________________
210
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JULY, 1906.
The Gouerner & Casa seut wth me as a Convoy 200 horsse, woh brought me to Elsaneere, 220 Leagues from Gruncauda, on ye border of ye Bloches Contrey.
The Casa [qazi] was trobled I would not marry his doughter, And sd, you are a xpian & my Doughter noe moore,93 We vse Moses Law, and if we had to instruct vs in Issara sou' la' law' we should think it better.
In this Contrey it will not Cost a strainger ought in Expence to travell, for soe soone as you come into a towne, they will strive who shall iugrosse yor company.
Mad Why the Casa Cut of one head of y two headed man as, yt he had red in theire writeing such a man should be, and yt he should Conquer the Contrey.
From Elsameer on ye borders of ye Bloches Contrey, I went to Elsa, 220 Leagues in the Bloches Contrey, but in the way I mett wth 300 horsse woh had beene sconting out, and compeld me to stay with them. They haueing men wounded & could not cure them iudged 1, being a traveller, bad skil. I had seen tobacco salue made. I made some and applied it to theire grè [green, i. e., fresh] wounds, weh had success, and by yt means I past free till I caime to their Kings Court, Att a great Citty cald Crona. Its ye Custome theire for travellers to stay 3 days before they can speake with the Kinge. His sarvts askt me from whence I caime. I told them I caime from Prester Johns Court. They told me it was a dangerous Contrey to travell in, how caime I saife throw. I sa, god ptected me. That night the Kinge had notis of my being in his Court, & though it was not vsuall, sent for me. When I caime before him, he looked verry lofty & proud & told me I was a spie, but wthall Sd, thats noe Matter, One can Doe noe greate harme, And askt me what I could Doe. I answerd noethinge, I was a poore ffuckeere [faqir], wch is begger. Said he, does beggers ride & keepe sarvts in yor Contrey. Consulting with yo Lds about him, they s4, he is a Coffer [kafir], vizt. Heathen, lett him goe, But ask me what Contreyman I was. I sd, an Englishman, but he vnderstood not what an Engl man was, Demanded of me what pretions wee eate. We, gd he, haue herd of a Cast of man that eate Mans flesh; are you of that Cast. I told him we cate such meate as Commonly other men eate. Sa one of his Las, those people eate Doggs, Catts & ratts. I sd, noe. Jutt Cotta haram zabb [juth kahta, haramzādā! ], yts you lie you Rogue. A brave Old Gentleweoman, ye Kings Mother, Sd, wth Anger to ye L4, you must not abuse a traveller; yt word 1 likt much but durst not speake. They caused vittells to be brought & me to sit downe yt they might see me eate & my manner. I eate wth many eies over me, but I minded only my vittells & not them, at weh ye king marvelled & sd, those men look not as if they este Catts but eate after a good fashion. This don, they tooke away what I left & caused it to be buried; It would [haue] suffized 10 Men More.. I vnderstanding theire Lingua, yo King askt his Mother if they should keepe this white man for theire slaue. Greeb hey ruxud hey [gharib hai, rukhsat hai], He is a pooreman, let him goe for gods sake, & she boue [hove, threw] me 100 fanams yo vallew of 25 Engl shillings. Sd ye Queene, will not you now pray for me & askt me in wit manner I praid or to who, sunn or water. I S4, to God. Sa she, let me see. I did for feare fall vppon my knees. S she, you must speake, woh I did in Engl, at woh Lingua they Mervelld & would [have] don more at my prayer if they had vnderstood it, weh was yt I might be delivered out of their hands. I tooke my leaue of this Court next morninge & had 112 Leagues further to get cleere of This Contrey into ye Tellingays [Telingas], Goeinge towards Guzzaratt. I had not gon 12 Engl Miles, but 2 horssmen followed me, & demanded ye 100 fannams ye Queene houe me & told me it was not Buckshees [bakhshish], given, but Bouter [bhatta], Lent. Sa my man, being pfect in ye Contrey language. This man is a poore man, & reasoned ye Case soe farr as wth a knife & a little Tobacco he gaue, got me free. This Contrey is a verry wooddy Contrey & full of Sugar Caines, but noe tobacco planted; all ye tobacco comes out of Prester Johns Contrey & brings this Kinge great store of money, cald Juncan money or Custome [chungam, customs].
(To be continued.)
95 If, however, she was really a gäss's daughter she must have been a Moore."
