According To Him, They Were Fitted Up
With Many Cabins, And Each Merchant Had His Own Cabin.
They had from two to
four masts, all or any of which could be lowered; the hold was divided not
merely for the purpose of keeping distinct each merchant's goods, but also
to prevent the water from a leak in one division extending to the rest of
the hold.
The bottoms of the vessels were double planked at first, and each
year a new sheathing was added; the ships lasted only six years. They were
caulked, as modern ships are; the timbers and planks fixed with iron nails,
and a composition of lime, oil, and hemp, spread over the surface. They
were capable of holding 5000 or 6000 bags of pepper, and from 150 to 300
seamen and passengers. They were supplied with oars as well as sails: four
men were allotted to each oar. Smaller vessels seem to have accompanied the
larger ones, which besides had boats on their decks.
When the power of the Romans was extinguished in Egypt, and the Mahomedans
had gained possession of that country, Aden, which had been destroyed by
the former in the reign of Claudius, resumed its rank as the centre of the
trade between India and the Red Sea. In this situation it was found by
Marco Polo. The ships which came from the East, did not pass the straits,
but landed their cargoes at Aden; here the _trankies_ of the Arabs,
which brought the produce of Europe, Syria, and Egypt, received them, and
conveyed them to Assab, Cosir, or Jidda:
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