. Promise me now, and I'll save
him. We'll send for the keeper of the khan's drums."

And they sent for the keeper, and Sanang gave a message to be put on
the Speaking Drums.

"Let you now," he told his helper, "get me the Distant Ears."

And the helper brought him the Golden Ears, which were the like of a
great bird's wings, and he put them on his head and he listened.

"I hear the drums of the battlements," he said, "...and I hear the
Drums of the Hill of Graves..."

And he listened a while, and Golden Bells was white.

"I hear the Drums of the Dim Mountain,"...and for a while he said
nothing.

"Those would be the drums of Yung Chang..."

"I hear the Drums of Kai Yu Kwan," he said.

"Yes, Sanang, yes." Little Golden Bells was one quiver of fear.

"I hear the Drums of the Convent of the Red Monks," said Sanang. "I
hear drums calling the Tatar tribes... I hear the slap of saddles. I
hear the jingle of bits... I hear galloping ponies..."

"Yes, Sanang, Oh, hurry, Sanang! hurry!"

He listened a little while longer, and then he took off the Distant
Ears.

"Your man's saved," he said.

Then little Golden Bells laughed and then she cried. She caught Li
Po's hand and laughed again and again she cried. Sanang shook his head
to get out of his ears the deafening noises of the world. And Li Po
smiled out of his sad eyes.

"I think I'll go and write a marriage-song, Golden Bells.

"Whom will you write the marriage-song for, Li Po?"

"I'll write it for you, Golden Bells."

"But I'm not going to be married, Li Po. There is no one. I love no
one, Li Po. I do not. I do not, indeed."

"Then take your lute and sing me the 'Song of the Willow Branches,'
which is the saddest song in the world."

She shook her head, and blushed. "I cannot sing that song, Li Po. I
don't feel like singing that song."

"Then I must write you another song, Little Golden Bells..."

CHAPTER XIII

And now when Marco Polo was rested and had recovered, they brought him
from the Convent of the Red Monks to where the khan was in the city of
Chandu. Now, there were two palaces in Chandu; there was the winter
palace, which was of marble, and the summer palace, which was of gilt
cane. Around these palaces there was built a wall sixteen miles in
compass, and inside of it was a park of fountains, and rivers and
brooks with the speckled trout in them, and meadows with the lark at
her ease in the grass, and trees of all varie