nded
upon Kashgar, whence they proceeded by Yarkand and Khotan to the
vicinity of Lake Lob; and, crossing the desert of Gobi, they reached the
province of Tangut in the extreme northwestern corner of China, or
Cathay. Skirting the northern frontier, they finally reached the actual
presence of the Great Khan, who was then at his summer palace of
Kaipingfu, before spoken of, situated at the base of the Khingan
Mountains, fifty miles north of the Great Wall. One may form some idea
of the difficulties of Asiatic travel in those days, as well as the
leisurely habits of the time, by considering that this journey occupied
the three Venetians three years and a half. They arrived at the palace
of the Khan about May, 1275.

The Polos were very cordially and gladly received by the potentate, then
ruling over a territory so vast that it has been well said that, "In
Asia and Eastern Europe scarcely a dog might bark without Mongol leave,
from the borders of Poland and the coast of Cilicia to the Amoor and the
Yellow Sea." Kublai Khan regarded the young Marco with especial favor,
and soon began to employ him in errands and commissions of importance.
"The Young Bachelor," as he is called in his book, took pains to acquire
at once an acquaintance with the Chinese alphabet, and to learn the
languages and dialects of the countries in which he found profitable and
interesting employment.

It appears that the Khan had been greatly annoyed by the stupidity of
his own officials and agents. They attended only to the errands on which
they were sent, and brought back absolutely no knowledge of the distant
countries that they visited, except that which they were specially
directed to fetch. Very different was the conduct of the young Venetian.
He was shrewdly observant, of a lively disposition, and given to
inquiring into the strange and wonderful things which he beheld in those
remote parts of the world, hitherto secluded from the observation of
Europeans. He made copious and minute notes of all that he saw and
heard, for the benefit of his imperial master. These notes afterward
served him a good purpose, as we shall see; for they were the basis of
the book that has made the name of Marco Polo famous throughout the
world. When he returned to the imperial court, we can imagine the
satisfaction with which the picturesque and intelligent narrations of
what he had seen and heard were received by the Great Khan.

In the records of the Mongol dynas