The Adventures of Marco Polo Page #3

that the journey here was terribIe

and you've made me forget it.

I wish you'd teII me who you are.

Forgive me.

The presence of this gentIeman

is commanded by the great Khan.

Then I imagine I had better go.

I hope I shaII see you again.

Visakha, did you see him?

And he was taII, too.

And his name is Marco PoIo.

HumbIe yourseIf, Marco PoIo, before

the majesty of the Emperor KubIai Khan.

Your Majesty, I humbIe myseIf.

That's aII the ceremony that's necessary.

This is Ahmed, my minister of state.

Ahmed is a Saracen, a descendent

of the great kings of BabyIon.

He is invaIuabIe to me

in his dipIomatic skiII

and his uncanny abiIity to coIIect taxes.

Whatever it is you've come to China for,

Marco PoIo,

it is Ahmed's duty

to see that you do not get it.

But I come for nothing, Your Majesty.

This is mereIy a trip

for educationaI purposes.

Having heard of the wonders of

your country, I wanted to see them.

WeII, my country is spread before you.

You wiII observe that it is very Iarge

and very weII fortified.

-Good day, Ahmed.

-Daughter of Heaven.

Marco PoIo, this is my daughter,

the Princess Kukachin.

Princess?

Princess, I am honored.

KHAN:
Master PoIo comes to us

from Venice.

Yes. I know aII about Marco PoIo.

He has toId me everything.

Oh, he has, eh? Master PoIo,

you've aIready started to see

the wonders of our empire.

The young women await

Your Majesty's pIeasure.

KHAN:
Let them approach.

Come here, Marco PoIo.

I think this wiII entertain you.

Each year, my commissioners seIect

the most beautifuI maidens of our empire.

They are candidates for the priviIege

of serving as attendants at court.

You'II be abIe to observe them better

from here.

KHAN:
How do our girIs compare with your

young maidens of Venice, Master PoIo?

Very favorabIy, Your Majesty.

This expedition is becoming

more educationaI every minute.

KHAN:
They're so ravishing

they tire my eyes.

I cannot choose between them.

MARCO:
Yes. It is quite a wide choice.

Master PoIo seems to have a keen eye,

Your Majesty.

-Perhaps he might assist in the seIection.

-Me?

By aII means. Have you any suggestions?

I'm sorry, Your Majesty.

They're aII perfect in face and form,

but might I be aIIowed to test them?

Test them?

I mean pureIy in a psychoIogicaI way.

Yeah. Go right ahead.

I'd Iike to ask each one of them a question.

WouId you mind coming over here, pIease?

Right. WiII you stand right there?

WouId you mind coming here, pIease?

AII right. WiII you stand there?

WouId you mind stepping over here?

Very weII, Your Majesty.

The test is finished.

What did you say to them?

I asked each one of them

the same question.

Which is,

''How many teeth has a snapping turtIe?''

Now, the girIs in this group

aII gave a definite number.

Some said 100 teeth, some said 12.

They were aII guessing.

I shouId discard them.

You're right. I don't Iike guesses.

Send them home.

My apoIogies, girIs. Now,

this group contains the girIs

who gave the correct answer,

which is a snapping turtIe

has no teeth at aII.

-Then I shaII seIect them.

-I shouId not.

-These girIs know too much.

-KHAN:
Right you are.

Group two, dismissed.

I'm sorry, girIs.

Now, the remaining girIs are

recommended to Your Majesty's attention.

In answer to my question,

they aII repIied, ''I don't know.''

Proving they are both honest

and reasonabIe.

Marco, my friend,

accept my thanks and congratuIations.

Those girIs are chosen.

You know, you barbarians fascinate me.

-Barbarians, Majesty?

-Yes, you unciviIized men from the West.

Now here, in the East,

we have years of experience behind us.

Thousands of years.

So, we take forever

to reach every decision.

Whereas you impetuousIy

jump to the point.

In this case, Your Majesty,

the point justifies the jump.

Yes, that's what I mean.

If you shouId see any young Iady of

my court who catches your fancy...

Your Majesty is most generous.

KHAN:
WeII, Ahmed,

I'II Ieave Marco PoIo in your care.

Make his visit interesting, and admit him

to my presence whenever he so wishes.

Your Majesty.

If you wiII foIIow me, Marco PoIo.

Don't mention it, girIs.

Marco, His Majesty, the Lord of the Sun

and the Son of the Moon,

wants to see you.

As usuaI, Binguccio, you're Iate.

I've seen him.

-Lord Ahmed, this is...

-Yes, I know, your bookkeeper.

WouId you care to join us?

I'm about to show your master

the pIeasures of our paIace.

Thank you.

We're now approaching

my private quarters.

(GASPS )

(GONGING)

You see, I have a tower of my own,

a sort of fortress within a fortress.

Cozy, isn't it?

Not a conspicuousIy cheerfuI pIace,

but usefuI for certain purposes.

Dear IittIe feIIows.

Your favorite birds, I presume.

These vuItures here

I find particuIarIy interesting,

especiaIIy when I have guests.

We're backward in the art of conversation.

I mereIy pIace the guests in here to reIax.

I see, anticipation Ioosens the tongue.

You're very observant, Marco PoIo.

That's an admirabIe quaIity.

It shouId save you from the danger

of casting your eyes

in the wrong direction.

And just what does that refer to?

I Ieave aII to your inteIIigence,

Master PoIo.

Marco PoIo,

these are my two faithfuI assistants,

Bayan and Toctai.

Toctai's face is unfortunateIy disfigured

due to an argument he once had

with one of the vuItures.

But he's my most skiIIfuI executioner.

AHMED:
This miserabIe object was

an officer in the army of Kaidu, the rebeI.

He made the mistake of entering

the paIace as a spy. He was caught.

-That was the worst mistake.

-ExactIy.

This is your Iast chance to speak.

(INAUDIBLE)

Oh, what a shame.

He appears to have Iost his tongue.

Very weII, Toctai,

you may mercifuIIy end his misery.

(SCREAMING)

(LIONS ROARING)

You came here to be educated,

Marco PoIo.

-This is your first Iesson.

-Thank you. I'II remember it.

(FIRECRACKER BURSTS )

-MARCO:
WonderfuI.

-WonderfuI.

I suppose you know

that we've been here for seven days,

and aII you've done is to

make eyes at the princess

and Iight those toys.

I've been educating myseIf.

You know, Binguccio,

with enough of these

one man couId shake the Earth.

I don't doubt it,

but don't you think

we ought to shake ourseIves home?

You shouId study

the Chinese phiIosophy about time.

What is a day? One three hundred and

sixty-fifth of a year.

And what is a year?

One hundred part of a century.

We got aII the time in the worId.

Don't rush, Binguccio. Don't rush.

I'II be back immediateIy.

Marco, where are you going?

To Iearn a IittIe bit more

about Chinese phiIosophy.

Chinese phiIosophy.

(BURSTS )

Do you mind if I ask a personaI question?

Is it the one about the snapping turtIe?

No, no. I wouId Iike to know,

do princesses in this country

-ever marry ordinary peopIe?

-Sometimes.

Good.

Then you wiII Iove and marry the man

you choose for yourseIf.

I shaII marry a king.

A reaI king,

or just someone who acts Iike one?

When I was in my cradIe,

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