The People Are
Idolaters; They Have A Language Of Their Own, And A King Of Their Own, And
Pay Tribute To Nobody.[NOTE 1]
In this country you see more of the North Star, for it shows two cubits
above the water.
And you must know that from this kingdom of Melibar, and
from another near it called Gozurat, there go forth every year more than a
hundred corsair vessels on cruize. These pirates take with them their
wives and children, and stay out the whole summer. Their method is to join
in fleets of 20 or 30 of these pirate vessels together, and then they form
what they call a sea cordon,[NOTE 2] that is, they drop off till there is
an interval of 5 or 6 miles between ship and ship, so that they cover
something like an hundred miles of sea, and no merchant ship can escape
them. For when any one corsair sights a vessel a signal is made by fire or
smoke, and then the whole of them make for this, and seize the merchants
and plunder them. After they have plundered them they let them go, saying:
"Go along with you and get more gain, and that mayhap will fall to us
also!" But now the merchants are aware of this, and go so well manned and
armed, and with such great ships, that they don't fear the corsairs. Still
mishaps do befall them at times.[NOTE 3]
There is in this kingdom a great quantity of pepper, and ginger, and
cinnamon, and turbit, and of nuts of India.[NOTE 4] They also manufacture
very delicate and beautiful buckrams.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 748 of 1350
Words from 201322 to 201597
of 370046
