The king of Kerman once sent an array of 5000 foot
and 1600 horse against the king of Ormus, to compel the payment of tribute,
when the whole army was stifled by that wind. The inhabitants of Ormus eat
no flesh, or bread made of corn; but live upon dates, salt fish, and
onions. The ships of this country are not very stout, as they do not fasten
them with iron nails, because the timber is too brittle, and would split in
driving these home; but they are fastened with wooden pins, and sewed with
twine made from the husks of certain Indian nuts, prepared in a peculiar
manner; this twine or thread is very strong, and is able to endure the
force and violence of the waters, and is not easily corrupted[12]. These
ships have only one mast, one beam or yard, and one deck, and are not payed
with pitch, but with the oil and fat of fishes; and when they cross the sea
to India, carrying horses or other cargoes, they lose many ships, because
they are not strengthened with iron. The people of this country are black,
and have embraced the religion of Mahomet. It is the custom of this
country, when the master of a family dies, that the widow shall mourn for
him publickly once every day, for four years; but there are women who
profess the practice of mourning, and are hired to mourn daily for the
dead.
In returning from Ormus to Kerman, you pass through a fertile plain, but
the bread made there cannot be eaten, except by those who are accustomed to
it, it is so exceedingly bitter, on account of the water with which it is
made. In this country there are excellent hot baths, which cure many
diseases.
[1] Now Tebriz in Corcan. - E.
[2] This must refer to Fars, or Persia proper; as Tebriz is in Persia. - E.
[3] Perhaps Iracagemi? - E.
[4] Perhaps Kerman? - E.
[5] Inexplicably corrupt. - E.
[6] Timochaim and Arboresecco are inexplicable, perhaps from corrupt
transcription. But Timochaim appears to nave been Mekran on the coast
of the Indian sea, and perhaps reached to the Indus, as observed in a
former note; and it may have included Sigistan. - E.
[7] Jasdi is almost certainly Yezd in Fars. Pinkerton considers Chiaman to
be Crerina, which is impossible, as that place is afterwards named:
Perhaps it may be the province named Timochaim, mentioned in the
immediately preceding note. - E.
[8] As the route may be considered as nearly in a straight line south from
Yesd, Crerina may possibly be the city of Kerrnan, and the cold
elevated plain, a table land between the top of the Ajuduk mountains
and a nameless range to the south, towards Gambroon or Ormus.
