Organa must have been either Jerun or Larek; Angan
(Hanjam of Mas'udi) is out of the question. And as a straight run
must have passed quite close to Jerun, not to Larek, I find the former
most probable. Nearchus next day proceeds 200 stadia along Oaracta,
and anchors in sight of another island (Neptune's) which was separated
by 40 stadia from Oaracta. This was Angan; no other island answers,
and for this the distances answer with singular precision.
[3] Moore refers to Persian Tales.
[4] This tison can be seen in the cuts from the tomb of St. Peter Martyr
and the seal of Winchelsea.
[5] Spere, bundles of spars, etc., dragged overboard.
CHAPTER XX.
OF THE WEARISOME AND DESERT ROAD THAT HAS NOW TO BE TRAVELLED.
On departing from the city of Kerman you find the road for seven days most
wearisome; and I will tell you how this is.[NOTE 1] The first three days
you meet with no water, or next to none. And what little you do meet with
is bitter green stuff, so salt that no one can drink it; and in fact if
you drink a drop of it, it will set you purging ten times at least by the
way. It is the same with the salt which is made from those streams; no one
dares to make use of it, because of the excessive purging which it
occasions. Hence it is necessary to carry water for the people to last
these three days; as for the cattle, they must needs drink of the bad
water I have mentioned, as there is no help for it, and their great thirst
makes them do so. But it scours them to such a degree that sometimes they
die of it. In all those three days you meet with no human habitation; it
is all desert, and the extremity of drought. Even of wild beasts there are
none, for there is nothing for them to eat.[NOTE 2]
After those three days of desert [you arrive at a stream of fresh water
running underground, but along which there are holes broken in here and
there, perhaps undermined by the stream, at which you can get sight of it.
It has an abundant supply, and travellers, worn with the hardships of the
desert, here rest and refresh themselves and their beasts.][NOTE 3]
You then enter another desert which extends for four days; it is very much
like the former except that you do see some wild asses. And at the
termination of these four days of desert the kingdom of Kerman comes to an
end, and you find another city which is called Cobinan.
NOTE 1. ["The present road from Kerman to Kubenan is to Zerend about 50
miles, to the Sar i Benan 15 miles, thence to Kubenan 30 miles - total 95
miles.
