If They See A Man With A Beard They Wonder At Him.
Both men and
women have their teeth black; for they say a dog has white teeth, and
therefore they have theirs black.
When the Peguers have a law-suit that
is difficult to determine, they place two long canes upright in the
water where it is very deep, and both parties go into the water beside
the poles, having men present to judge them; they both dive, and he who
remains longest under water gains his suit.
The 10th of January, I went from Pegu to Malacca, passing many of the
sea-ports of Pegu, as Martaban, the island of _Tavi_ whence all India is
supplied with tin, Tanaserim, the island of Junkselon, and many others.
I came on the 8th of February to Malacca, where the Portuguese have a
castle near the sea. The country without the town belongs to the Malays,
who are a proud kind of people, going naked with a cloth about their
waists, and a small roll of cloth round their heads. To this place come
many ships from China, the Moluccas, Banda, Timor, and many other
islands of the Javas, bringing great store of spices, drugs, diamonds,
and other precious stones. The voyages to many of these islands belong
to the captain of Malacca, so that no one can go there without his
licence, by which he draws large sums of money every year. The
Portuguese at Malacca are often at war with the king of Acheen in the
island of Sumatra; from whence comes great store of pepper and other
spices yearly to Pegu, Mecca, and other places.
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