ften wounded and killed. The crows or vultures proclaim the serpents fate
by their cries, on which the hunters come up and flea the animal, taking
out his gall, which is employed as a sovereign remedy for several diseases,
given to the quantity of a pennyweight in wine; particularly against the
bite of a mad dog, for women in labour, for carbuncles, and other
distempers. They likewise get a good price for the flesh, which is
considered as very delicate.

This province breeds many stout horses, which are carried by the merchants
into India. They commonly take out a bone from the tails of their horses,
to prevent them from being able to lash them from side to side, as they
esteem it more seemly for the tails to hang down. The natives, who are
idolaters, use long stirrups in riding, like the French; whereas the
Tartars and other nations use short stirrups, because they rise up when
they discharge their arrows. In their wars, they use targets and other
defensive armour made of buffalo hides; and their offensive weapons are
lances and crossbows, with poisoned arrows. Some of them, who are great
villains, are said always to carry poison with them, that if taken
prisoners, they may swallow it to procure sudden death, and to avoid
torture. On which occasion, the great lords force them to swallow dogs dung
that they may vomit up the poison. Before they were conquered by the great
khan, when any stranger of good appearance happened to lodge with them,
they used to kill him in the night; believing that the good properties of
the murdered person would afterwards devolve to the inhabitants of the
house; and this silly notion has occasioned the death of many persons.

Travelling still westwards from the province of Carazam, or Cariam, we
came, after five days journey, to the province of Cardandan, of which the
chief city is called Vociam[7]. The inhabitants, who are subject to the
great khan, use porcelain shells, and gold by weight, instead of money. In
that country, and many other surrounding provinces, there are no silver
mines, and the people give an ounce of gold for five ounces of silver, by
which exchange the merchants acquire great profits. The men and women cover
their teeth with thin plates of gold, so exactly fitted, that the teeth
seem as if they were actually of solid gold. The men make a kind of lists
or stripes round their legs and arms, by pricking the places with needles,
and rubbing in a black indelible liquid, and