Chapter XXIII.

A LARGE ACCOUNT OF VARIOUS COUNTRIES, PROVINCES, CITIES, AND ISLANDS IN THE EAST INDIES.

This gulf seems like another world; and after one thousand and five hundred miles, sailing across this gulf, is the country Ziambar, rich and great, having a king and a language of their own, idolaters, and paying tribute to the Grand Khan of twenty elephants, and lignum aloes in great quantities yearly. A.D. 1268, the Khan hearing of the riches of this island, sent thither Sagatu with an army to invade it. Acambate, the king thereof, was old, and made his composition by paying the tribute, which has been mentioned. There are many woods of black ebony there, which are of infinite value. Sailing thence betwixt the south and south-east one thousand five hundred miles is Java, at present supposed by mariners the greatest island in the world, being above three thousand miles in circuit, under a king who payeth tribute to none, the Khan not offering to subject it, because of the length and danger of the voyage. The merchants of Zaitum and Mangi fetch thence abundance of gold and spices. South and south-westward six hundred miles from Java are two islands, one Sondur, which is the greater, the other Condur, less, both desolate.

Fifty miles south-east from them is a province, or firm land, very rich and great, named Lochae, the people idolaters, having a language of their own, as well as a king. There grows brazil wood in great plenty, much gold, elephants, wild beasts, and fowl, a fruit called Bercias, large as lemons, very good; the place is mountainous and savage, and the king permits not any one to come thither, lest they should know his country and attempt to conquer it. There are abundance of porcelain shells for money transported to other places. Five hundred miles southward from Lochae is the isle Pentan, a savage place, which produceth in all the woods sweet trees; sixty miles in the way the sea is in many places but four fathom, after which, sailing to the south-east thirty miles further, is the island and kingdom of Malaiur, which hath a peculiar king and language to itself, and here a great trade is carried on in spices from Pentan. One hundred miles south-east is Java the Less, in compass about two thousand miles, and hath in it eight kingdoms, and the people have many languages; they are idolaters, have abundance of treasure, spices, ebony, and brazil, and are so far to the south, that the north star cannot there be seen. Master Marco was in six of those kingdoms, of which he gives the following account, leaving the other two which he saw not.

One of these eight kingdoms is Felech, where the idolaters, by frequent trade with Saracens, are converted to the law of Mohammed. In the cities the mountaineers are very beastly, eating man’s flesh and all kinds of impure food, and worship all day what they first see in the morning; next to that is Basma, which hath a language by itself; they live without law like beasts, and sometimes send hawks to the Khan, who lays claim to all the island. For savage beasts they have wild elephants, and unicorns much less than elephants, like the buffalo in hair, their feet are like elephant’s feet, they have one horn in the midst of the forehead, and hurt none therewith, but with the tongue and knee; for on their tongue are certain long prickles, and sharp, and when they hurt any they trample on him, and press him down with their knees, and then tear him to pieces with their tongue. The head is like a wild boar’s, which he carries downwards to the ground. They love to stand in the mire, and are filthy beasts, and not such unicorns are said to be in our parts, which suffer themselves to be taken by maids, but quite contrary. They have many apes, and of several kinds; they have goshawks black as ravens, great and good for prey. There are certain small apes, in their faces like men, which they put in boxes, and preserve with spices, and sell them to merchants, who carry them through the world, showing them for pigmies, or little men.

Saniare is the next kingdom, where Master Marco stayed five months against his will, forced by ill weather. There none of the stars of Charles’s Wain are seen. He once went on shore with two thousand people, and there fortified for those five months, for fear of those brutish men-eaters, and traded meanwhile with them for victuals. They have excellent fish, wine of the date-tree, very wholesome for phthisis, dropsy, and diseases of the spleen; some white, some red, and Indian nuts as big as a man’s head, the middle whereof is full of a pleasant liquor better than wine; they eat of all sorts of flesh without any difference. Dragoian is another of these kingdoms claimed by the Khan, having a king and language of their own. I was told of an abominable custom, that when one is sick, they send to inquire of the sorcerers whether he shall escape? If the devils answer no, the kindred send for some whose office it is to strangle the sick party; after which they cut him in pieces, and the kindred eat him with great jollity, even to the marrow of the bones; for, say they, if any substance of him should remain, worms would breed thereof, which would want food, and so die, to the great torture of the soul of the deceased. The bones they afterwards take and carry into some caves in the hills, that no beast may touch them. If they take any stranger, they eat him in the same manner.

Lambrai is the fifth kingdom of Java, in which is great plenty of brazil, of the seeds whereof Master Marco brought to Venice, and sowed them, but in vain, the soil being too cold. They have unicorns in great abundance, and choice of beasts and fowls. Fanfur, the sixth kingdom, hath the best camphire, which is sold weight for weight with gold. In that province they make meal out of great and long trees, as thick as two men can fathom; whence, paring off the thin bark and wood about three fingers thick, the pith within is meal, which they put in water, and stir it very well, the lightest dross swimming, and the finest settling to the bottom, and then the water being cast away they make paste, of which Master Marco brought some to Venice, tasting not much unlike barley-bread. The wood of this tree thrown into the water sinks like iron, of which they make lancets, but short; for if long they would be too heavy to bear. These they sharpen, and burn at the tops, with which so prepared they will pierce through armour sooner than if they were made of iron. About one hundred and fifty miles from Lambrai, sailing northwards, are two islands, one called Nocueran, in which the inhabitants live like beasts, go all naked, both men and women. and worship idols, have excellent trees, cloves, sanders white and red, Indian nuts, brazil, and other spices; the other Angaman, savage as the former, and where I was told they had dogs’ heads and teeth.