The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-08-22
CAPTAINS OF
n
BY ROGER POCOCK
Copyright b. Bobbs MsrInC Company

missioner or agent attached TO the
privy council. Marco had become a
civil servant, and his father and uncle
were both rich men, but as the years
went on, and the aged emperor began
to fail, they feared as to their fate
after his death. Yet when they want
ed to go home old Kublai growled at
them.
Now it cam TO pass in those days
that the Queen Bolgana, wife OF Ar
gon, lord of the Levant court of Per-
sia), departed this life. And in her
will she had desired hat no lady
should take her place, or succeed her
as Argon's wife except n of her W
family Tin Cathay). Argon therefore
dispatched three of his barons T. as
ambassadors to the great khan, at
tended by a very gallant company, in
order to bring back as his bride a lady
of the family Of Queen Bolgana, his
late wife.
when these three barons had
reached the court of the great khan,
they delivered their message, explain
ing wherefore they were come. The
khan received them with all honor and
hospitality, and then sent for. a lady
whose name was Cocachin. who was of
the family of the deceased Queen Boil
CANA. She was a maiden of seventeen,
q very beautiful and charming person,
and on her arrival at court she was
| presented TO the three barons as the
lady chosen in compliance with their
demand. They declared that the lady
pleased them we'll.
Meanwhile Messer Marco CHANGED
to return from India, whittier he had
gone as the lords ambassador, and
made his report of all the different
things that he had seen in his travels.
and of the sundry seas over which he
| had voyaged. And the three barons,
having seen that Messer Nicolo. Messer
Matteo and Messer Marco were not
only Latins but men of marvellous good
sense withal, took thought among
themselves to get the three to travel
to Persia with them, their intention be-
ing TO return to their country by sea.
on account of the great fatigue of that
long land journey for a lady. So they
went to the great khan and begged as
a favor that he would send the three
Latins With them, as ii was their de-
sire tc return home by sea.
The lord. having that great regard
that | have mentioned for those three
Latins, was very loath to do so. But
at last he did give them permission to
| depart, ~enjoining them to accompany
the three barons and the lady"
In the fleet that sailed on the two
years voyage to Persia there were six
hundred persons. not counting mari
ners; but what with sickness and lit
tie accidents of travel, storms for in
stance and sharks, only eight persons
arrived. including the lady, one Of the
Persian barons and the three Italians.
They found the handsome King Argon
dead, so the lady had to put up with
his insignificant son Casan, who turned
out to be a irst-rate king. The lady
wept sore at parting with the Italians.
They set out for Venice, arriving in
1895 after an absence of twenty-seyen
years.
There is a legend that two aged
men, and one of middle age. in ragged
clothes. of very strange device, came
knocking at the door of the Polos'
town house in Venice, and were denied
admission by the family. who did not
know them. 1t was only when the
travellers had unpacked their luggage,
and given a banquet, that the family
and their guests began to respect these
Migrants. Three times during dinner
the travellers retired to change their
gorgeous oriental robes for others still
more splendid. Was it possible that
the long dead Polos had returned
alive? Then the tables being cleared,
Marco brought forth the dirty ragged
Venice and, with sharp knives, they
ripped open the seams and welts, pour.
ing out vast numbers of rubies,
sapphires, c%arbuncles, diamonds and
emeralds, gems to the value of a mil
lion dueats. The family was entirely
convinced, the public nicknamed the
travellers the millionaires, the city con.
leTFeu ulSnIlleS, anu TIE TWO elueF gen
tlemen spent their remaining years in
peace and splendor surrounded by
hosts of friends.
Three years later a sea battle was
fought between the fleets of Genoa and
Venice, and in the Venetian force n
Of the galleys was commanded by Mar.
co Polo. There Venice was totally de.
feated, and Marco was one of the seven
thousand prisoners carried home to
grace the triumph of the Genoese. 1t
was in prison that he met the young
literary person TO whom he dictated
his book, not of travel, not of adven-
ture, but a geography, a description of
all Asia, its countries, peoples and
wonders. Sometimes he got excited
and would draw the long bow, expand
ing the numbers of the great khan's
armies. Sometimes his marvels were
such as nobody in his senses could be
expected to swallow, as for instance,
when he spoke of the Tartars as burn
ing black stones to keep them warm in
winter. Yet on the whole this book, of
the greatest traveller that ever lived,
awakened Europe of the Dark Ages
to- the knowledge of that vast outer
world that has mainly become the her
itage of the Christian powers.