feared their messengers might be taken from us
by main force. And lastly, because no good could arise from them, as they
were to have no other commission or authority, except merely to deliver the
letter of the emperor to the pope and princes of Christendom, which letter
we already had.

The third day after this, being the feast of St Brice, 13th November, we
received our passport, and a letter sealed with the emperor's own seal; and
going to the emperor's mother, she gave each of us a gown made of
fox-skins, having the hair outwards, and a linen robe; from every one of
which our Tartar attendants stole a yard, and from those that were given to
our servants, they stole a full half. We were perfectly aware of this
knavery, but did not think it convenient to take any notice.

SECTION XXXIII.

_The return of the Papal Envoys to Europe_.

At length we took our departure, and travelled the whole winter through the
desert, often sleeping all night on the snow, unless when we cleared a
piece of ground with our feet, and frequently in the morning we found
ourselves entirely covered by the snow, which had drifted over us during
the night. On Ascension day, we arrived at the court of Baatu, of whom we
inquired what message we should deliver in his name to the Pope? To this he
answered, that he had no message to give us in charge, but only that we
should carefully deliver what we had received from the emperor. Having
received additional passports from him, we continued our journey, and
arrived at the station of Montij on the Sabbath after the Whitson week,
where our companions and servants, who had been kept so long from us, were
returned at our desire. From thence we travelled to the station of
Corrensa, who again required presents from us, but we now had none to give.
He however appointed two Comanians, of the lowest order of the Tartar
subjects, to accompany us to Kiow in Russia; but our Tartar guide did not
quit us till we were beyond the Tartar bounds; after which the Comanians,
who had been ordered by Corrensa to attend us, brought us in six days from
the last guard of the Tartars, to the city of Kiow, where we arrived
fifteen days before the festival of John the Baptist, 9th June 1248. On
receiving notice of our approach, the whole inhabitants of Kiow came out
joyfully to receive us, congratulating us as men returned from death to
life; and we were received in a similar manner in our whole progress
through Russia, P