There Are Many Other
Strange Things To Be Seen In This Country.
From thence I travelled into the lower India, which was overrun and laid
waste by the Tartars[1].
In this country the people subsist chiefly on
dates, forty-two pound weight of which may be purchased for less than a
Venetian groat. Travelling on for many days, I arrived at Ormus on the main
ocean, which is a well fortified city, having great store of merchandize
and treasure. The heat of this country is excessive, and constrains the
people to make use of extraordinary expedients to preserve their lives[2].
In this place, their ships or barks are called jase, the planks of which
are sewed together with hemp. Embarking in one of these vessels, in which I
could find no iron whatever, I arrived in twenty-eight days sail at
Thana[3], in which place four of our friars suffered martyrdom for the
Christian faith. This country is well situated for trade, and has abundance
of bread and wine, and of all other articles necessary for the food of man.
The kingdom in ancient times was very large and populous, and was under the
dominion of King Porus, who fought a great battle with Alexander the
Macedonian conqueror. The inhabitants are idolaters, worshipping the fire,
and likewise paying divine honours to serpents, and even to trees. The
Saracens have conquered the whole of this land, and are themselves under
subjection to king Daldili[4]. In this country there are great numbers of
black lions; apes and monkies are also very numerous, and their bats are as
large as our pigeons.
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