ABSTRACT

When the ambassadors arrived in the city of Khoi, 1 they found in it an ambassador, whom the Sultan of Babylon had sent to Timour Beg; who had with him as many as twenty horses and fifteen camels, laden with presents, which the Sultan of Babylon 2 sent to Timour Beg. He also had six rare birds, and a beast called jornufa, 3 which creature is made with a body as large as that of a horse, a very long neck, and the fore legs much longer than the hind ones. Its hoofs are like those of a bullock. From the nail of the hoof to the shoulders it measured sixteen palmos; and when it wished to stretch its head, it raised it so high that it was wonderful; and its neck was slender, like that of a stag. The hind legs were so short, in comparison with the fore legs, that a man who had never seen it before, might well believe that it was seated, although it was standing up; and the buttocks were worn, like those of a buffalo. The belly 87was white, and the body was of a golden colour, surrounded by large white rings. The face was like that of a stag, and on the forehead it had a high sharp projection, the eyes were large and round, and the ears like those of a horse. Near the ears it had two small round horns, covered with hair, which looked like those of a very young stag. The neck was long, and could be raised so high, that it could reach up to eat from the top of a very high wall; and it could reach up to eat the leaves from the top of a very lofty tree, which it did plenteously.