The Travels of Marco Polo Volume II Part 68

Now you must know that King Caidu had a daughter whose name was AIJARUC, which in the Tartar is as much as to say "The Bright Moon." This damsel was very beautiful, but also so strong and brave that in all her father's realm there was no man who could outdo her in feats of strength. In all trials she showed greater strength than any man of them.[NOTE 1]

Her father often desired to give her in marriage, but she would none of it. She vowed she would never marry till she found a man who could vanquish her in every trial; him she would wed and none else. And when her father saw how resolute she was, he gave a formal consent in their fashion, that she should marry whom she list and when she list. The lady was so tall and muscular, so stout and shapely withal, that she was almost like a giantess. She had distributed her challenges over all the kingdoms, declaring that whosoever should come to try a fall with her, it should be on these conditions, viz., that if she vanquished him she should win from him 100 horses, and if he vanquished her he should win her to wife. Hence many a n.o.ble youth had come to try his strength against her, but she beat them all; and in this way she had won more than 10,000 horses.

Now it came to pa.s.s in the year of Christ 1280 that there presented himself a n.o.ble young gallant, the son of a rich and puissant king, a man of prowess and valiance and great strength of body, who had heard word of the damsel's challenge, and came to match himself against her in the hope of vanquishing her and winning her to wife. That he greatly desired, for the young lady was pa.s.sing fair. He, too, was young and handsome, fearless and strong in every way, insomuch that not a man in all his father's realm could vie with him. So he came full confidently, and brought with him 1000 horses to be forfeited if she should vanquish him. Thus might she gain 1000 horses at a single stroke! But the young gallant had such confidence in his own strength that he counted securely to win her.

Now ye must know that King Caidu and the Queen his wife, the mother of the stout damsel, did privily beseech their daughter to let herself be vanquished. For they greatly desired this prince for their daughter, seeing what a n.o.ble youth he was, and the son of a great king. But the damsel answered that never would she let herself be vanquished if she could help it; if, indeed, he should get the better of her then she would gladly be his wife, according to the wager, but not otherwise.

So a day was named for a great gathering at the Palace of King Caidu, and the King and Queen were there. And when all the company were a.s.sembled, for great numbers flocked to see the match, the damsel first came forth in a strait jerkin of sammet; and then came forth the young bachelor in a jerkin of sendal; and a winsome sight they were to see. When both had taken post in the middle of the hall they grappled each other by the arms and wrestled this way and that, but for a long time neither could get the better of the other. At last, however, it so befel that the damsel threw him right valiantly on the palace pavement. And when he found himself thus thrown, and her standing over him, great indeed was his shame and discomfiture. He gat him up straightway, and without more ado departed with all his company, and returned to his father, full of shame and vexation, that he who had never yet found a man that could stand before him should have been thus worsted by a girl! And his 1000 horses he left behind him.

As to King Caidu and his wife they were greatly annoyed, as I can tell you; for if they had had their will this youth should have won their daughter.

And ye must know that after this her father never went on a campaign but she went with him. And gladly he took her, for not a knight in all his train played such feats of arms as she did. Sometimes she would quit her father's side, and make a dash at the host of the enemy, and seize some man thereout, as deftly as a hawk pounces on a bird, and carry him to her father; and this she did many a time.

Now I will leave this story and tell you of a great battle that Caidu fought with Argon the son of Abaga, Lord of the Tartars of the Levant.

NOTE 1.--The name of the lady is in Pauthier's MSS. _Agiaint, Agyanie_; in the Bern, _Agyanic_; in the MS. of the G.T., distinctly _Aigiaruc_, though printed in the edition of 1824 as _Aigiarm_. It is Oriental Turkish, AI-YaRuK, signifying precisely _Lucent Lune_, as Marco explains it. For this elucidation I am indebted to the kindness of Professor Vambery, who adds that the name is in actual use among the Uzbek women.

Kaidu had many sons, but only one daughter, whom Rashiduddin (who seems to be Hammer's authority here) calls _Kutulun_. Her father loved her above all his sons; she used to accompany him to the field, and aid in state affairs. Letters were exchanged between her and Ghazan Khan, in which she a.s.sured him she would marry no one else; but her father refused her hand to all suitors. After Kaidu's death, this ambitious lady made some attempt to claim the succession. (_Hammer's Ilkhans_, II. 143-144.)

The story has some resemblance to what Ibn Batuta relates of another warlike Princess, Urduja, whom he professes to have visited in the questionable kingdom of Tawalisi on his way to China: "I heard ... that various sons of kings had sought Urduja's hand, but she always answered, 'I will marry no one but him who shall fight and conquer me'; so they all avoided the trail, for fear of the shame of being beaten by her." (_I.B._ IV. 253-254.) I have given reasons (_Cathay_, p. 520) for suspecting that this lady with a Turkish name in the Indian Archipelago is a bit of fiction. Possibly Ibn Batuta had heard the legend of King Kaidu's daughter.

The story of Kaidu's daughter, and still more the parallel one from Ibn Batuta, recall what Herodotus tells of the Sauromatae, who had married the Amazons; that no girl was permitted to marry till she had killed an enemy (IV. 117). They recall still more closely Brunhild, in the Nibelungen:--

--"a royal maiden who reigned beyond the sea: From sunrise to the sundown no paragon had she.

All boundless as her beauty was her strength was peerless too, And evil plight hung o'er the knight who dared her love to woo.

For he must try three bouts with her; the whirling spear to fling; To pitch the ma.s.sive stone; and then to follow with a spring; And should he beat in every feat his wooing well has sped, But he who fails must lose his love, and likewise lose his head."

CHAPTER V.

HOW ABAGA SENT HIS SON ARGON IN COMMAND AGAINST KING CAIDU.

Abaga the Lord of the Levant had many districts and provinces bordering on King Caidu's territories. These lay in the direction of the _Arbre Sol_, which the Book of Alexander calls the _Arbre Sec_, about which I have told you before. And Abaga, to watch against forays by Caidu's people sent his son Argon with a great force of hors.e.m.e.n, to keep the marches between the Arbre Sec and the River Jon. So there tarried Argon with all his host.[NOTE 1]

Now it came to pa.s.s that King Caidu a.s.sembled a great army and made captain thereof a brother of his called Barac, a brave and prudent man, and sent his host under his brother to fight with Argon.[NOTE 2]

<+> (Barac and his army cross the Jon or Oxus and are totally routed by Argon, to whose history the traveller now turns.)

NOTE 1.--The Government of this frontier, from Kazwin or Rei to the banks of the Oxus, was usually, under the Mongol sovereigns of Persia, confided to the heir of the throne. Thus, under Hulaku it was held by abaka, under abaka by Arghun, and under Arghun by Ghazan. (See _Hammer, pa.s.sim._)

We have already spoken amply of the Arbre Sol (vol. i. p. 128 seqq.).

NOTE 2.--Barac or Borrak, who has been already spoken of in ch. iii. of the Prologue (vol. i. p. 10), was no brother of Kaidu's. He was the head of the house of Chaghatai, and in alliance with Kaidu. The invasion of Khorasan by Borrak took place in the early part of 1269. Arghun was only about 15, and his father Abaka came to take the command in person. The battle seems to have been fought somewhere near the upper waters of the Murghab, in the territory of the Badghis (north of Herat). Borrak was not long after driven from power, and took refuge with Kaidu. He died, it is said from poison, in 1270.

CHAPTER VI.

HOW ARGON AFTER THE BATTLE HEARD THAT HIS FATHER WAS DEAD, AND WENT TO a.s.sUME THE SOVEREIGNTY AS WAS HIS RIGHT.

After Argon had gained this battle over Caidu's brother Barac and his host, no long time pa.s.sed before he had news that his father Abaga was dead, whereat he was sorely grieved.[NOTE 1] He made ready his army and set out for his father's Court to a.s.sume the sovereignty as was his right; but he had a march of 40 days to reach it.

Now it befel that an uncle of Argon's whose name was ACOMAT SOLDAN (for he had become a Saracen), when he heard of the death of his brother Abaga, whilst his nephew Argon was so far away, thought there was a good chance for him to seize the government. So he raised a great force and went straight to the Court of his late brother Abaga, and seized the sovereignty and proclaimed himself King; and also got possession of the treasure, which was of vast amount. All this, like a crafty knave, he divided among the Barons and the troops to secure their hearts and favour to his cause. These Barons and soldiers accordingly, when they saw what large spoil they had got from him, were all ready to say he was the best of kings, and were full of love for him, and declared they would have no lord but him. But he did one evil thing that was greatly reprobated by all; for he took all the wives of his brother Abaga, and kept them for himself.[NOTE 2]

Soon after he had seized the government, word came to him how Argon his nephew was advancing with all his host. Then he tarried not, but straightway summoned his Barons and all his people, and in a week had fitted out a great army of horse to go to meet Argon. And he went forth light of heart, as being confident of victory, showing no dismay, and saying on all occasions that he desired nought so much as to take Argon, and put him to a cruel death.[NOTE 3]

NOTE 1.--abaka died at Hamadan 1st April 1282, twelve years after the defeat of Borrak.

NOTE 2.--This last sentence is in Pauthier's text, but not in the G.T. The thing was a regular Tartar custom (vol. i. pp. 253, 256), and would scarcely be "reprobated by all."

NOTE 3.--Acomat Soldan is AHMAD, a younger son of Hulaku, whose Mongol name was Tigudar, and who had been baptized in his youth by the name of Nicolas, but went over to Islam, and thereby gained favour in Persia. On the death of his brother abaka he had a strong party and seized the throne. Arghun continued in sullen defiance, gathering means to a.s.sist his claim.

CHAPTER VII.

HOW ACOMAT SOLDAN SET OUT WITH HIS HOST AGAINST HIS NEPHEW WHO WAS COMING TO CLAIM THE THRONE THAT BELONGED TO HIM,

<+> (Relates how Acomat marches with 60,000 horse, and on hearing of the approach of Argon summons his chiefs together and addresses them.)

CHAPTER VIII.

HOW ARGON TOOK COUNSEL WITH HIS FOLLOWERS ABOUT ATTACKING HIS UNCLE ACOMAT SOLDAN.

<+> (Argon, uneasy at hearing of Acomat's approach, calls together his Barons and counsellors and addresses them.)

CHAPTER IX.

HOW THE BARONS OF ARGON ANSWERED HIS ADDRESS.

<+> (An old Baron, as the spokesman of the rest, expresses their zeal and advises immediate advance. On coming within ten miles of Acomat, Argon encamps and sends two envoys to his uncle.)