* * * *

From _Tana_ or Asof to _Gintarchan_ or Astracan[2], is twenty-five days
journey with waggons drawn by oxen; but may be accomplished in ten or
twelve days, if the waggons are drawn by horses. On the road one meets with
a great number of armed _Moccols_, Moguls or Mongals. From Gintarchan to
_Sara_[3] by the river, it is only one days sail; but from Sara to
_Saracanco_[4], it takes eight days by water; one may, however, travel
either by land or water, whichever is most agreeable; but it costs much
less expence to go with merchandize by water. From Saracanco to Organci[5]
is a journey of twenty days with loaded camels; and whoever travels with
merchandize, will do well to go to Organci, as it is a very convenient
place for the expeditious sale of goods. From Organci to Oltrarra[6], it is
thirty-five or forty days journey, with camels: But in going direct from
Saracanco to Oltrarra, it takes fifty days journey; and if one has no
merchandize, it is a better way than to go by Organci. From Oltrarra to
Armalecco[7], it is forty-five days journey with loaded asses, and in this
road, one meets every day with Moguls. From Armalecco to Camexu[8], it is
seventy days journey on asses; and from Camexu to a river called the _Kara
Morin_[9], it is fifty days journey on horses. From this river, the
traveller may go to Cassai[10] to dispose of his silver there, as it is an
excellent station for the expeditious sale of merchandize; and from Cassai,
he may go through the whole land of Gattay or Kathay, with the money he has
received at Cassai for his silver[11]. This money is of paper, and called
balischi, four of which balischies are equal to one silver _somno_[12].
From Cassai to _Galmalecco_[l3], which is the capital of the empire of
Kathay, it is thirty days journey.

* * * * *

If the reader has any idea of the difficulty attendant on making out so
many places, disguised by a vicious orthography, a difficulty, which is
still more increased by the necessity there is for determining, with
accuracy, the situation of these places, and their probable distances from
each other, he will be ready to allow that the task is certainly not very
trifling, nor to be accomplished without much labour. In the foregoing
itinerary, Pegoletti certifies the existence of the paper money which had
been previously mentioned by Rubraquis, Haitho, Marco Polo, and Oderic:
Some of these authors descri