They
Sometimes Gather Them Before They Are Completely Ripe, And Dry Them
After Taking Out The Stones.
These are the best of all, and eat as if
they were candied.
They will not keep whole. In every valley where dates
grow, the king has a deputy during the harvest, who sees all gathered
and brought to an appointed place, no one daring to touch a date on pain
of death without order, or other severe punishment. After all are
gathered, the deputy divides the produce in three equal parts; one for
the king, one for the Arabs, and one for the cafrs; which are
distributed, but not alike to each.
Socotora has abundance of civet cats,[215] which are taken in traps in
the mountains by the cafrs, who sell them for twelve-pence each. Flesh
is dear in this island; a cow costing ten dollars, and one goat or two
sheep a dollar. Their cattle have good firm and fat beef, like those in
England. The goats are large, and have good flesh; and the sheep are
small with coarse wool. The goats and sheep are very abundant. They make
very good butter, but it is always soft like cream, and is sold for
four-pence or six-pence a pound. Goat's milk may be bought for
three-pence the quart. Plenty of hens may be had, at the rate of five
for a dollar, or about twelve-pence each. In the whole island there are
not above two or three small horses of the Arab breed, and a few camels.
At Delisha they take great quantities of lobsters and other good fish.
A few cotton plants are found growing on the strand; where likewise
there grows among the stones a shrubby plant, having large thick round
green leaves, as big as a shilling, with a fruit like capers, of which
it is a kind, called eschuc, and is eaten in sallads. Oranges are
scarce and dear. There is very fine sweet bazil. On the shore, many fine
shells are found, mixed with cuttle-fish bones, and vast quantities of
pearl-oyster shells, which the people say are driven thither by the
winds and waves, as no pearl-oysters are to be found here-about. The
people are very poor, and rank beggars, who buy what they are able and
beg all they can get, yet are honest and give civil usage. Their best
entertainment is a china dish of coho, a black bitterish drink, made
of a berry like that of the bay tree, which is brought from Mecca. This
drink is sipped hot, and is good for the head and stomach.[216]
[Footnote 215: The Civet, or Vierra Civetta of naturalists, is an animal
somewhat allied to the weazel; but the genus is peculiarly distinguished
by an orifice or folicle beneath the anus, containing an unctuous
odorant matter, highly fetid in most of the species; but in this and the
Zibet the produce is a rich perfume, much esteemed in the east.
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