in till they found a certain
vein. The substance of this vein was then taken and crushed, and when so
treated it divides as it were into fibres of wool, which they set forth to
dry. When dry, these fibres were pounded in a great copper mortar, and
then washed, so as to remove all the earth and to leave only the fibres
like fibres of wool. These were then spun, and made into napkins. When
first made these napkins are not very white, but by putting them into the
fire for a while they come out as white as snow. And so again whenever
they become dirty they are bleached by being put in the fire.

Now this, and nought else, is the truth about the Salamander, and the
people of the country all say the same. Any other account of the matter is
fabulous nonsense. And I may add that they have at Rome a napkin of this
stuff, which the Grand Kaan sent to the Pope to make a wrapper for the
Holy Sudarium of Jesus Christ.[NOTE 6]

We will now quit this subject, and I will proceed with my account of the
countries lying in the direction between north-east and east.

NOTE 1.--The identification of this province is a difficulty, because the
geographical definition is vague, and the name assigned to it has not been
traced in other authors. It is said to lie _between north-west and north_,
whilst Kamul was said to lie _towards the north-west_. The account of both
provinces forms a digression, as is clear from the last words of the
present chapter, where the traveller returns to take up his regular route
"in the direction between north-east and east." The point from which he
digresses, and to which he reverts, is Shachau, and 'tis presumably from
Shachau that he assigns bearings to the two provinces forming the subject
of the digression. Hence, as Kamul lies _vers maistre_, i.e. north-west,
and Chingintalas _entre maistre et tramontaine_, i.e. nor'-nor'-west,
Chingintalas can scarcely lie due west of Kamul, as M. Pauthier would
place it, in identifying it with an obscure place called _Saiyintala_, in
the territory of Urumtsi. Moreover, the province is said to belong to the
Great Kaan. Now, _Urumtsi_ or Bishbalik seems to have belonged, not to the
Great Kaan, but to the empire of Chagatai, or possibly at this time to
Kaidu. Rashiduddin, speaking of the frontier between the Kaan and Kaidu,
says:--"From point to point are posted bodies of troops under the orders
of princes of the blood or other generals, and they often come to blows
with the t