victory in a sea-fight with the Chinese who then
frequented the Indian shores. It is difficult to identify this King, though
he is represented as the father of the famous toxicophagous Sultan Mahmud
Begara (1459-1511). De Barros has many other allusions to Chinese
settlements and conquests in India which it is not very easy to account
for. Whatever basis of facts there is must probably refer to the
expeditions of Ch'eng-Tsu, but not a little probably grew out of the
confusion of _Jainas_ and _Chinas_ already alluded to; and to this I
incline to refer Correa's "sumptuous idol-temples."

There must have been some revival of Chinese trade in the last century, if
P. Paolino is correct in speaking of Chinese vessels frequenting
Travancore ports for pepper. (_De Barros_, Dec. II. Liv. ii. cap. 9, and
Dec. IV. Liv. v. cap. 3; _Paolino_, p. 74.)

[1] It appears from a paper in the Mackenzie MSS. that down to Colonel
Mackenzie's time there was a tribe in Calicut whose ancestors were
believed to have been Chinese. (See _Taylor's Catal. Raisonne_,
III. 664.) And there is a notable passage in Abdurrazzak which says
the seafaring population of Calicut were nicknamed _Chini
bachagan_, "China boys." (_India in XVth Cent._ p. 19.)

CHAPTER XXVI.

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF GOZURAT.

Gozurat is a great kingdom. The people are Idolaters and have a peculiar
language, and a king of their own, and are tributary to no one. It lies
towards the west, and the North Star is here still more conspicuous,
showing itself at an altitude of about 6 cubits.[NOTE 1]

The people are the most desperate pirates in existence, and one of their
atrocious practices is this. When they have taken a merchant-vessel they
force the merchants to swallow a stuff called _Tamarindi_ mixed in
sea-water, which produces a violent purging.[NOTE 2] This is done in case
the merchants, on seeing their danger, should have swallowed their most
valuable stones and pearls. And in this way the pirates secure the whole.

In this province of Gozurat there grows much pepper, and ginger, and
indigo. They have also a great deal of cotton. Their cotton trees are of
very great size, growing full six paces high, and attaining to an age of
20 years. It is to be observed however that, when the trees are so old as
that, the cotton is not good to spin, but only to quilt or stuff beds
withal. Up to the age of 12 years indeed the trees give good spinning
cot