arms are swords and
lances. They are very cruel, and when they kill an enemy, they immediately
drink his blood, and afterwards eat his flesh.

After six days journey is Quelinfu, a great city with three bridges, each
of which is eight paces broad, and above an hundred paces long. The men are
great merchants and manufacturers, and the women are fair and delicately
shaped. The country produces plenty of ginger and galingal, and great
abundance of silk and cotton. I was told, but saw them not, that they have
hens without feathers, hairy like cats, which yet lay eggs, and are good to
eat[16]. In this part of the country there are many lions, which make the
ways very dangerous. After three days journey, we arrive in a populous
country inhabited by idolaters, who make great quantities of silk stuffs.
The chief city is Unguem, near which abundance of sugar is produced, and
sent from thence to Cambalu. Before the reduction of this country by the
great Khan, the inhabitants of this country could only manufacture a bad
kind of sugar, by boiling down the juice of the cane into a black paste;
but certain inhabitants from _Babylonia_, taught them refine it by means of
the ashes of a certain tree[17]. Fifteen miles farther is the city of
Cangiu, still in the province of Concha, and here the Khan has always an
army in readiness for keeping the country under subjection. Through this
city there runs a river of a mile broad, with handsome buildings on both
sides, and the river is constantly covered with vessels carrying sugar and
other goods. This river disembogues itself at the distance of five days
journey south-east from Cangiu, into the sea at Zaitum all the country
between being extremely pleasant, and abounding in trees and shrubs of
camphor. Zaitum is a famous port, and much frequented by ships with rich
cargoes from India, for the supply of Mangi and Kathay, and from this port
the productions of these regions are dispersed all over India. At this port
such quantities of pepper are imported, that what comes through Alexandria
into our western world is not to be compared to it, being hardly an
hundredth part. The concourse of merchants to this famous emporium is
incredible, as it is one of the most commodious ports in the whole world,
and is exceedingly productive in revenue to the great Khan, who receives
ten in the hundred of all merchandize. The merchants pay likewise so high
for freights, that not above a half of their cargoes re