The Cloves When Ripe Are Black, Or Dusky, And Very Brittle.
The
country likewise produces ginger and cinnamon in great plenty, and several
other spices which are not brought to Europe.
It has no wine, but in place
of it, the inhabitants make a most excellent drink of corn or rice,
flavoured with various spices.
The inhabitants of this country are so besotted to their idols, that they
fancy they secure their favour by prostituting their wives, sisters, and
daughters to strangers. When any stranger comes among them, all the masters
of families strive to procure him as a guest, after which, they leave the
stranger to be entertained by the females of the family, and will not
return to their own house till after his departure; and all this is done in
honour of their idols, thinking that they secure their favour by this
strange procedure. The principal money in this country is gold, unstamped,
and issued by weight. But their ordinary money consists in solid small
loaves of salt, marked with the seal of the prince; and of this merchants
make vast profits in remote places, which have abundance of gold and musk,
which the inhabitants are eager to barter for salt, to use with their meat.
Leaving this province, we proceeded fifteen days journey farther, passing
through many cities and villages, the inhabitants of which have the same
customs with those of Caindu; and at length we came to a river called
Brius, which is the boundary of the province of Caindu. In this river
gold dust is found in great abundance, by washing the sand of the river in
vessels, to cleanse the gold from earth and sand. On the banks of this
river, which runs direct to the ocean, cinnamon grows in great plenty.
Having passed the river Brius, we come westwards to the province of
Caraian, which contains seven kingdoms, and is under the command of
Sentamur, as viceroy for his father the great khan. This prince is young,
rich, wise, and just. The country produces excellent horses, is well
peopled and has a peculiar and very difficult language; the inhabitants are
idolaters, who live on their cattle and the produce of the earth. After
proceeding five days journey through this country, we came to the great and
famous city of Jaci[2]. In this large city there are many merchants and
manufacturers, and many different kinds of people, idolaters, Christians,
Nestorians, and Mahometans; but the great majority are idolaters. It has
abundance of corn and rice, but the inhabitants only use bread made from
rice, as they esteem it more wholesome; they make a drink also from rice,
mixed with several kinds of spices, which is very pleasant. They use white
porcelain instead of money, and certain sea shells for ornaments[3]. Much
salt is made in this country from the water of salt wells, from which the
viceroy derives great profit. There is a lake in this country 100 miles in
circuit, which has great quantities of fish.
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