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.
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