And Cosmas tells us: "The
hippopotamus I have not seen indeed, but I had some great teeth of his
that weighed thirteen pounds, which I sold here (in Alexandria). And I
have seen many such teeth in Ethiopia and in Egypt." (See J.R.G.S.
XXIX. 444; Cathay, p. clxxv.)
[1] Bretschneider, On the knowledge possessed by the Ancient Chinese of
the Arabs, etc. London, 1871, p. 21.
[2] Mas'udi speaks of an island Kanbalu, well cultivated and populous,
one or two days from the Zinj coast, and the object of voyages from
Oman, from which it was about 500 parasangs distant. It was conquered
by the Arabs, who captured the whole Zinj population of the island,
about the beginning of the Abasside Dynasty (circa A.D. 750). Barbier
de Meynard thinks this may be Madagascar. I suspect it rather to be
Pemba, (See Prairies d'Or, I. 205, 232, and III. 31.)
[3] "De la grandeza de una bota d'anfora." The lowest estimate that I
find of the Venetian anfora makes it equal to about 108 imperial
gallons, a little less than the English butt. This seems intended. The
ancient amphora would be more reasonable, being only 5.66 gallons.
[4] The friend who noted this for me, omitted to name the Society.
[5] I got the indication of this poem, I think, in Bochart. But I have
since observed that its coincidences with Sindbad are briefly noticed
by Mr. Lane (ed. 1859, III. 78) from an article in the "Foreign
Quarterly Review."
[6] An intelligent writer, speaking of such effects on the same sea, says:
"The boats floating on a calm sea, at a distance from the ship, were
magnified to a great size; the crew standing up in them appeared as
masts or trees, and their arms in motion as the wings of windmills;
whilst the surrounding islands (especially at their low and tapered
extremities) seemed to be suspended in the air, some feet above the
ocean's level." (Bennett's Whaling Voyage, II. 71-72.)
[7] An epithet of the Garuda is Gajakurmasin,
"elephant-cum-tortoise-devourer," because said to have swallowed both
when engaged in a contest with each other.
[8] The name as pronounced seems to have been Zangibar (hard g), which
polite Arabic changed into Zanjibar, whence the Portuguese made
Zanzibar.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
CONCERNING THE ISLAND OF ZANGHIBAR. A WORD ON INDIA IN GENERAL.
Zanghibar is a great and noble Island, with a compass of some 2000
miles.[NOTE 1] The people are all Idolaters, and have a king and a
language of their own, and pay tribute to nobody. They are both tall and
stout, but not tall in proportion to their stoutness, for if they were,
being so stout and brawny, they would be absolutely like giants; and they
are so strong that they will carry for four men and eat for five.
They are all black, and go stark naked, with only a little covering for
decency. Their hair is as black as pepper, and so frizzly that even with
water you can scarcely straighten it. And their mouths are so large, their
noses so turned up, their lips so thick, their eyes so big and bloodshot,
that they look like very devils; they are in fact so hideously ugly that
the world has nothing to show more horrible.
Elephants are produced in this country in wonderful profusion. There are
also lions that are black and quite different from ours. And their sheep
and wethers are all exactly alike in colour; the body all white and the
head black; no other kind of sheep is found there, you may rest
assured.[NOTE 2] They have also many giraffes. This is a beautiful
creature, and I must give you a description of it. Its body is short and
somewhat sloped to the rear, for its hind legs are short whilst the
fore-legs and the neck are both very long, and thus its head stands about
three paces from the ground. The head is small, and the animal is not at
all mischievous. Its colour is all red and white in round spots, and it is
really a beautiful object.[NOTE 3]
**The women of this Island are the ugliest in the world, with their great
mouths and big eyes and thick noses; their breasts too are four times
bigger than those of any other women; a very disgusting sight.
The people live on rice and flesh and milk and dates; and they make wine
of dates and of rice and of good spices and sugar. There is a great deal
of trade, and many merchants and vessels go thither. But the staple trade
of the Island is in elephants' teeth, which are very abundant; and they
have also much ambergris, as whales are plentiful.[NOTE 4]
They have among them excellent and valiant warriors, and have little fear
of death. They have no horses, but fight mounted on camels and elephants.
On the latter they set wooden castles which carry from ten to sixteen
persons, armed with lances, swords, and stones, so that they fight to
great purpose from these castles. They wear no armour, but carry only a
shield of hide, besides their swords and lances, and so a marvellous
number of them fall in battle. When they are going to take an elephant
into battle they ply him well with their wine, so that he is made half
drunk. They do this because the drink makes him more fierce and bold, and
of more service in battle.[NOTE 5]
As there is no more to say on this subject I will go on to tell you about
the Great Province of ABASH, which constitutes the MIDDLE INDIA; - but I
must first say something about India in general.
You must understand that in speaking of the Indian Islands we have
described only the most noble provinces and kingdoms among them; for no
man on earth could give you a true account of the whole of the Islands of
India.