grasp them, was entirely consumed. From thence, the flames
communicated to a kiosk or gallery of twenty fathoms, and to the apartment
of the ladies, which was still more magnificent. By this fire, 250 houses
were destroyed, and several men and women lost their lives[6]. The emperor
and his _Amirs_ did not consider that this chastisement fell upon them for
being infidels. On the contrary, the emperor went to an idol temple[7],
where he said on his knees, "The GOD of Heaven is angry with me, and
therefore hath burned my palace. Yet have I done no evil; for I have
neither offended my father nor my mother, nor can I be charged with the
exercise of any tyranny on my people."

The emperor was so deeply affected by these untoward circumstances, that he
fell sick, and the prince his son assumed the administration of the
government, and gave the ambassadors an audience of leave[8]; after which,
they received no farther subsistence from the court, till their departure.
They left Kham-balik on the fifteenth of the month Jomada-al-awal,
accompanied by certain dajis from the court; and they were lodged and
treated with all necessaries on their return, in the same manner as they
had been on their journey to court. They arrived on the first of Rajeb at
the city of _Nikian_[9], where the magistrates came out to meet them, but
did not search their baggage, as is customary there, as they had an express
order from the emperor to the contrary. On the day after their arrival at
that place, they were magnificently feasted. On the fifth of Shaaban,
thirty-five days afterwards, they reached the river Karamuran, Whang-ho, or
Hoang-ho; and on the twenty-fifth of that month arrived at Kamju[10], where
they had left their servants, and heavy baggage; where every thing that
they had committed to the custody of the Kathayan officers, when on their
journey to the capital, was faithfully restored. After remaining
seventy-five days in this place, they resumed their journey, and came soon
afterwards to Nang-tschieu, or Nang-chew[11]. At this place, or rather at
Sa-chew, they met with ambassadors from Ispahan and Shiras in Persia, on
their way to Khambalik, who told them that they had met with many
difficulties on their journey.

As the roads through the country of the Mongals were very unsafe, owing to
confusions and civil wars among the hordes, they remained ten months at
So-chew, whence they set out at full moon in the month of Moharram, of the
year