File:The story of Marco Polo (1899) (14577315919) (cropped).jpg

Identifier: storyofmarcopolo00polo (find matches)
Title: The story of Marco Polo
Year: 1899 (1890s)
Authors: Polo, Marco, 1254-1323? Brooks, Noah, 1830-1903, (from old catalog) ed
Subjects: Voyages and travels
Publisher: New York, The Century co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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it told Messer Marco Polo that it was for all the worldlike an eagle, but one indeed of enormous size; so big, infact, that its wings covered an extent of thirty paces, andits quills were twelve paces long, and thick in proportion.And it is so strong that it will seize an elephant in its talonsand carry him high into the air, and drop him so that he issmashed to pieces; having so killed him, the bird gryphonswoops down upon him and eats him at leisure. Thepeople of those isles call the bird Rue, and it has no othername. So I wot not if this be the real gryphon, or if therebe another manner of bird as great. But this I can tellyou for certain, that they are not half lion and half bird, asour stories do relate; but enormous as they be, they arefashioned just like an eagle. The Great Kaan sent to those parts to inquire aboutthese curious matters, and the story was told by those whowent thither. He also sent to procure the release of anenvoy of his who had been despatched thither, and had
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XXII.) A COLOSSAL FEATHER. 235 been detained; so both those envoys had many wonderfulthings to tell the Great Kaan about those strange islands,and about the birds I have just mentioned. They brought(as I heard) to the Great Kaan a feather of the said Rue,which was stated to measure ninety spans, whilst the quillpart was two palms in circumference—a marvellous object!The Great Kaan was delighted with it, and gave greatpresents to those who brought it. They also brought twoboars tusks, which weighed more than fourteen poundsa piece; and you may gather how big the boar must havebeen that had teeth like that! They related, indeed, thatthere were some of these boars as big as a great buffalo.There are also numbers of giraffes and wild asses ; and, infact, a marvellous number of wild beasts of strange aspect. The measurements, which were common in MarcoPolos time, are not much in use nowadays; but ifthe reader wants to figure out the dimensions ofMarcos big bird, a pace may be reckoned as

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