The Travels of Marco Polo, page 51
No finer fish for the table can be met with in any part of the world than are found here. There is no wheat produced, but the people live upon rice. Wine is not made; but from a species of tree resembling the date-bearing palm they procure an excellent beverage in the following manner. They cut off a branch, and put over the place a vessel to receive the juice as it distils from the wound, which is filled in the course of a day and a night.5 So wholesome are the qualities of this liquor, that it affords relief in dropsical complaints, as well as in those of the lungs and of the spleen.6 When these shoots that have been cut are perceived not to yield any more juice, they contrive to water the trees, by bringing from the river, in pipes or channels, so much water as is sufficient for the purpose; and upon this being done, the juice runs again as it did at first.7 Some trees naturally yield it of a reddish, and others of a pale colour. The Indian nuts also grow here, of the size of a man's head, containing an edible substance that is sweet and pleasant to the taste, and white as milk. The cavity of this pulp is filled with a liquor clear as water, cool, and better flavoured and more delicate than wine or any other kind of drink whatever.8 The inhabitants feed upon flesh of every sort, good or bad, without distinction.
1 The place that appears to answer best to Samara is Sama-langa, situated between Pedir and Pasé, on the same northern coast, and described in the writings of the Malays as having the advantage of a well-sheltered anchorage or roadstead.
2 If the expedition which our author accompanied left China about the beginning of the year 1291 (as inferred in note1, page 21), and was threee months on its passage to Java. Minor or Sumatra as stated by himself in the first chapter of the work, p. 21), it would have met the south-west monsoon at the western opening of the straits of Malacca, about the month of May in that year; and having found it necessary, in consequence, to anchor in one of the bays on the northern coast of that island, they might have been detained there till the change of the monsoon, in the month of October following, when, with the return of the north-east wind, they might expect fair and settled weather.
3 When our author tells us that, at a place distant only about five degrees from the equator, the polar-star was not to be seen, the fact will be readily admitted; but the further assertion, that the stars of the Wain or Great Bear were also invisible, cannot be otherwise accounted for than by imputing to him the mistaken idea that, because the body of the constellation was not above the horizon in the nighttime, during the greater part of his stay on the island, it was not to be seen at any other season.
4 It is mentioned that, in the year 1522, the Portuguese garrison of a fort built at Paçem (Pasé), in the vicinity of the place here spoken of, was distressed from the "want of provisions, which the country people withheld from them, discontinuing the fairs that they were used to keep three times a week."—Hist of Sum. 3d ed. p. 419.
5 "This palm, named in Sumatra anau, and by the eastern Malays gomuto, is the borassus gomutus of Loreiro, and the saguerus pinnatus of the Batavian Transactions…In order to procure the nira, or toddy (held in higher estimation than that from the coco-nut-tree), one of the shoots for fructification is cut off a few inches from the stem; the remaining part is tied up and beaten, and an incision is then made from which the liquor distils into a vessel or bamboo, closely fastened beneath. This is replaced every twenty-four hours."—Hist. of Sum p. 88.
6 The sanative qualities of this liquor, like those of many other specifics, are probably imaginary; but our author could speak only of the popular belief as to its virtues. Indulgence in the use of it is generally thought to produce dysentery.
7 It is natural to suppose that watering the trees during the dry season would have the effect of increasing the quantity of sap, and consequently of the juice or liquor distilled.
8 This description of the coco-nut (cocos nucifera) is well known, even to those who have only seen the fruit as brought to Europe, to be perfectly just; but the grateful refreshment afforded by its liquor when drunk from the young nut, whilst the outer husk is green and the kernel still gelatinous, can only be judged of by those who have travelled, under a fervid sun, in those countries where it is produced.
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Chapter XIV
Of the Fourth Kingdom, named Dragoian.
DRAGOIAN is a kingdom governed by its own prince, and having its peculiar language.1 Its inhabitants are uncivilized, worship idols, and acknowledge the authority of the grand khan. They observe this horrible custom, in cases where any member of the family is afflicted with a disease:—The relations of the sick person send for the magicians, whom they require, upon examination of the symptoms, to declare whether he will recover or not. These, according to the opinion suggested to them by the evil spirit, reply, either that he will recover or the contrary. If the decision be that he cannot, the relations then call in certain men, whose peculiar duty it is, and who perform their business with dexterity, to close the mouth of the patient until he be suffocated. This being done, they cut the body in pieces, in order to prepare it as victuals; and when it has been so dressed, the relations assemble, and in a convivial manner eat the whole of it, not leaving so much as the marrow in the bones. Should any particle of the body be suffered to remain, it would breed vermin, as they observe; these vermin, for want of further sustenance, would perish, and their death would prove the occasion of grievous punishment to the soul of the deceased. They afterwards proceed to collect the bones, and having deposited them in a small, neat box, carry them to some cavern in the mountains, where they may be safe against the disturbance of wild animals. If they have it in their power to seize any person who does not belong to their own district, and who cannot pay for his ransom, they put him to death, and devour him.
1 Dragoian, which is the same in the Basle and older Latin editions—in the manuscripts Dagoyam, and in the Italian epitomes Deragola—is supposed, by Valentyn and other Dutch writers, to be intended for Indragiri, or, as it is more commonly written, Andragiri, a considerable river on the eastern side of the island; which, although far to the southward, and consequently distant from the place where the fleet anchored, might have been visited by our adventurous traveller during his five months' detention.
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Chapter XV
Of the Fifth Kingdom, named Lambri.
LAMBRI, in like manner, has its own king and its peculiar language:1 the people also worship idols, and call themselves vassals of the grand khan. The country produces verzino (brezil or sappan wood) in great abundance,2 and also camphor, with a variety of other drugs.3 They sow a vegetable which resembles the sappan, and when it springs up and begins to throw out shoots, they transplant it to another spot, where it is suffered to remain for three years. It is then taken up by the roots, and used as a dye-stuff.4 Marco Polo brought some of the seeds of this plant with him to Venice, and sowed them there; but the climate not being sufficiently warm, none of them came up. In this kingdom are found men with tails, a span in length, like those of the dog, but not covered with hair. The greater number of them are formed in this manner, but they dwell in the mountains, and do not inhabit towns.5 The rhinoceros is a common inhabitant of the woods, and there is abundance of all sorts of game, both beasts and birds.
1 The name of Lambri appears without any variation in the several editions, excepting that at one place, where it recurs in the early Latin, it is printed Jambri. If the last-mentioned district was Indragiri, this would seem to be Jambi, another large river, lying still more to the southward. In the German (Nürnberg) ed. of 1477, this kingdom or district is named Jambu, which approaches nearly to the name of Jambi.
2 This is the cæsalpinia sappan of Lin., well known as a dye-stuff by the name of Brezil wood, which it is generally supposed to have acquired from the country so called; but the reverse appears to be the fact. The words verzino in Italian and barcino in Spanish, of which berzin and berzil are corruptions, existed long before the discovery of the New World, and the name was given to that part of South America in consequence of its abounding with the tree which yields this useful dye.
3 Our author might have seen camphor at the town of Jambi, but it must have been carried thither, for sale, from the inland country lying far to the north-west of it, as the tree does not grow anywhere to the south of the Line.
4 What is here said of a second kind of dye-stuff, distinct from the verzino, is in the Latin editions confounded with it, and to both the name of berci is applied, which is evidently connected with berzin and barcino. Excepting the Indigo plant (indigofera tinctoria), I do not know of any vegetable used for dying, of which the leaves, stalk, and root are indiscriminately employed. The same plant is more particularly described in chap. xx. of this Book, by the name of endigo.
5 The notion of the mountaineers with tails seems to have its origin in the name of orang utan, or "wild men," given to certain apes that more particularly resemble the human species.
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Chapter XVI
Of the Sixth Kingdom, named Fanfur, where Meal is procured from a certain Tree.
FANFUR is a kingdom of the same island,1 governed by its own prince, where the people likewise worship idols, and profess obedience to the grand khan. In this part of the country a species of camphor, much superior in quality to any other, is produced. It is named the camphor of Fanfur, and is sold for its weight in gold.2 There is not any wheat nor other corn, but the food of the inhabitants is rice, with milk, and the wine extracted from trees in the manner that has been described in the chapter respecting Samara. They have also a tree from which, by a singular process, they obtain a kind of meal.3 The stem is lofty, and as thick as can be grasped by two men. When from this the outer bark is stripped, the ligneous substance is found to be about three inches in thickness, and the central part is filled with pith, which yields a meal or flour, resembling that procured from the acorn4 The pith is put into vessels filled with water, and is stirred about with a stick, in order that the fibres and other impurities may rise to the top, and the pure farinaceous part subside to the bottom. When this has been done, the water is poured off, and the flour which remains, divested of all extraneous matter, is applied to use, by making it into cakes and various kinds of pastry.5 Of this, which resembles barley bread in appearance and taste, Marco Polo has frequently eaten, and some of it he brought home with him to Venice.6 The wood of the tree, in thickness about three inches (as has been mentioned), may be compared to iron in this respect, that when thrown into water it immediately sinks. It admits of being split in an even direction from one end to the other, like the bamboo cane. Of this the natives make short lances: were they to be of any considerable length, their weight would render it impossible to carry or to use them. They are sharpened at one end, and rendered so hard by fire that they are capable of penetrating any sort of armour, and in many respects are preferable to iron.7 What we have said on the subject of this kingdom (one of the divisions of the island) is sufficient. Of the other kingdoms composing the remaining part we shall not speak, because Marco Polo did not visit them. Proceeding further, we shall next describe a small island named Nocueran.
1 Fanfur has been supposed to mean the island of Panchor, separated from the eastern coast of Sumatra by a narrow strait; but although not warranted by analogy of sound, I incline to think it intended for Kampar (which the Arabian pilots would pronounce Kanfar) on a river opening into the same strait, which, at the period when Pasé flourished, was likewise a place of some consequence, and is frequently mentioned by J. de Barros and other early writers.
2 The superiority of the native camphor, in the opinion of the Chinese (who are the principal purchasers), over that prepared in their own country and in Japan, has already been noticed. Its price, in modern times, although by no means equal to its weight in gold, is more than double its weight in silver. According to a price-current of goods at Batavia, for the year 1814, the finest sort of Camphor-barus is stated at 50 rupees, or 6l. 5s. per lb., whilst in the market the China or Japan camphor is less than one rupee, or about 2s. per lb.
3 By this is meant the sago-tree, called rumbiya and puhn sagu by the Malays.
4 The expression in the text is, "come quella del carvolo," a word not to be found in the Italian dictionaries, as applied to any vegetable. In Portuguese carvalho is the oak.
5 The method of preparing the sago from the farinaceous and glutinous pith of the tree, has been fully described by Rumphius, Poivre, and others, but more succinctly in the Asiat. Researches. "The principal article of their food," says my late estimable friend Mr. John Crisp, speaking of the inhabitants of the Poggy islands, lying off the coast of Sumatra, "is sago, which is found in plenty on these islands. The tree, when ripe, is cut down, and the pith, which forms the sago, taken out, and the mealy part separated from the fibrous by maceration and treading it in a large trough, continually supplied with fresh water; the mealy part subsides, and is kept in bags made of a kind of rush, and in this state it may be preserved for a considerable time. When they take it from their store for immediate use some further preparation of washing is necessary, but they do not granulate it. One tree will sometimes yield two hundred pounds of sago: when they cook it, it is put into the hollow joints of a thin bamboo, and roasted over the fire."—Vol. vi. p. 83.
6 Captain Thomas Forrest brought to England in 1778, and exhibited at Sir Joseph Banks's, cakes of sago-bread, prepared by the natives of New Guinea, as well as the earthern oven used for baking them, of which there is an engraving in the account of his voyage to that country, p. 388.
7 It is evident that our author has fallen into an error, in supposing that this hard and heavy wood, which admits of being split longitudinally into laths, like the bamboo cane, is the ligneous part of the sago-tree, the texture of which is very different. What he describes as fit for making lances is the stem of another palm growing in the same parts of the country, called by the natives of Sumatra and Java nibong, and by naturalists caryota urens, which he has confounded with its neighbouring tree. Botanists of great celebrity, however, have not shown more discrimination with regard to some of the genera of which the order of palms is composed.
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Chapter XVII
Of the Island of Nocueran.
UPON leaving Java (minor) and the kingdom of Lambri, and sailing about one hundred and fifty miles, you fall in with two islands, one of which is named Nocueran,1 and the other Angaman. Nocueran is not under the government of a king, and the people are little removed from the conditions of beasts; all of them, both males and females, going naked, without a covering to any part of the body. They are idolaters. Their woods abound with the noblest and most valuable trees, such as the white and the red sandal, those which bear the Indian (coco) nuts, cloves, and sappan; besides which they have a variety of drugs.2 Proceeding further, we shall speak of Angaman.
1 The island here called Nocueran, in the Basle edition Necuram, in the older Latin Necuran, and in the Italian epitome Necunera, is evidently one of the Nicobar islands, named in our maps Noncoury, Nancowrie, Noncavery, and in that of D'Anvile Nicavery; which, although not the largest of them, is, on account of its harbour, the best known. Its distance from the extreme point of Sumatra is about two degrees and a half, or one hundred and fifty nautical miles.
2 "Trees of great height and size," says a writer in the Asiatic Researches, vol. iii. p. 160, "are to be seen in their woods of a compact texture, well calculated for naval construction." Note. "One of these our people cut down, that measured nine fathoms in circumference, or fifty-four feet." Noble trees indeed! "But the productions of which they are more particularly careful are the coco and areca (betel-nut) trees…Wild cinnamon and sassafras grow there also."
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Chapter XVIII
Of the Island of Angaman.
ANGAMAN is a very large island, not governed by a king.1 The inhabitants are idolaters, and are a most brutish and savage race, having heads, eyes, and teeth resembling those of the canine species.2 Their dispositions are cruel, and every person, not being of their own nation, whom they can lay their hands upon, they kill and eat. They have abundance and variety of drugs. Their food is rice and milk, and flesh of every description. They have Indian nuts, apples of paradise,3 and many other fruits different from those which grow in our country.
1 No doubts will be entertained of the Angaman of Ramusio's and the older Latin texts, the Angania of the Basle, and the Nangama of the Italian epitomes, being intended for those islands on the eastern side of the bay of Bengal, which we term the Greater and Lesser Andaman.
2 "The Andaman islands," says Mr. R. H. Colebrooke, "are inhabited by a race of men the least civilized perhaps in the world, being nearer to a state of nature than any other we read of. Their colour is of the darkest hue, their stature in general small, and their aspect uncouth. Their limbs are ill-formed and slender, their bellies prominent, and like the Africans they have woolly heads, thick lips, and flat noses. They go quite naked." (Asiat. Res. vol. iv. p. 389.) "Ils sont noirs," says the Arabian travellers. "ils ont les cheveux crespus, le visage et les yeux affreux, les pieds fort grands et presque longs d'une coudée, et ils vont tout nuds." (Anciennes Relat. p. 5.) This early description sufficiently confutes the ill-founded tale of the islands having been originally peopled by a cargo of African slaves preserved from the wreck of a Portuguese ship, invented and credited by persons who were ignorant of the circumstance of many of the eastern islands being equally peopled with a race of negroes.
