国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
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The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 | |
マルコ=ポーロ卿の記録 : vol.2 |
4
CHAP. XXV. THE KINGDOM OF MELIBAR
389
CHAPTER XXV.
CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF MELIBAR.
MELIBAR is a great kingdom lying towards the west.
The people are Idolaters ; they have a language of their
own, and a king of their own, and pay tribute to
nobody.'
In this country you see more of the North Star, for
it shows two cubits above the water. And you must
know that from this kingdom of Melibar, and from
another near it called Gozurat, there go forth every year
more than a hundred corsair vessels on cruize. These
pirates • take with them their wives and children, and
stay out the whole summer. Their method is to join in
fleets of 20 or 3o of these pirate vessels together, and
then they form what they call a sea cordon,2 that is,
they drop off till there is an interval of 5 or 6 miles
between ship and ship, so that they cover something like
an hundred miles of sea, and no merchant ship can
escape them. For when any one corsair sights a vessel
a signal is made by fire or smoke, and then the whole of
them make for this, and seize the merchants and
plunder them. After they have plundered them they
let them go, saying : " Go along with you and get more
gain, and that mayhap will fall to us also I" But now
the merchants are aware of this, and go so well manned
and armed, and with such great ships, that they don't
fear the corsairs. Still mishaps do befall them at times.'
There is in this kingdom a great quantity of pepper,
and ginger, and cinnamon, and turbit, and of nuts of
India.' They also manufacture very delicate and
beautiful buckrams. The ships that come from the east
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