Rehearsal of the way the Year of the Great Kaan is distributed.

At last, the Cathayans, utterly wearied with the endless outrages and abominable iniquities from him conspired to slay him and revolt against the government.

Amongst the rest there was a certain Cathayan named Chenchu, a commander of a thousand, whose mother, daughter, and wife had all been dishonoured by Achmath.

Chenchu was full of bitter resentment. He entered into parley regarding the destruction of the Minister with another Cathayan whose name was Vanchu, who was a commander of 10,000.

They came to the conclusion that the time to do the business would be during the Great Kaan’s absence from Cambaluc.

For after stopping there 3 months he used to go to Chandu and stop there 3 months.

At the same time, his son Chinkin used to go away to his usual haunts, and this Achmath remained in charge of the city; sending to obtain the Kaan’s orders from Chandu when any emergency arose.

So Vanchu and Chenchu, having come to this conclusion, proceeded to communicate it to the chief people among the Cathayans.

By common consent, they sent word to their friends in many other cities that they had determined on such a day, at the signal given by a beacon, to massacre all the men with beards, and that the other cities should stand ready to do the like on seeing the signal fires.

The reason why they spoke of massacring the bearded men was that

The Cathayans naturally have no beards which were worn by the Tartars, Saracens, and Christians.

All the Cathayans detested the Grand Kaan’s rule because he set over them Tartar or Saracen governors.

They could not endure this for they were treated as slaves.

The Great Kaan gained Cathay by conquest, not by hereditary right.

He thus had no confidence in the natives.

So he put all authority into the hands of Tartars, Saracens, or Christians who were attached to his household and devoted to his service, and were foreigners in Cathay.

Wherefore, on the day appointed, the aforesaid Vanchu and Chenchu having entered the palace at night.

Vanchu sat down and caused a number of lights to be kindled before him.

He then sent a messenger to Achmath the Bailo, who lived in the Old City, as if to summon him to the presence of Chinkin, the Great Kaan’s son, who (it was pretended) had arrived unexpectedly.

When Achmath heard this he was much surprised, but made haste to go, for he feared the Prince greatly.

When he arrived at the gate he met a Tartar called Cogatai, who was Captain of the 12,000 that formed the standing garrison of the City. The latter asked him whither he was bound so late?

“To Chinkin, who is just arrived.”

Quoth Cogatai, “How can that be? How could he come so privily that I know nought of it?”

So he followed the Minister with a few of his soldiers.

The notion of the Cathayans was that, if they could make an end of Achmath, they would have nought else to be afraid of.

So as soon as Achmath got inside the palace, and saw all that illumination, he bowed down before Vanchu, supposing him to be Chinkin, and Chenchu who was standing ready with a sword straightway cut his head off.

As soon as Cogatai, who had halted at the entrance, beheld this, he shouted “Treason!” and instantly discharged an arrow at Vanchu and shot him dead as he sat.

At the same time he called his people to seize Chenchu, and sent a proclamation through the city that any one found in the streets would be instantly put to death.

The Cathayans saw that the Tartars had discovered the plot, and that they had no longer any leader, since Vanchu was killed and Chenchu was taken.

So they kept still in their houses, and were unable to pass the signal for the rising of the other cities as had been settled.

Cogatai immediately dispatched messengers to the Great Kaan giving an orderly report of the whole affair, and the Kaan sent back orders for him to make a careful investigation, and to punish the guilty as their misdeeds deserved.

In the morning Cogatai examined all the Cathayans, and put to death a number whom he found to be ringleaders in the plot.

The same thing was done in the other cities, when it was found that the plot extended to them also.

After the Great Kaan had returned to Cambaluc he was very anxious to discover what had led to this affair, and he then learned all about the endless iniquities of that accursed Achmath and his sons.

It was proved that he and seven of his sons (for they were not all bad) had forced no end of women to be their wives, besides those whom they had ravished.

The Great Kaan then ordered all the treasure that Achmath had accumulated in the Old City to be transferred to his own treasury in the New City.

It was found to be of enormous amount. He also ordered the body of Achmath to be dug up and cast into the streets for the dogs to tear; and commanded those of his sons that had followed the father’s evil example to be flayed alive.{4}

These circumstances called the Kaan’s attention to the accursed doctrines of the Sect of the Saracens, which excuse every crime, yea even murder itself, when committed on such as are not of their religion.

Seeing that this doctrine had led the accursed Achmath and his sons to act as they did without any sense of guilt, the Kaan was led to entertain the greatest disgust and abomination for it. So he summoned the Saracens and prohibited their doing many things which their religion enjoined.

Thus, he ordered them to regulate their marriages by the Tartar Law, and prohibited their cutting the throats of animals killed for food, ordering them to rip the stomach in the Tartar way.