hese machines,
and surrendered themselves to the authority and dominion of the khan, on
the same conditions with the rest of Mangi; and by this service, the
Venetian brethren acquired great reputation and favour.

From this city of Sian-fu, to another called Sin-gui, it is accounted
fifteen miles to the south-east. This city, though not very large, has a
prodigious number of ships, as it is situate on the greatest river in the
world, called Quiam [l5], being in some places ten, in others eight, and in
others six miles broad. But its length extends to a distance of above an
hundred days journey from its source to the sea, receiving numberless
navigable rivers in its course, from various and distant regions, by which
means incredible quantities of merchandize are transported upon this river.
There are about two hundred cities which participate in the advantages of
this river, which runs through, or past, the boundaries of sixteen
provinces. The greatest commodity on this river is salt, with which all the
provinces and cities which have communication with its water are supplied.
I, Marco, once saw at Singui five thousand vessels, yet some other cities
on the river have a greater number. All these ships are covered, having but
one mast and one sail, and usually carry 4000 Venetian Canthari and
upwards, some as far as 12,000. In these vessels they use no cordage of
hemp; even their hawsers or towing ropes being made of canes, about fifteen
paces long, which they split into thin pieces from end to end, and bind or
wreath together into ropes, some of which are three hundred fathoms long,
and serve for dragging their vessels up or down the river; each vessel
having ten or twelve horses for that purpose. On that river there are rocky
hillocks in many places, on which idol temples, with monasteries for the
priests are built, and in all the course of the river we find cultivated
vallies and habitations innumerable.

Cayn-gui is a small city on the same river to the south, eastwards of
Sin-gui, where every year great quantities of corn and rice are brought,
which is carried for the most part to Cambalu. For from the Quiam or
Kian-ku river, they pass to that city by means of lakes and rivers, and by
one large canal, which the great khan caused to be made for a passage from
one river to another; so that vessels go all the way from Mangi or Southern
China to Cambalu, without ever being obliged to put to sea. This great work
is beautif