National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
CHAP. XXII.
TIIE KINGDOM OF COILUM
375
suggests interpolation from a recent author, as distinguished from mere editorial
modification. There is in Barbosa a description of the duello as practised in Canara, which is rather too like this one.
CHAPTER XXII.
OF THE KINGDOM OF COILUM.
WHEN you quit Maabar and go 500 miles towards the
south-west you come to the kingdom of COILUM. The
people are Idolaters, but there are also some Christians
and some Jews. The natives have a language of their
own, and a King of their own, and are tributary to no
one.1
A great deal of brazil is got here which is called
brazil Coilumin from the country which produces it ;
'tis of very fine quality.' Good ginger also grows here,
and it is known by the same name of Coilumin after the
country.3 Pepper too grows in great abundance
throughout this country, and I will tell you how. You
must know that the pepper-trees are (not wild but)
cultivated, being regularly planted and watered ; and the
pepper is gathered in the months of May, June, and July.
They have also abundance of very fine indigo. This is
made of a certain herb which is gathered, and [after the
roots have been removed] is put into great vessels upon
which they pour water and then leave it till the whole of
the plant is decomposed. They then put this liquid in
the sun, which is tremendously hot there, so that it boils
and coagulates, and becomes such as we see it. [They
then divide it into pieces of four ounces each, and in that
form it is exported to our parts.] 4 And I assure you
that the heat of the sun is so great there that it is
scarcely to be endured ; in fact if you put an egg into
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