enemy, till they know that the king has fallen:
then they begin to fight for liberty and for their
new king: nor has any king of theirs entered on
a war without being slain in battle. For this
reason they seldom engage in war, and they think it
unjust to extend their frontiers. Their chief
care is to avoid giving offence to the neighboring
nations or to strangers. But if at any time they
are attacked, they retaliate; and yet, lest further
ill should arise, they at once endeavor to come to
terms. They think that party acts most creditably,
which is the first to propose terms of peace; that
it is disgraceful to be anticipated in so doing; and
that it is scandalous and detestable to refuse peace
to those who ask for it, even though the latter should
have been the aggressors: all the neighboring
people unite in destroying such refusers of peace as
impious and abominable. Hence they mostly pass
their lives in peace and leisure. Robberies and
murders are quite unknown among them. No one
may speak to the king but his wives and children, except
at a distance by hollow canes, which they apply to
his ear, and through which they whisper what they
have to say. They think that at death men have
no perception as they had none before they were born.
Their houses are small, built of wood and earth, covered
partly with rubble and partly with palm-leaves.
It is ascertained that there are twenty thousand houses
in the city of Porne. They marry as many wives
as they can afford to keep; they eat birds and fish;
make bread of rice; and drink a liquor drawn from
the palm tree—of which we have spoken before.
Some carry on trade with the neighbouring islands,
to which they sail in junks, some are employed in
hunting and shooting, some in fishing, some in agriculture:
their clothes are made of cotton. Their animals
are nearly the same as ours, excepting sheep, oxen,
and asses: their horses are very slight and small.
They have a great supply of camphor, ginger, and cinnamon.
On leaving this island our men, having paid their
respects to the king, and propitiated him by presents,
sailed to the Moluccas, their way to which had been
pointed out to them by the king. Then they came
to the coast of the island of Solo, [234] where they
heard that pearls were to be found as large as doves’
eggs, or even hens’ eggs, but that they were
only to be had in very deep water. Our men did
not bring home any single large pearl, as they were
not there at the season of the year for pearl-fishing.
They said however that they found an oyster there
the flesh of which weighed forty-seven pounds.
Hence I should be disposed to believe that pearls
of the size mentioned would be found there; for it
is certain that large pearls are found in oysters.
And, not to forget it, I will add that our men reported
that the islanders of Porne asserted that the king
wore two pearls in his crown as large as goose eggs.
After this they came to the island of Gilona, where
they saw some men with such long ears, that they reached