At The End Of Each Foot-Stalk Is A Leaf
About The Size Of A Great Cabbage-Leaf, Snipt Half Round Like A
Sword-Grass.
From the tops of this plant, among the leaves, there spring
out many woody branches, as thick set with fruit as they can stand,
sometimes forty of them clustering together on one branch.
These are
about the size of a great katharine pear; at the first greenish, and
shaped almost like a sheep's bell, with a smooth rind flat at top;
within which rind is a hard substance almost like a cocoa-nut shell, and
within that is a white round hollow kernel of a gristly consistence, yet
eatable, and in the central hollow about a spoonful of cool sweet
liquor, like cocoa-nut milk. There is another tree, as big as a
pear-tree, thick set with boughs and leaves resembling those of the bay,
bearing a large globular fruit like a great foot-ball, hanging by a
strong stalk; The rind is divided by seams into four quarters, and being
cut green, yields a clammy substance like turpentine. The rind is very
thick, consisting of divers, layers of a brown substance like agaric,
but harder, and contains thirteen cells, in each of which is contained a
large kernel of a dirty white colour, hard, bitter, and ill tasted.
In Socotora[213] the natives of Guzerat and the English build themselves
slight stone-houses, with pieces of wood laid across and covered with
reeds and branches of the date palm, merely to keep out the sun, as they
fear no rain during the season of residing here. The stones are easily
procured for this purpose, as the whole island seems almost nothing but
stones; yet about the head of the river, and a mile farther inland,
there is a pleasant valley replenished with date trees. On the east side
of this vale is a small town called Dibnee, very little inhabited
except in the date harvest. In the months of June and July the wind
blows in this valley with astonishing violence; yet only a short
gun-shot off towards the town of Delisha, over against the road where
the ships ride, there is hardly there a breath of wind. About 100 years
ago [1500] this island was conquered by the King of Caixem, or
Cushem, as the Arabs pronounce it, a sovereign of no great force, as
his army does not exceed two or three thousand soldiers. Besides
Socotora, this king has likewise the two Irmanas and Abba del Curia.
The Irmanas, or Two Brethren, are small uninhabited stony and barren
isles, having nothing but turtles. Abba del Curia is large, having
great abundance of goats, and some fresh water, but not above three or
four inhabitants, as we were told. Amer Benzaid, son to the King of
Kissem, resides at Socotora, which he rules under his father. He trades
to the Comora islands and to Melinda, for which he has two good
frigates,[214] in which rice and mello [millet] are brought from the
main, being their chief food.
[Footnote 213: In his abbreviation of Finch's observations Purchas has
not clearly distinguished where those respecting Madagascar end, and
those made at Socotora begin. - E.]
[Footnote 214: It has been formerly noticed, that, frigates, in these
early navigators, were only small barks, in opposition to tall ships,
galleons, and caraks: These frigates, and those frequently mentioned as
belonging to the Portuguese and Moors in India at this time, could only
be grabs, or open sewed vessels, already frequently mentioned in the
course of this collection. - E.]
All the Arabs in this island are soldiers, being in a manner slaves to
the snakee or prince, whom they attend and obey all his commands, some
few of them having fire-arms. Every one of them wears a crooked dagger
at his left side, like a wood-cutter's knife, without which they must
not be seen abroad. They have also thin broad targets, painted. The
dagger-handles and sheaths of the better sort are ornamented with
silver, and those of the ordinary people with copper or red latten.
These Arabs are tawny, industrious, and civil, of good stature, and
well-proportioned in their limbs, having their hair long, and covered
with turbans like the Turks, and a cloth round their waist hanging to
their knees; having seldom any other apparel, except sometimes sandals
on their feet fastened with thongs. They either carry their sword naked
on their shoulder, or hanging at their side in a sheath. They are fond
of tobacco, yet are unwilling to give any thing for it. Some of them
wear a cloth of painted calico, or some other kind, over their
shoulders, after the fashion of an Irish mantle or plaid; while others
have shirts and surplices, or wide gowns, of white calico, and a few
have linen breeches like the Guzerats. Some of their women are tolerably
fair and handsome, like our sun-burnt country girls in England; and they
are all dressed in long wide smocks down to the ground, made of red,
blue, or black calico, having a cloth over their heads, with which they
usually hide their faces, being very dainty to let themselves be seen,
yet are scarcely honest. Though the men be very poor, and have, hardly
enough to serve their needs, yet their women, of whom some men have
four, five, or six, are much laden with silver ornaments, and some with
gold. I have seen one, not of the best, who had in each ear at least a
dozen great silver rings, almost like curtain rings, with as many of a
smaller kind; two carkanets or chains of silver about her neck, and
one of gold bosses; ten or twelve silver manillias or bracelets on
each arm, each as thick as a little-finger, but hollow; almost every
finger covered with rings, and the small of her legs covered with silver
rings like horse-fetters.
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