The Island of Java Minor

CHAPTER 12. The Island of Necuveran.

When you leave the Island of Java (the less) and the kingdom of Lambri, you sail north about 150 miles.

You come to 2 Islands, one of which is called Necuveran.

In this Island they have no king nor chief, but live like beasts.

They go all naked, both men and women, and do not use the slightest covering of any kind.

They are Idolaters.

Their woods are all of noble and valuable kinds of trees; such as:

• Red Sanders
• Indian-nut
• Cloves
• Brazil
• sundry other good spices.{1}

CHAPTER 13. 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.

All the men of this Island of Angamanain have heads, teeth, and eyes like dogs.

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 race.

They live on flesh and rice and milk, and have fruits different from any of ours.

CHAPTER 14. The Island of Seilan.

When you leave the Island of Angamanain and sail about 1,000 miles south of west, you come to the Island of Seilan, which is in good sooth the best Island of its size in the world.

It has a compass of 2400 miles. But in old times it was larger at about 3600 miles. This is found in the charts of the mariners of those seas.

But the north wind there blows with such strength that it has caused the sea to submerge a large part of the Island.

On the side where the north wind strikes, the Island is very low and flat, insomuch that in approaching on board ship from the high seas you do not see the land till you are right upon it.

They have a king they call Sendemain and are tributary to nobody.

The people are Idolaters, and go quite naked except that they cover the middle.

They have no wheat, but have rice, and sesamum of which they make their oil.

They live on flesh and milk, and have tree-wine such as I have told you of.

They have brazil-wood, much the best in the world.

The rubies are found in this Island and in no other country in the world but this.

They find there also sapphires and topazes and amethysts, and many other stones of price.

The King of this Island possesses a ruby which is the finest and biggest in the world.

• It is about 1 palm in length
• It is as thick as a man’s arm.

It is the most resplendent object upon earth; it is quite free from flaw and as red as fire.

Its value is so great that a price for it in money could hardly be named at all.

The Great Kaan sent an embassy and begged the King as a favour greatly desired by him to sell him this ruby, offering to give for it the ransom of a city, or in fact what the King would.

But the King replied that on no account whatever would314 he sell it, for it had come to him from his ancestors.

The people of Seilan are no soldiers, but poor cowardly creatures.

When they have need of soldiers they get Saracen troops from foreign parts.