Chapter XXXII: Section XI: Of Monstrous Men like Dogs, and of the Conquest of Burithabeth

In returning through the desert, we were told by some Russian priests at the emperor's court, that the Mongals found certain women, who, being asked where their men were, said that all the women of that country had human shapes, but that the males had the shape of great dogs. After some time, they met the dogs on the other side of a river. It being in winter, the dogs plunged into the water, and then rolled themselves in the dust on the land, till the dust and water was frozen on their backs; and having done this repeatedly till the ice was thick and strong, they attacked the Mongals with great fury; but when the Mongals threw their darts, or shot their arrows at them, they rebounded as if they had fallen on stones, neither could their weapons in any way hurt them. But the dogs killed some of the Tartars, and wounded many with their teeth, and finally drove them out of the country[1].

On their return home, the Mongals came into the country of Burithabeth, of which the inhabitants are pagans, and conquered the people in battle. These people have a strange custom of eating their kindred when they die. They have no beard, for we saw some of them going about with certain iron instruments in their hands, with which they pluck out any hairs they find on their faces[2].

[1] It is surely unnecessary to remark on this ridiculous story of the
canine men, which no commentary could reduce to sense.--E.

[2] These people may possibly have been the Burats. The same practice of
eradicating the beard is still followed by the native tribes of
America.--E.

SECTION XII.

_How the Mongals were repulsed at the Caspian Mountains, by Men dwelling in Caves._

When Zingis sent the before-mentioned armies into the east, he marched personally into the land of the Kergis[1], which, however, he did not now conquer. In this expedition the Mongals are said to have penetrated to the Caspian mountains, which being of adamant, attracted their arrows and other weapons of iron[2].

[1] The Kirguses, inhabiting Western Turkestan, between Lake Balkash and
the Caspian.--E.

[2] The remainder of this short section is so ridiculously fabulous as not
to merit translation, and is therefore omitted.--E.