Raisonne,
III. 664.) And there is a notable passage in Abdurrazzak which says
the seafaring population of Calicut were nicknamed Chini
bachagan, "China boys." (India in XVth Cent. p. 19.)
CHAPTER XXVI.
CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF GOZURAT.
Gozurat is a great kingdom. The people are Idolaters and have a peculiar
language, and a king of their own, and are tributary to no one. It lies
towards the west, and the North Star is here still more conspicuous,
showing itself at an altitude of about 6 cubits.[NOTE 1]
The people are the most desperate pirates in existence, and one of their
atrocious practices is this. When they have taken a merchant-vessel they
force the merchants to swallow a stuff called Tamarindi mixed in
sea-water, which produces a violent purging.[NOTE 2] This is done in case
the merchants, on seeing their danger, should have swallowed their most
valuable stones and pearls. And in this way the pirates secure the whole.
In this province of Gozurat there grows much pepper, and ginger, and
indigo. They have also a great deal of cotton. Their cotton trees are of
very great size, growing full six paces high, and attaining to an age of
20 years. It is to be observed however that, when the trees are so old as
that, the cotton is not good to spin, but only to quilt or stuff beds
withal.
