither
the Pole-star nor the stars of the Maestro[NOTE 2] were to be seen, much
or little. The people here are wild Idolaters; they have a king who is
great and rich; but they also call themselves subjects of the Great Kaan.
When Messer Mark was detained on this Island five months by contrary
winds, [he landed with about 2000 men in his company; they dug large
ditches on the landward side to encompass the party, resting at either end
on the sea-haven, and within these ditches they made bulwarks or stockades
of timber] for fear of those brutes of man-eaters; [for there is great
store of wood there; and the Islanders having confidence in the party
supplied them with victuals and other things needful.] There is abundance
of fish to be had, the best in the world. The people have no wheat, but
live on rice. Nor have they any wine except such as I shall now describe.

You must know that they derive it from a certain kind of tree that they
have. When they want wine they cut a branch of this, and attach a great
pot to the stem of the tree at the place where the branch was cut; in a
day and a night they will find the pot filled. This wine is excellent
drink, and is got both white and red. [It is of such surpassing virtue
that it cures dropsy and tisick and spleen.] The trees resemble small
date-palms; ... and when cutting a branch no longer gives a flow of wine,
they water the root of the tree, and before long the branches again begin
to give out wine as before.[NOTE 3] They have also great quantities of
Indian nuts [as big as a man's head], which are good to eat when fresh;
[being sweet and savoury, and white as milk. The inside of the meat of the
nut is filled with a liquor like clear fresh water, but better to the
taste, and more delicate than wine or any other drink that ever existed.]

Now that we have done telling you about this kingdom, let us quit it, and
we will tell you of Dagroian.

When you leave the kingdom of Samara you come to another which is called
DAGROIAN. It is an independent kingdom, and has a language of its own. The
people are very wild, but they call themselves the subjects of the Great
Kaan. I will tell you a wicked custom of theirs.[NOTE 4]

When one of them is ill they sen