The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 / Page 447 (Color Image)

0447	The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2

CHAP. XXV. THE KINGDOM OF MELIBAR

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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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