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