The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 / Page 481 (Color Image)

0481	The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2

CHAP. XXXIV. TIZE ISLAND OF ZANGHIBAR

423

* * The women of this Island are the ugliest in the

world, With their great mouths and big eyes and thick

noses ; their breasts too are four times bigger than those

of any other women ; a very disgusting sight.

The people live on rice and flesh and milk and dates ;

and they make wine of dates and of rice and of good

spices and sugar. There is a great deal of trade, and

many merchants and vessels go thither. But the staple

trade of the Island is in elephants' teeth, which are very

abundant ; and they have also much ambergris, as whales

are plentiful.4

They have among them excellent and valiant warriors,

and have little fear of death. They have no horses, but

fight mounted on camels and elephants. On the latter

they set wooden castles which carry from ten to sixteen

persons, armed with lances, swords, and stones, so that

they fight to great purpose from these castles. They

wear no armour, but carry only a shield of hide, besides

their swords and lances, and so a marvellous number of

them fall in battle. When they are going to take an

elephant into battle they ply him well with their wine, so

that he is made half drunk. They do this because the

drink makes him more fierce and bold, and of more

service in battle.'

As there is no more to say on this subject I will go

on to tell you about the Great Province of ABASH, which

constitutes the MIDDLE INDIA ;-but I must first say

something about India in general.

Islands we have described only the most noble provinces

and kingdoms among them ; for no man on earth could

give you a true account of the whole of the Islands of

India. Still, what I have described are the best, and as

it were the Flower of the Indies. For the greater part

of the other Indian Islands that I have omitted are

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