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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
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Citation Information
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CHAP. XIII. THE ISLAND OF ANGAMANAIN
309
" Indian Nuts," i.e. cocos. The tree of next importance b the natives is a kind of Pandanus, from the cooked fruit of which they express an edible substance called Melori, of which you may read in Dampier ; they have the betel and areca ; and they grow yams, but only for barter. As regards the other vegetation, mentioned by Polo, I will quote, what Colonel Man writes to me from the Andamans, which probably is in great measure applicable to the Nicobars also ! " Our woods are very fine, and doubtless resemble those of the Nicobars. Sapan wood (i.e. Polo's Brazil) is in abundance ; coco-nuts, so numerous in the Nicobars, and to the north in the Cocos,. are not found naturally with us, though they grow admirably when cultivated. There is said to be sandal-wood in our forests, and camphor, but I have not yet come across them. I do not believe in cloves, but we have lots of the wild nutmeg."* The last, and cardamoms, are mentioned in the Voyage of the Novara, vol. ii., in which will be found a detail of the various European attempts to colonise the Nicobar Islands with other particulars. (See also/ A. S. B. XV. 344 segq.) [See Schlegel's Geog. Notes, XV I. , The Old States in the Island of Sumatra. —H. C. ]
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CHAPTER XIII.
CONCERNING THE ISLAND OF ANGAMANAIN.
ANGAMANAIN is a very large Island. The people are
without a king and are Idolaters, and no better than wild
beasts. And I assure you all the men of this Island of
Angamanain have heads like dogs, and teeth and eyes
likewise ; in fact, in the face they are all just like big
mastiff dogs ! They have a quantity of spices ; but they
are a most cruel generation, and eat everybody that they
can catch, if not of their own racé.' They live on flesh
and rice and milk, and have fruits different from any of
ours.
Now that I have told you about this race of people, as
indeed it was highly proper to do in this our book, I will
go on to tell you about an Island called Seilan, as you
shall hear.
NOTE I. — Here Marco speaks of the remarkable population of the Andaman Islands—Oriental negroes in the lowest state of barbarism—who have remained in their isolated and degraded condition, so near the shores of great civilised countries,
* Kurz's Vegetation of the Andaman Islands gives four »nyristicae (nutmegs) ; but no sandal-wood nor camphor-laurel. Nor do I find sappan-wood, though there is another Caesalpinia (C. Nuga).
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