[p.92]

They worship the sun, and they have high places everywhere outside the city at a distance of about half a mile.  And every morning they run forth to greet the sun, for on every high place a solar disc is made of cunning workmanship and as the sun rises the disc rotates with thundering noise, and all, both men and women, offer incense to the sun with censers in their hands.  Such are their superstitious practices.  And throughout the island, including all the towns there, live several thousand Israelites.  The inhabitants are all black, and the Jews also.  The latter are good and benevolent.  They know the law of Moses and the prophets, and to a small extent the Talmud and Halacha.

Thence it is twenty-three days by sea to Ibrig[173], and the inhabitants are fire-worshippers, and are called Duchbin.  Among them are about 3,000 Jews, and these Duchbin have priests in their several temples who are great wizards in all manner of witchcraft, and there are none like them in all the earth.  In front of the high place of their temple there is a deep trench, where they keep a great fire alight all the year, and they call it Elahutha.

[p.93]

And they cause their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, and even their dead they throw into it.  Some of the great men of the country make a vow to die by fire.  In such cases the man communicates his intention to the members of his household and his relations, and says:—­“I have vowed to throw myself in the fire whilst I am yet alive,” then they answer, saying:  “Happy art thou.”  And when the day of the performance of his vow arrives, they prepare for him a grand banquet, and if he is rich he rides on horseback, if poor he goes on foot to the border of the trench and throws himself into the fire.  And all the members of his family shout to the accompaniment of timbrels and dancing until the body is entirely consumed.  At the end of three days two of their high priests come to his house and to his children and say unto them:  “Arrange the house, for this day your father will come to give his last directions as to what ye shall do.”  And they bring witnesses from the city.  Then Satan is made to appear in the likeness of the deceased, and when his widow and children ask him how he fares in the other world he answers:  “I went to my companions, but they would not receive me until I had discharged my obligations to the members of my house and to my neighbours.”

[p.94]

Then he makes his will and divides his property among his children, and gives directions that all his creditors should be paid and that his debts should be collected.  Then the witnesses write out the will, and he goes his way and is seen no more.  And by means of this trickery and witchcraft which these priests practise, the people are confirmed in their errors and assert that there is none in all the land like their priests.