The Manner Of Life Of These People Is
Singular, As They Have No King, Governor, Prelate, Or Other Person In
Authority, But Live In A Manner Like Wild Beasts, Without Any Rule, Or
Order Of Justice Or Policy[266].
[Footnote 264:
Don Juan omits all mention of the island of Abdal
Kuria, about nine leagues E.S.E. of Socotora, with two intersposed
small islands, called Las Duas Hermanas or the Two Sisters. - E.]
[Footnote 265: Probably meaning no images or Christian idols. - E.]
[Footnote 266: Since then they have been subdued by the Arabs. - Astl.]
In the whole island there is no city or great town, and most of the
people dwell in caves, though some have small thatched cottages,
separated from each other, more savage than pastoral. Their food is
flesh and wild dates, and their drink chiefly milk, as they taste water
but seldom. They are much devoted to the cross, and you will hardly meet
a single individual without one hanging from the neck. Their
dispositions are good; their persons tall and straight, their faces
comely but swarthy, the women being somewhat fairer, and of very honest
behaviour. They have no arms either of defence or offence, except very
short swords of dead iron. The men go entirely naked, except a clout of
a certain cloth called Cambolis, a considerable quantity of which is
manufactured in the island. The country is very poor, and produces no
other merchandise than verdigris[267] and sanguis draconis; but the
verdigris is in great abundance, and is esteemed above all. All the
island is mountainous, and breeds abundance of all kinds of cattle like
those of Europe. There is no wheat or rice or other provisions of that
kind, which I believe is not the fault of the ground, but owing to want
of skill and industry in the people; as the land within the external
mountains is fresh, and hath many vallies and plains, very convenient
for culture. They have no manner of navigation, neither do they catch
any fish, though the sea around their coast has an infinite quantity.
They have very few fruit trees, among which the palm tree is chiefly
esteemed, and produces a principal part of their food. The land produces
all kind of garden and medicinal plants, and the mountains are covered
with the herb Basil and other odoriferous herbs.
[Footnote 267: By verdigris is probably meant the Socotorine
aloes. - Purch.]
Leaving Socotora, we were very near Aden in the morning of the 27th of
January 1541, which was to the north-west, distant from us about 6
leagues. The wind being from the east and fair, we sailed W.S.W. and
then knew that the land we had seen the evening before, thinking it an
island, was the mountain of Aden. This mountain is very high and is full
of crags on every side, with some very high peaks, like the hill of
Cintra, having a noble appearance. This hill descends to the sea, into
which it projects a very great and long cape or promontory; on each side
of which there is a deep harbour or bay, the strong city of Aden being
situated on that which is to the east of the cape.
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