The following most wonderful circumstance is to be observed in this country of Siampa. All the kinds of fishes which frequent those seas, swim towards the shore at certain times in such abundance, that nothing can be seen for a great way but the backs of fishes. The fish throw themselves upon the shore, and for the space of three days allow the people to take up as many of them as they please. At the end of these three days this shoal returns again to sea, and a different kind comes to the shore in the same manner, and remains for a similar period. And in the same way, all other kinds of fish in these seas come to the shore in succession, each kind by itself. This strange phenomenon happens once every year, and the natives pretend that the fishes are taught by nature to do this, in token of homage to their emperor. I saw many other strange things in this country, which would be incredible to any one who had not seen them; and among these, I may mention that they have tortoises as large as ovens. In this country, the bodies of their dead are burned, and the living wives are burned along with their dead husbands, as has been already mentioned when describing the customs of the city of Polumbrum; and they are believed by this means to accompany their husbands into the other world.
Travelling from this country to the southward, along the coast of the ocean, I passed through many countries and islands, one of which is called Moumoran565, and is 2000 miles in circumference. The people of this country, both men and women, go naked, except a small cloth before the middle of their bodies. They have dogs faces, and worship an ox as their god, and all of them wear the image of an ox in gold or silver on their foreheads. The men are very tall and strong, and when they go to battle, they carry targets of iron or steel, large enough to cover and protect their whole bodies. All the prisoners whom they take in war, unless they can ransom themselves with money, are eaten; but those who are able to pay ransom are set free. The king of this country wears a string of 300 large and fair pearls about his neck, which he employs as a rosary for counting his prayers; and says every day as many prayers to his god. He wears also on his finger a marvellously large and brilliant stone, of a span long, which resembles a flame of fire, so that no one dare approach him, and it is said to be the most valuable precious stone in all the world. The great Tartar emperor of Cathay, hath often used every endeavour to procure this wonderful jewel, but has never been able to prevail, either by force, policy, or money.
From thence I passed another island named Sylan, or Ceylon, which is 2000 miles in circuit, in which there are infinite multitudes of serpents, great numbers of lions, bears, and all kinds of ravenous beasts, and a great many of elephants. In this island there is a great mountain, on which the inhabitants pretend that Adam mourned for the death of his son Abel, during 500 years. On the top of this mountain there is a most beautiful plain, in which is a small lake always full of water, which the inhabitants allege to have proceeded from the tears of Adam and Eve; but this I proved to be false, as I saw the water to flow out of the lake. This lake is full of horse-leeches, and numbers of precious stones are to be found on its bottom, which the king of the island, instead of appropriating to his own use, allows certain poor people to dive for once or twice a-year, for their own profit, that they may pray for blessings upon his soul. On this occasion they smear their bodies with lemon juice, which prevents the leeches from hurting them while they are in the water. The water from this lake runs into the sea, at which place the inhabitants dig on the shore, at low water, for rubies, diamonds, pearls, and other precious stones, which are found in such abundance, that the king of this island is believed to possess more precious stones than any other monarch in the world. There are wild beasts and birds of all kinds in this island in great numbers; and I was informed by the natives, that these beasts never attack or do harm to strangers, but only kill the indigenous inhabitants. I saw in this island certain birds, as large as our geese, having two heads, and other wonderful things I do not here write of.
Still farther to the south, I came to a certain island, called Bodin566, which name signifies unclean; and this island is inhabited by a most wicked people, who devour raw flesh, and commit all manner of wickedness and abominable uncleanness to an incredible extent; insomuch, that they kill and eat each other, the father eating his son, the son his father, the husband his wife, and the wife her husband. If any man be sick, the son goes to the soothsayer, or prognosticating priest, requesting him to inquire of his god, whether or not his father is to recover. Then both go to an idol of gold or silver, which they thus address: "We adore thee as our lord and god, and we beseech thee to inform us, whether such a man is to die or to recover from his present infirmity." Then the devil returns an answer from the idol, and if he says the man is to recover, the son returns to the house of his father, and ministers to him in all things necessary, until he regain his former health; but if the response is that the man is to die, the priest then goes to him, and putting a cloth into his mouth, immediately strangles him. After this the dead body is cut in pieces, and all the friends and relations are invited to feast upon this horrible banquet, which is accompanied with music and all manner of mirth; but the bones are solemnly buried. On my blaming this abominable practice, they alleged, as its reason and excuse, that it was done to prevent the worms from devouring the flesh, which would occasion great torments to his soul; and all I could say was quite insufficient to convince them of their error. There are many other novel and strange things in this country, to which no one would give credit, who had not seen them with his own eyes; yet, I declare before God, that I assert nothing of which I am not as sure as a man may be of any thing. I have been informed by several credible persons, that this India contains 4400 islands, most of which are well inhabited, among which there are sixty-four crowned kings.
After sailing for many days on the ocean towards the east, I arrived at the great province of Mancy, or Mangi, which is called India by the Latins; and I was informed by Christians, Saracens, and idolaters, and by many persons in office under the great khan, that this country contains more than 2000 great cities, and that it abounds in all manner of provisions, as bread, wine, rice, flesh, and fish. All the men of this country are artificers or merchants, and so long as they are able to help themselves by the labour of their hands, they never think to beg alms, however great may be their poverty. The men of this country are fair and of a comely appearance, yet somewhat pale, having a small part of their heads shaven; but their women are the most beautiful of any under the sun. The first city that I came to belonging to this country is called Ceuskalon568, which is a days journey from the sea, standing on a river, which at its mouth overflows the land, to the extent of twelve days journey. This city has so prodigious a number of ships and vessels, as would be quite incredible by any person who had not been an eye-witness. In this city I saw 300 pounds of good and new ginger sold for less than a groat. They have the largest and finest geese, and the greatest plenty of them is to be sold, more than in any other part of the world. They are as white as milk, having a bone the size of an egg on the crown of the head, of a blood-red colour, and a skin or bag under their throat, which hangs down half a foot or more569. These birds are exceedingly fat, and are sold at reasonable rates. The ducks and hens of this country are twice the size of ours. There are likewise large and monstrous serpents, which are caught and eaten by the natives, and are held in such estimation as to be produced at all their feasts. In short, this city abounds in all kind of provisions.
565
It is impossible even to conjecture what island is here meant; but as Ceylon follows next in succession, it may possibly refer to Sumatra, though that island appears to have been mentioned already, under the name of Symolora –E.
568
This place, which on the margin is corrected by the equally unknown name of Ceuskala, was probably Canton; but having endeavoured to explain the distorted names of places in China, in the travels of Marco Polo, it is unnecessary to resume the almost impossible task in these much less interesting, and perhaps fabricated travels of Oderic. –E.