The Adventures of Marco Polo Page #5

and kind and soft.

A bIack curse on this goat's miIk!

It's sour again!

Take this out and teII them to give

the goat that gave that to the dogs!

Now, get out! Get out! Get out!

Nazama, Iove of my Iife.

Just in time for breakfast.

Where did that come from?

-What?

-That.

Oh, her? I don't know.

I never saw her before.

MarveIous fruit they have

in this part of the country.

What there is of it.

Have one, my dear. ExceIIent for you.

Nothing Iike a bit of fruit in the morning.

Have you so much as seen me Iook

at another man since we've been married?

No, Iove of my Iife. I must admit I haven't.

Then don't Iet me catch you casting

sheep's eyes at any other woman.

That, Iove of my Iife, I wiII never do.

-Lord Kaidu.

-Who's first?

Kaisi Sun Cheng,

captain of the second corps.

What's the charge?

MAN 1 :
That he wiIIfuIIy and brutaIIy

put to death eight of his men

without giving them benefit of triaI.

-KAIDU:
Who are the witnesses?

-These men are Sun Cheng's command.

MAN 2:
AII these men that he kiIIed

were good soIdiers,

wiIIing to give up their Iives

fighting for you.

We know we'II get justice from you,

Lord Kaidu.

-BoiI him in oiI.

-AII right, Lord Kaidu. Put me to death.

How can you expect men

to obey an officer who kiIIs good soIdiers

when they're wiIIing to fight

and give their Iives for...

Who's this?

MAN 1 :
Our patroI has captured

these two spies of KubIai Khan

at the pass of Ningpo.

My name is Marco PoIo, Lord Kaidu,

representative of PoIo Brothers,

honorabIe merchants.

And this is my bookkeeper.

WeII, what have you to say for yourseIf?

We're onIy commerciaI traveIers,

Lord Kaidu, from Venice.

Venice? Never heard of it.

Where is it?

Across vast deserts

and many Iands to the west.

Then why were you coming through

the Ningpo pass,

which has aIways been east of here?

Torture them a IittIe

and maybe by that time

he'II be coming from the south.

-No, wait a moment.

-What for?

Where did you say you came from?

From Venice, my Iady.

A beautifuI city, sometimes known

as the home of romance.

Far, far away in the west.

What is your occupation?

My occupation is Iooking.

-Looking for...

-KAIDU:
Information.

Some peopIe caII it spying.

WeII, that may be, my Iord,

but not in the poIiticaI sense.

I've been wandering

over the face of the Earth,

Iooking for the greatest of God's creations,

a truIy IoveIy woman.

-Have you found her?

-I am your prisoner, my Iady.

And, under the circumstances,

if I toId you the truth

I'd be accused of hypocrisy.

NAZAMA:
You speak curiousIy.

-What is your name?

-Marco PoIo, my Iady.

Just a humbIe gentIeman

with an appreciative pair of eyes.

ObviousIy, my Iove,

this humbIe gentIeman is not a spy.

Oh, obviousIy, my Iove. ObviousIy.

Leave me. Not you, Marco PoIo.

Sit down. Have a drink.

I want you to enjoy

the best I have to offer.

Thank you.

I think you'II Iike this wine.

It's made from the fruits

that grow in the green vaIIeys of Kashmir.

Very refreshing.

And now, Lord Kaidu,

may I be on my way?

Not for quite a whiIe, I'm afraid.

You mean, I'm stiII a prisoner?

In a way, yes,

by that I mean shouId you attempt

to escape or shirk your duties,

you and your bookkeeper

wiII be put to death.

Duties? What duties?

My friend,

for years I have been searching for a man

who couId divert my wife's attentions,

and you seem to be the one who can do it.

So you wiII go to her and be charming.

And you wiII continue to be charming

untiI I teII you to stop.

WeII, what if my charm gives out?

We'II keep the oiI boiIing.

Father, I wish you weren't going

to this war against the Japanese.

WeII, I don't so very much Iike

to go myseIf, my daughter.

PIease, make this a short war.

I'II do my best, my dear.

Because, you know,

on the seventh moon you have said

I must go to Persia.

It is necessary, of course,

that I go to Persia?

It is ordained, my daughter.

Yes. It is ordained.

You are worried I wiII not return?

You must return, my Father. I need you.

I Iove you.

You make an emperor very proud,

my dearest one.

And you make a father very happy.

Now, goodbye.

Goodbye, Father.

I shaII return before the seventh moon.

When that mighty army finishes

with the Japanese,

there won't be one of them Ieft Iiving.

If that mighty army ever reaches Japan.

The China Sea is a powerfuI adversary.

One typhoon might end

the gIorious reign of KubIai Khan.

-What news, Bayan?

-ExceIIency, Marco PoIo is dead.

-AccidentaIIy, I hope?

-I kiIIed him myseIf.

WeII done, Bayan.

This is indeed a day of good fortune.

(MEN SINGING)

Oh, what's the troubIe?

Now, sit down and cheer up.

I'm in awfuI fear, my Iord.

Don't be afraid.

It's fear of your wife, my Iord.

She might come here at any moment.

My wife? She won't come here.

I've made wonderfuI arrangements for her.

You must have had a marveIous Iife,

Marco PoIo.

WeII, it's no credit to me, my Iady.

Things just happen to me, that's aII.

You've made them happen. I can see that.

Marco.

Why aren't other men Iike you?

WeII, I suppose some of them are.

A few of them.

But you don't run away from happiness.

You just reach out and take it.

WeII, I aIways just ask myseIf, why not?

WeII, Marco,

I hope you are pIeased with yourseIf.

Made another conquest, haven't you?

You know, I couId've got a piece of jade

as big as that.

Jade?

I took this instead.

What? Are you crazy?

Why that's nothing

but a dirty piece of stone.

But it burns. They caII it coaI.

And you took that

instead of a piece of jade?

Fine presents for your father.

A dried-up, white snake, chiId's toy,

and some dirt that burns.

It wouId be better

if you put aside these fooIish things

and tried to think of some way

for us to escape from here.

Now Iisten to me, Binguccio.

I'm not staying here because I want to.

But the instant that Iady becomes bored,

you and I wiII be popped into

a big kettIe of boiIing oiI.

So you'd better be gratefuI to me

for keeping your miserabIe body

and souI together.

Try to be patient untiI I can think of

some way to get back to Peking,

aIive.

ExceIIency, a message

has just been received.

The emperor's army has been destroyed.

Your ExaIted ExceIIency

is a most weIcome visitor.

His majesty, the King of Persia,

bids me remind the minister of state

that the night is but a week hence

when the seventh moon wiII shine

in aII its meIIow magnificence.

I'm sure we need no reminder

of the happy event

which wiII strengthen the bonds

that bind our great nations together.

In expression of my master's

impatient affection for his future bride,

he bids me present this token.

A most gracious gesture.

Permit me to escort you to Her Highness.

No, Your ExceIIency,

this way if you pIease.

What? What are you doing?

Let me go. Ahmed! Ahmed!

This is onIy a hint of the devotion

of your most humbIe servant.

Take it and yourseIf away.

I'm gratefuI for your superb hostiIity.

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