back at the firstsign of adversity, another local war in the Levant. Aside from the pope'smessages, the only spiritual gift Europe was able to furnish the greatKublai Khan was oil from the lamp burning at Jesus Christ's supposed tombin Jerusalem. Yet, in a sense, young Marco, the only new person in thePolos' party, was himself a fitting representative of the spirit ofEuropean civilization on the eve of the Renaissance, and the lack of onehundred learned Europeans guaranteed that he would catch the eye of theCowan, who was curious about "Latins"(Hull 29).On the way to the khan's court, Marco had the opportunity tocomplete his education. The journey took three and a half years byhorseback through some of the world's most rugged terrain, including snowymountain ranges, such as the Pamirs, and parching deserts, such as theGobi. Marco and his party encountered such hazards as wild beasts andbrigands; they also met with beautiful women, in whom young Marco took aspecial interest. The group traveled numerous countries and cultures,noting food, dress, and religion unique to each(Li Man Kin 17). Inparticular, under the khans's protection the Polos were able to observe alarge portion of the Islamic world at close range, as few if any EuropeanChristians had. By the time they reached the khan's court in Khanbalik,Marco had become a hardened traveler. He had also received a uniqueeducation and had been initiated into manhood.Kublai Khan greeted the Polos warmly and invited them to stay onin his court. Here, if Marco's account is to be believed, the Polos becamegreat favorites of the khan, and Kublai eventually made Marco one of hismost trusted emissaries(Great Lives from History 16765). On these pointsMarco has been accused of gross exaggeration, and the actual status of thePolos at the court of the khan is much disputed. If at first it appearsunlikely that Kublai would make young Marco an emissary, upon examinationthis seems quite reasonable. For p...
