South India and her Muhammadan Invaders c15.s1.4

c15.s1.4

We left Dinewar for the little town of Kaly (Galle) six parasangs (about thirty-six miles or so) distant. A Mussalman, the coxswain of the boat Ibrahim, whom we met there, entertained us at his house. Then we set out for Calenbou (Colombo), one of the largest and most beautiful towns in the island of Serendib. Djalesty, the Vezir prince of the sea, lives there with about 500 Abyssinians. Three days after leaving Colombo, we arrived at Batthalah, already mentioned, and visited the Sultan spoken above. I met the coxswain of the boat Ibrahim and we set out for the country of Ma’bar. The wind was strong and the water was on the point of entering the vessel. Without a skilled captain, we drifted near certain rocks and the ship was all but wrecked; then we entered shallow water, the vessel grounded and we were face to face with death. The passengers threw their belongings into the sea and bade farewell to all. We cut down the mast of the ship and threw it into the sea. The sailors made a raft with the plank. We were two parasangs distant from the shore. I wanted to go down on to the raft, but I had with me two concubines and two friends, and the latter said to me: ‘Will you go down and leave us?’ I liked them better than myself, and said ‘Go down both of you, as well as the young girl whom I love.’ The other young girl said: ‘I know to swim well. I will tie myself with a cord to the little boat and swim with those people.’ My two comrades descended; one of them was Mohamed, son of Ferhan Attaouzery, and the other, an Egyptian. One of the young girls was with them, the second swam. The sailors made a raft with the help of which they swam. I gave them all the valuables I possessed, personal property, jewels and amber. They got to land safe and well, for the wind helped them. I remained on the vessel, the master of which reached the shore on a plank. The sailors set to work to construct four rafts, but the night before they were finished, the sea broke upon us. Then, several idolaters came in one of their boats to fetch us. We went ashore with them to the land of Ma’bar, and told them we were friends of their Sultan to whom they paid tribute. They wrote to inform him of this. The sovereign was engaged in a war with the infidels at a distance of two days’ march; I sent him a letter telling what had happened to me. The idolaters in question led us into a large wood, and brought us a fruit resembling the watermelon; it grows on the dwarf palm tree. Inside this fruit is a kind of down (or cotton) containing a honied substance which is extracted and made into a sort of pastry called ‘tell’ just like sugar. They served us with excellent fish. We remained there for three days, at the end of which an amir named Kamar-ud-din, accompanied by a detachment of horse and foot soldiers arrived from the Sultan. They brought one palanquin and six horses. I mounted a horse, so did my friend, the master of the ship, and one of the two young girls; the other was carried in the palanquin. We reached the fort of Arcot (Hercatou) where we spent the night. There I left the young girls, a party of my slaves and my companions. The second day we reached the camp of the Sultan.