Chapter XCIX: Section IV

_Account of several other Countries, and their Principal Curiosities_.

From Kerman[1], in three days riding, you come to a desert which extends to Cobin-ham[2], seven days journey across, the desert. In the first three days you have no water, except a few salt, bitter ponds, of a green colour, like the juice of herbs; and whoever drinks even a small quantity of this water, cannot escape a dysentery, and even beasts that are compelled to drink of it, do not escape without a scouring. It is therefore necessary for travellers to carry water along with them, that they may avoid the inconvenience and danger of thirst. In the fourth day you find a subterranean river of fresh water[3]. The three last days of this desert are like the first three. Cobin-ham is a great city, where great mirrors of steel are made[4]. Tutia also, which is a cure for sore eyes, and spodio are made here in the following manner: From the mines of this country they dig a certain earth, which is thrown into furnaces, from which the vapours, forced downwards, through an iron grate, condense below into tutia of tutty[5], and the grosser matter remaining in the furnace is called spodio.

Leaving Cobin-ham, you meet with another desert of eight days journey in extent, and terribly barren, having neither trees or water, except what is extremely bitter, insomuch, that beasts refuse to drink of it, except when mixed with meal, and travellers are therefore obliged to carry water along with them. After passing this desert, you come to the kingdom of Timochaim[6], in the north confines of Persia, in which there are many cities and strong castles. In this country there is an extensive plain, in which one great tree grows, which is called the Tree of the Sun, and by Christians Arbore-secco[7], or the dry tree. This tree is very thick, the leaves being green on one side, and white on the other, and it produces prickly and husky shells, like those of chesnuts, but nothing in them. The wood is strong and solid, and of a yellow colour like box. There are no other trees within an hundred miles, except on one side, where there are trees at the distance of ten miles. In this place, the inhabitants say that Alexander fought a battle against Darius[8]. The cities of this place are plentifully furnished with good things; the air is temperate, and the people handsome, especially the women, who are in my opinion the handsomest in the world.

[1] Marco here probably means the town or city of Kerm-shir, as that lies
in the course of his present route from Ormus to the north-east of
Persia.--E.

[2] This name is inexplicable; yet from the circumstance of its mines, and
the direction of the journey, it may have been situated near the
Gebelabad mountains; and some German editor may have changed _abad_,
into the precisely similar significant termination _ham_. The original
probably had Cobin-abad.--E.

[3] In confirmation of the idea entertained of the present route of Marco,
from Ormus by Kerm-shir, to the north-east of Persia, there is, in the
maps, a short river in the desert between Diden and Mastih, which has
no outlet, but loses itself in the sands, on which account he may have
called it subterraneous, as sinking into the earth.--E.

[4] More probably of copper, whitened by some admixture of zinc, and other
metals, of the existence of which in this district there are
sufficient indications in the sequel. These mirrors may have been
similar to telescope metal.--E.

[5] What is here called Tutty, is probably the sublimed floculent white
oxid, or flowers of zinc.--E.

[6] Timochaim seems obviously Segistan, to which Mechran appears to have
been then joined, from the circumstance before related of the Polos
having gone from China by sea to this kingdom. The strange application
of Timochaim is probably corrupt, and may perhaps be explicable on the
republication of the Trevigi edition of these travels; till then, we
must rest satisfied with probable conjecture.--E.

[7] The native name of this tree, and of the plain in which it grew,
appears obviously to have been translated by Marco into Italian.--E.

[8] It is possible that this Arbore-secco may have some reference to
Arbela.--E.