MARCO POLO 33 



them particularly respecting the Pope, the affairs of the 

 Church, and the religious worship and doctrine of the 

 Christians." Finally he sent the Polos home with a 

 request to the Pope to send him one hundred men of learning, 

 thoroughly acquainted with the principles of the Christian 

 religion as well as with the Seven Arts. The Polos reached 

 Venice in 1269, and set out again for Cathay in 1271. 

 They had failed to induce men of learning to accompany 

 them ; but they took with them Marco, the son of Nicolo. 

 They journeyed through Acre and Bagdad to Ormuz ; 

 then took " the straight road for Cathay " northward 

 of the Himalayas ; and, after a journey of three and 

 a half years, they arrived at the Court of the Great Kaan 

 in 1275. They were " graciously received." Marco was 

 " enrolled among his attendants of honour." He " adopted 

 the manners of the Tartars, and acquired a proficiency 

 in four different languages." He was employed on " im- 

 portant concerns of State," travelled as far as Tibet 

 and Bengal and " the Indian seas," and " endeavoured 

 wherever he went to obtain correct information, and made 

 notes of all he saw and heard." 



In the course of seventeen years the Polos amassed 

 " considerable wealth in jewels and gold," and now wished 

 to return to Venice. The Great Kaan at first refused Marco comes 

 permission. It chanced, however, that a Mongol princess ' ne< I2Q5 ' 

 had to be convoyed to Persia, there to be married. The 

 oVerland route was blocked by wars among Tartar princes. 

 Just then Marco returned from a voyage he had made 

 tc " the East Indies," and guaranteed a passage to Persia 

 "with the utmost safety." The offer was accepted; 

 and the Polos," as being persons well skilled in the practice 

 of navigation," were placed in command of a fleet to take 

 the princess to Persia. The fleet was composed of " four- 

 teen ships, each having four masts, and capable of being 

 navigated with nine sails, and there were at least four 

 or five that had crews of two hundred and fifty or two 

 hundred and sixty men." The voyage was a long affair. 

 After about three months they arrived at Java Minor 

 (Sumatra), where they were detained five months by 



