in number, could not stand against the Christians, for they are not such good soldiers as the Christians are.  So the Saracens were defeated, and a marvellous number of them slain, and the King of Abash entered the Kingdom of Aden with all his host.  The Saracens made various sallies on them in the narrow defiles, but it availed nothing; they were always beaten and slain.  And when the King had greatly wasted and destroyed the kingdom of his enemy, and had remained in it more than a month with all his host, continually slaying the Saracens, and ravaging their lands (so that great numbers of them perished), he thought it time to return to his own kingdom, which he could now do with great honour.  Indeed he could tarry no longer, nor could he, as he was aware, do more injury to the enemy; for he would have had to force a way by still stronger passes, where, in the narrow defiles, a handful of men might cause him heavy loss.  So he quitted the enemy’s Kingdom of Aden and began to retire.  And he with his host got back to their own country of Abash in great triumph and rejoicing; for he had well avenged the shame cast on him and on his Bishop for his sake.  For they had slain so many Saracens, and so wasted and harried the land, that ’twas something to be astonished at.  And in sooth ’twas a deed well done!  For it is not to be borne that the dogs of Saracens should lord it over good Christian people!  Now you have heard the story.[NOTE 5]

I have still some particulars to tell you of the same province.  It abounds greatly in all kinds of victual; and the people live on flesh and rice and milk and sesame.  They have plenty of elephants, not that they are bred in the country, but they are brought from the Islands of the other India.  They have however many giraffes, which are produced in the country; besides bears, leopards, lions in abundance, and many other passing strange beasts.  They have also numerous wild asses; and cocks and hens the most beautiful that exist, and many other kind of birds.  For instance, they have ostriches that are nearly as big as asses; and plenty of beautiful parrots, with apes of sundry kinds, and baboons and other monkeys that have countenances all but human.[NOTE 6]

There are numerous cities and villages in this province of Abash, and many merchants; for there is much trade to be done there.  The people also manufacture very fine buckrams and other cloths of cotton.

There is no more to say on the subject; so now let us go forward and tell you of the province of Aden.

NOTE 1.—­Abash (Abasce) is a close enough representation of the Arabic Habsh or Habash, i.e.  Abyssinia.  He gives as an alternative title Middle India.  I am not aware that the term India is applied to Abyssinia by any Oriental (Arabic or Persian) writer, and one feels curious to know where our Traveller got the appellation.  We find nearly the same application of the term in Benjamin of Tudela: