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.
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