and a great
many of the well-to-do inhabitants fled without fighting. The women and
boys put on their uniforms and manned the walls, making the Turks think
that the place was well garrisoned and too strong to be taken quickly
with the force at their disposal. In one of the naval battles with the
Genoese off the island, Marco Polo (who has been claimed as a Curzolan)
and Andrea Dandolo were taken prisoners. Dandolo dashed his brains out
against the side of the galley; but Marco Polo occupied his four years
of captivity in writing his travels, and, according to legend, earned
his freedom by the pleasure which his work gave to the Genoese.

The statute is the oldest in Dalmatia (1214), and is noticeable for its
provisions against the slave trade, which are among the earliest in
history. A curious survival of mediaeval festivity still exists in the
"Moresca," a kind of Pyrrhic dance, danced on national festas, which is
a reminiscence of the days of Algerian piracy. There are twenty-four
dancers, and the leaders, the standard-bearer, and the "bula," who is
the spouse of the Moorish king. The performers are divided into two
bands, one representing Christians (in Spanish costume), and the other
Moors, from which the name comes. The whites, led by the king of Spain,
conquer in the combat, and the "bula" is taken and freed amid general
rejoicing. At the beginning and end, the Christians declaim a kind of
prologue or introduction in accordance with the object of the festa, and
a salutation and thanks to those assisting at the end. The costumes are
rich, each dancer carries sword and dagger, and the performances (which
are enthusiastically received) take place in the open air upon a raised
platform. In one or two places there are also survivals of mediaeval
mystery-plays.

The town is on an oval peninsula on the north-east coast, united to the
mass of the island by a low isthmus. The main street runs along the
ridge from the land gate to the cathedral piazza. From the sea the walls
appear almost perfect, but there is a wide quay all round the town, and
the houses stretch a long way along the shore. There is not a street
within the walls through which a vehicle could pass, all the
thoroughfares (which are mainly alleys and staircases) rising steeply to
the cathedral. The buildings remain much as when the Morosini and
Faliero ruled, but comparatively few of the three hundred or so of
houses within the walls are inhabited; most of