But This Course
Appearing Dangerous, They Steered Up The River Humbepadam By The
Advice Of Similau, Passing To The East
Of the mountain Fangus, and
came thirteen days afterwards to the bay of Buxipalem in the latitude
of 30 deg.
, Which produces fish, serpents, and crocodiles of wonderous size,
and many sea-horses. Farther on they came to the bay of Calinclam,
surrounded with high mountains, whence four great rivers fall into the
sea. They next sailed under the great mountain Botinasora, abounding
in lions, rhinoceroses, tigers, ounces, and other wild beasts, and then
past Gangitanu, inhabited by the Gigahui, a wild gigantic people,
some ten and some eleven spans high, of whom they saw fourteen of
both sexes. They have good complexions, being white and red, but very
ill-favoured features. Antonio gave them some procelain dishes and silk,
for which they seemed thankful, and brought some cows and deer in
return, but their language could not be understood.
At length they arrived in the bay of Nanking, and six days afterwards
to the great city of Pamor, whose bay was almost hid under three
thousand vessels. Fearing danger here they stood off and came to
Tanquilem, where Similau and 36 Chinese seamen ran away for fear;
because Antonio, weary of the voyage, and finding that Similau could
give no good account of where they were, threatened to kill him. Similau
was not indeed ignorant, but he was so terrified by the ill usage of the
Portuguese that he knew not what he said, and they were afraid that
either he knew not the coast or meant to betray them.
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