are at a greater distance, send only the skins, which are used in making
housings and other military articles.

The khan has many leopards, wolves, and even lions, trained for hunting.
These lions are larger than those which are found near Babylon, and are
variegated with small spots of white, black, and red. They are bred to
catch bears, boars, stags, roe-bucks, wild asses, and wild bulls, and it is
wonderful to see their dexterity and fierceness in the chase. When these
lions are taken out to hunt, they are carried in waggons, two together,
accompanied by a dog, with which they are familiar. They are managed in
this manner, because of their fierce and unruly disposition, and they must
be drawn towards the game against the wind, otherwise the beast would scent
them and fly away. There are also many tame eagles, so trained as to take
hares, roe-bucks, deers, and foxes; and some of these will even seize upon
wolves, and vex them so grievously, that the men may take them without
danger. For the conduct of the imperial hunt, there are two great officers
called Ciurco, or masters of the game, who are brothers, named Boyan and
Mingan, each of whom have the command of 10,000 men; those who belong to
one of these divisions being clothed in red, and the others in sky blue;
and they keep various kinds of dogs, such as mastiffs and others, for
hunting, to the number of 5000 or more. When the khan goes to hunt, one of
these great companies of hunters stretches out on his right hand, and the
other on his left, occupying the plain country to the breadth of a whole
days journey, so that no beast can escape them; and when they have
collected the game into a circle, it is delightful to see the khan going
into the middle, with numbers of dogs, which hunt down the harts and bears,
and other wild beasts. The masters of the game are bound by their
commissions to send to court, between the beginning of October and end of
March, 1000 head of beasts, besides birds of various kinds, and fish, the
best they can procure.

[1] The proper name of this place is Kan-balgassan, or, for shortness,
Khan-balga, signifying the city of the khan. Arabian authors have
changed it to Khan-balick or Khan-baligh; and the Italians to
Chanbalig, Chanbalu, Cambalu, and even Gamelecco. The Chinese call
this northern part of the imperial city King-tshing, which has the
same meaning with the Tartar name, and may be translated Kingstown.
Pe-