commenced our journey for the space of two leagues up a river which was
very pretty with verdure, and trees without fruit; on either side were
very high slopes of mountains, with much tillage of wheat and barley,
and beautiful wild olive trees which looked like new olive trees,
because they are frequently pruned and cut to allow of wheat and barley
growing. In the middle of this valley is a handsome church, house of
Our Lady. It has around it small houses for the priests, and twelve
cypress trees, the highest and thickest that could be mentioned, and
many other trees. Close to the principal door there is a very graceful
fountain, and around the church large fields (but all irrigated), which
are sown all the year round with all sorts of seed, that is to say,
wheat, barley, millet, grain, lentils, peas, beans, tafo, daguza,[73]
and as many other vegetables as there are in the country, some sown,
others green, others ripe, others reaped, and others threshed. At the
head of this valley there is a very high ascent, and before sighting
it there is a church which has no other population except a very few
houses for the priests; it is a very dry country. In sight of it is
an old wall, in which is the form of a portal, as though in former
times it guarded that pass, which guards itself by the wildness of
the mountain ridge, for the people of the country say that for more
than twenty leagues there is not another pass from one side to the
other: it fully appears to be so from the many people who flock hither.
Descending this mountain by another descent, such as was the ascent,
we came at last to a great plain of much extensive tillage of seed
crops for all the year (like those behind), and much pasture grass.
At the entrance of this plain there is a large and handsome church,
its patron Quercos, accompanied by good houses for the priests, almost
like an enclosed monastery, and then a Beteneguz, and a large town
above it. This plain or valley is about two leagues in length, and
half a league wide, and on either side very high mountain ranges. At
the feet of the hills, on both sides, there are many small towns and
churches in them. Among these churches there are two monasteries, one
at one end, the other at the other. One is of Holy Cross, the other of
St. John. Both are small, and of few friars, each has no more than ten
or twelve friars. In this plain we began to change to a new feature
of the country, entering a mountain range not so much high as deep.
We passed part of the night separated from one another. In the party
where the ambassador went there were four, and I was with them, in the
other there were two, and the baggage was amongst those cliffs, as it
pleased God, with one man alone. In the direction in which I was going
we saw fire outside of the valleys,[74] and as it was night it seemed
to be near, it was more than two leagues off. While we were going in
its direction so many tigers followed us that it was a thing not to be
believed, and if we approached near any bushes they came so close to us
that at close quarters[75] one might have struck them with a lance. In
our company there was not more than one lance, all the others carried
their swords drawn, and I, who did not bear any, went in the midst of
them. Following the fire we arrived close to a wood, and we said, if we
enter the wood we shall be devoured by these tigers, let us turn back
to the tilled land, and sleep there. So we halted on the cleanest place
we found, in the middle of a ploughed field, and fastened the mules all
together. The companions, of their goodness, said to me: Father do you
sleep, and we will watch over the mules with drawn swords; and so they
did. On the next day, at two hours after midday, we all came together
again with the ambassador; and even then not all, and we came together
in a town which was about two leagues from where we slept, which is
called Manadel. This town is one of about a thousand inhabitants, all
Moors tributary to Prester John. At one end, as if apart, there live
twenty or thirty Christians, who abide here with their wives, and these
Christians receive dues as toll. And because I said that the nature of
the country had changed, I say that it was two months since we began
to travel, and it was always winter, but in this country which we
were entering, and where we lost ourselves, it was not winter; rather
indeed it was a hot summer. This is one of the countries, that is to
say, of the three that I named before in Chapter XXV, where
it is winter in February, March, and April, and this country is named
Dobaa. These lands which have the winter season changed are low lands
lying beneath the mountains. The size of this country of Dobaa is five
long days’ journey in length; I do not know what its width may be,
because it enters far into the country of the Moors, so that I could
not learn it. In this country there are very beautiful cows, which
cannot be numbered or reckoned, and of the largest that can be found in
the world. Before we reached this town of Manadeley, on an uncultivated
mountain, we heard great shouts: we went up to the bushes and found
there many Christian people, with their tents pitched, and on our
asking them why they were there, they replied that they were entreating
the mercy of God that He might give them water, for they were losing
their flocks, and were not sowing their millet nor any other seed, with
the drought. Their cry was “Zio mazera Christus”,[76] which means:
“Christ God have mercy upon us.” This town of Manadeley is a town of
very great trade, like a great city or seaport. Here they find all
kinds of merchandise that there is in the world, and merchants of all
nations, also all the languages of the Moors, from Giada, from Morocco,
Fez, Bugia, Tunis, Turks, Roumys, Greeks, Moors of India, Ormuz, and
Cairo, also they bring merchandise from all parts. While we were in
this country the Moors, inhabitants of this town, were complaining,
saying that the Prester John had by force levied upon them a thousand
ouquias of gold, saying that he borrowed them to trade with, and that
each year they were to give him another thousand ouquias profit, and
that his own thousand should always remain alive. The natives and
dwellers in the city said that if it were not for the breeding of
flocks they would go away from the country. (Foreigners have nothing to
do with this.) They also say that besides this if the Prester John took
away from them the Tigrimahom to whom this country belonged he would
give them another plunderer. So they complain that they are unable to
live (according as they say). In this town a great fair is held on
Tuesday of each week, of as many things as can be named, and of an
infinite number of people from the neighbouring districts; and it is a
fair every day in the square, for all that merchants require to do.
CAP. XLVII.--_How the friar reached us in this town, and then we
set out on our way to a town named Farso: of the crops which are
gathered in it, and of the bread they eat, and wine they drink._
While we were in this town of Manadeley, half forgetting the friar,
there reached us a message that he was coming, and was bringing mules
and camels to conduct us. Immediately some of us went out to receive
him with joy and pleasure, having forgotten our first meeting. As
soon as he arrived we at once departed, and we had not yet gone half
a league, and then after another half league had been traversed we
did not travel further. We went to sleep at a Beteneguz, which is in
a mountain. Next day we travelled a distance of two leagues, and went
to sleep at a large town of Christians, which may have near a thousand
inhabitants: it is named Farso. There are more than a hundred priests
and friars in the church of this town, and as many nuns: they have not
got a monastery, they lodge about the town like laywomen. The friars
are almost set apart in two courts, in which are a number of cottages,
an unsubstantial matter, so great is the number of these friars,
priests, and nuns, and the other people who are short of room. In other
churches it is always the custom to give the communion before the door
of the church, and these priests go and give the communion out of its
place, in an open space belonging to the church, in a tent of silk
which they pitch there, very well arranged, and there they carry on
their solemnity of music with their drums and tambourines, and when
they give the communion it is given as they do in other churches, where
it is the custom to give it at the church door, and in no other place.
Two nights that we slept in this town the nuns came to wash our feet,
and drank of the water after they had washed them, and they washed
their face with it, saying that we were holy christians of Jerusalem.
At this town there is much tillage of all kinds. Here we saw plots of
coriander, like those of wheat, and no less of a seed which is called
_nugo_, which is like pampilhos,[77] and with their heads, after
they are quite ripe and dry, they make oil. Not this time, but another
that we came here, when we had more knowledge of the country, and the
people of the country had more knowledge of us, I heard inhabitants of
this town say that in that year they had gathered so much crops of all
kinds, that if it were not for the worm, it would have been abundance
for ten years. And because I was amazed, they said to me: Honoured
guest, do not be amazed, because in the years that we harvest little
we gather enough for three years’ plenty in the country; and if it
were not for the multitude of locusts and the hail, which sometimes
do great damage, we should not sow the half of what we sow, because
so much remains that it cannot be believed, so it is sowing wheat, or
barley, lentils, pulse, or any other seed. And we sow so much with
the hope that even if each of those said plagues should come, some
would be spoiled, and some would remain, and if all was spoiled the
year before is in such manner abundant that we have no scarcity. This
town is almost in a valley, and above it are two hills, and here we
kept a Saturday and a Sunday. We used to go up to these hills in the
afternoons, to see the beautiful herds of cows that were collected
on the skirts of the town, and of the hills. Those of our company
guessed[78] them at fifty thousand cows. I do not say a larger number,
and yet the multitude there is cannot be believed. The language of this
country is like that we had passed, and here begins the language of the
kingdom of Angote, which is named Angutinha, and the country also. This
town is the frontier of the kingdom of the Tigrimahom, as far as the
Moors who are named the Dobas. After we had passed twice through this
district (as I said above), there happened a good thing in it. It has
two high hills, and they always have watchmen on them, because further
on from this is country of the Moors. There are great plains, although
wooded, and they extend quite two leagues, and then are the mountain
ranges in which the Moors live. The watchmen saw the Moors come, and
they emptied the place and fled away; the Moors came and plundered
the provisions which they found, and took away what they could or
chose. The watchmen were ashamed of having run away, and communicated
with several neighbouring towns to the effect that if they saw them
make signals they should come to their assistance, because they had
determined to await the Moors if they should return there. These did
not long delay returning, the people of the place made their signals,
many people flocked to them, and came into the field against the Moors.
God was pleased to assist the Christians, who killed eight hundred
Moors, and of the Christians there died five. The Christians cut off
the heads of all the Moors, and went and stuck them on trees half a
league from there, along the great roads by which all people pass, and
they sent the shields and javelins of all the dead Moors to the Prester
John (this was whilst we were at court). And on our coming on our
return from there we found the heads suspended to the trees along the
road, as has been said: and we felt fear and disgust at passing under
them. In all this country they make bread of any grain, as with wheat,
barley, maize, pulse, peas, lentils, small beans, beans, linseed, and
teff; they also make wine from many of these seeds: and the wine of
honey is much the best of all. As the common people gave us victuals,
since the friar found us, by order of the Prester John, they gave us of
this bread, and as it was not of wheat, we could not eat it, also they
brought it at unseasonable hours, because in all this country it is the
custom to eat only once a day, and that is at night. Besides this their
food is raw meat, and they make a sauce for it with cowdung, and that
we did not eat: nor of the bread, unless it was of wheat, or at least
of peas. Of the flesh we ordered our slaves to prepare food for us,
until the friar came to adopt our custom, and to know our wishes, and
endeavoured to give us fowls, mutton and beef, boiled or roasted, this
done by our slaves.
CAP. XLVIII.--_How we departed from the town of Farso, well
prepared, because we had to pass the skirt of the country of the
Moors._
We set out from this town, and travelled through thick maize fields, as
high as large cane brakes, and we went to sleep at no great distance,
at the foot of a hill close to a church, because at night we were
always away from the road, and near the towns, on account of the food
which they gave us. Here the friar told us not to scatter ourselves,
and all to keep close together, with our arms ready, and all the goods
in front, because we had to pass a very dangerous country of Moors, who
are always hostile. From this road which we were now travelling, which
is towards the sea, and towards the South, all are Moors, who are named
Dobas, because the country is named Doba, and it is not a kingdom. They
say that there are twenty-four captaincies, and that at times twelve
of them are at peace, and the others always at war. In our time we saw
them all at war, and we saw the twelve captains who are used to be at
peace at times, all at the court, for they had made a rising, and were
come to make peace. When they came near the tent of Prester John each
of these captains carried a stone upon his head, holding it with both
his hands. They said that this was a sign of peace, and that they came
to sue for mercy. These captains were received with honour, and they
brought with them more than a hundred men, and very good led horses and
mules, because they entered on foot with the stones on their heads.
They may have stayed at court more than two months: they gave them each
day beef, mutton, honey, and butter. At the conclusion of peace the
Prester John ordered them to be banished from their country more than
a hundred leagues, and ordered the captains and people they brought
with them to be placed in the kingdom of Damute, with numerous guards.
As soon as the people of these captains learned that their lords had
been banished they made other captains, and raised the whole country in
war. And another time that we were travelling by this road we had to
keep Twelfth-day in this country, and it was on a Friday, so we rested
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. At this time, on account of the rising of
these captains, the Prester John sent thither many gentlemen, captains
of the country, and they went and pitched their camp on a mountain
which showed from where we were halting, and we saw the smoke which
they made there. The ambassador arranged to send thither two Portuguese
to visit those captains and lords, on his part: and they brought back
six cows which the captains sent us, and these Portuguese told us that
some very great lords were there as captains, and that they had there
more than fifteen thousand men, placed in a very large enclosure of
thorny bushes, and they name this enclosure _catamar_;[79] and
the Portuguese said that they had water outside of the enclosure, and
that they did not dare go for it, nor take the horses and mules to
drink, except with a large force, because if the Moors saw only a
small number they rushed upon them and killed them. They also related
that every Saturday and Sunday the Moors came and affronted them,
because the Christians do not fight on those days. It is said that
this war and ill-feeling is with this Prester John, more than with
his predecessors, inasmuch as they are tributaries of the Prester.
The preceding Presters, until the father of this one who now reigns,
always had five or six wives, and they had them from the daughters
of the neighbouring Moorish Kings, and from the Pagans; and from the
captains of these lordships or captaincies they had one or two, if
they found them suitable; and from the King of Dancali another; and
from the King of Adel, and the King of Adea. And at the present times
known to us there arrived for this David who now reigns, a daughter of
the King of Adea, before he had any other wife, and because she had
large front teeth, when he saw her he did not like her. And because
he had already ordered her to be made a Christian, and she could not
return to her father, he gave her in marriage to a great lord; and he
did not choose to take any other daughter of a Moorish King, nor of
these lordships, and married the daughter of a Christian, and would
not have more than one wife, saying that he would follow the law of
the gospel. He asks for the tribute from these Kings, his tributaries,
which their predecessors were obliged to pay him. They did not bring
him this tribute on account of the marriage, and for that reason make
this war, which is being continually waged. They also say in this
country that these Dobas are such great warriors, that they have a law
amongst them that they cannot take a wife without a man’s being able
to certify that he has killed twelve Christians. No one passes here
by this road except in a cafila, which they call a _negada_.[80]
This assemblage passes twice a week, once in coming, and another time
returning, or to express it better, one goes and the other comes; and
there always pass a thousand persons and upwards, with a captain of
the _negadas_, who awaits them in certain places. There are two
captains, because the negada commences in two parts, and they set out
from one end and from the other. These negadas have their origin in
two fairs, that is to say, in Manadeley and in Corcora of Angote; and
yet, even with these negadas and assemblages, many people are killed in
the passage. I know this, because a nephew of mine, a gentleman of the
household of the King our sovereign, and a servant of the ambassador of
Portugal, Don Rodrigo, determined to pass with this negada; and they
told us that the Doba Moors had attacked the van, and had killed twelve
persons before the people could put themselves on guard. It is a great
peril traversing this evil pass, because it is a two days’ journey,
all through level ground and very large woods, and very high and dense
thickets of thorn bushes; and in these two marches, besides that the
road is flat and very long, and that they frequently cut them, that is,
the thorn bushes near the road, and set fire to them, yet they do not
burn, except those that are cut and dried, and some that have withered
at the roots, because the thorn bushes which are standing remain in
their strength. It is about two leagues from this road to the district
of the Dobas, at the commencement of the mountain range, and the ground
is flat throughout these thorn thickets. There are in these lands or
mountains an infinite number of elephants and other animals, as in the
other mountains.
CAP. XLIX.--_How the people of Janamora have the conquest of
these Doba Moors, and of the great storm of rain that came upon
us during our halt in a river channel._
The conquest[81] of these Moors of Doba is of a great captain named
Xuum Janamora, that is captain of the country. The captaincy is named
Janamora, which is a large district, with many people subject to it,
and all of it mountainous. They say that they are good warriors, and
so they ought to be, for they always keep an eye over their shoulder.
In the lands and mountains where they dwell, the Moors come to burn
the houses and churches, and carry off the cows from the yards. In
this country I saw a priest with poisoned arrows; and I opposed him
on account of its being ill done, as he was a priest. He answered me:
Look that way, and you will see the church burnt by the Moors, and
close to it they carried off from me fifty cows, and also they burned
my beehives, which were my livelihood; for that reason I carry this
poison,[82] to kill him who has killed me. I did not know what to
answer him, with the sorrowfulness which I saw in his countenance, and
perceived in his heart. We set out from this halt, and travelled by
the said flat road, alongside the hills which are on the side of the
Christians, and all peopled by these Janamoras, and we crossed rivers
which descend from the said mountains, and close to one of them we went
to take our midday rest in some good shade of willow trees. It was very
hot, and the sun and day were very bright, and the river did not bring
water enough to irrigate a garden. We were divided into two parties, on
each side of the water, at speaking distance. During this there began
thunder a long way off, and we said that these were thunderstorms such
as there are sometimes in India. Being in security, without there being
here any wind or rain, and the said thunder having ceased, we commenced
collecting the baggage to set out; and there was a tent where we dined
and reposed ourselves. The halt having ended, one of our Portuguese,
that is, Mestre Joam, went sauntering along the river up stream, and
immediately returned running, and calling out with loud shouts: Take
care, take care. We all looked in the direction from which he came
shouting, and we saw water coming, of the height of a lance (without
any doubt), and quite straight and square: and we could not take care
sufficiently to prevent its carrying away part of our goods. And it
would have carried away both us and our goods if we had still been
staying in the tent where we had dined. From me, amongst other things,
it carried off a breviary and a bottle full of wine which I carried for
celebrating the masses; and so, likewise, it carried off a portion from
each of us. From one it took a cloak, from another a hat, from another
a sword; another, in escaping, fell in such a manner, that on the one
hand it was a fearful thing, and on the other a matter for laughter. It
pleased God that I had got the silver chalice put in the skin of a kid
and hung up at the height of a man on the trunk of a willow tree; and
a man of the country ran to it, and saved the chalice, for he climbed
up the willow tree with it, and remained there until the water went
down. This river came from among very high mountains, among which it
had overflowed, and out of them came this water in a mass. This river
brought down stones as big as barrels of twelve almudes,[83] and from
the noise made by these stones it seemed that the earth was being
overwhelmed, and that the heavens were falling. It was a thing not to
be believed; and as this water came suddenly, so also it passed away in
a short space of time, for even this day we crossed over it, and we
did not see in it the rocks which we had before seen, and we saw others
newly come which had descended from the mountains. We went to sleep at
some poor houses, or near them, where they received us throwing stones
at us, and we slept without supper, and under heavy rains which fell in
the night, with thunderstorms in the flat land, as there had been by
day in the mountains.
CAP. L.--_How we departed from this poor place, and of the
fright they gave us, and how we went to sleep Saturday and
Sunday at a river named Sabalete._