nd.

Their Archbishop has nothing to do with the Pope of Rome, but is subject
to the great Archbishop who lives at Baudas. He rules over the Bishop of
that Island, and over many other Bishops in those regions of the world,
just as our Pope does in these.[NOTE 2]

A multitude of corsairs frequent the Island; they come there and encamp
and put up their plunder to sale; and this they do to good profit, for the
Christians of the Island purchase it, knowing well that it is Saracen or
Pagan gear.[NOTE 3]

And you must know that in this Island there are the best enchanters in the
world. It is true that their Archbishop forbids the practice to the best
of his ability; but 'tis all to no purpose, for they insist that their
forefathers followed it, and so must they also. I will give you a sample
of their enchantments. Thus, if a ship be sailing past with a fair wind
and a strong, they will raise a contrary wind and compel her to turn back.
In fact they make the wind blow as they list, and produce great tempests
and disasters; and other such sorceries they perform, which it will be
better to say nothing about in our Book.[NOTE 4]

NOTE 1.--Mr. Blyth appears to consider that the only whale met with
nowadays in the Indian Sea _north of the line_ is a great Rorqual or
_Balaenoptera_, to which he gives the specific name of _Indica_. (See
_J.A.S.B._ XXVIII. 481.) The text, however (from Ramusio), clearly points
to the Spermaceti whale; and Maury's Whale-Chart consists with this.

"The best ambergris," says Mas'udi, "is found on the islands and coasts of
the Sea of Zinj (Eastern Africa); it is round, of a pale blue, and
sometimes as big as an ostrich egg.... These are morsels which have been
swallowed by the fish called _Awal_. When the sea is much agitated it
casts up fragments of amber almost like lumps of rock, and the fish
swallowing these is choked thereby, and floats on the surface. The men of
Zinj, or wherever it be, then come in their canoes, and fall on the
creature with harpoons and cables, draw it ashore, cut it up, and extract
the ambergris" (I. 134).

Kazwini speaks of whales as often imprisoned by the ebb tide in the
channels about Basra. The people harpooned them, and got much oil _out of
the brain_, which they used for lamps, and smearing their ships. This also
is clearly the sperm whale. (_Ethe_, p. 268.)

After having been long doubted, scientific opinion seems to have come back
to the opinion that ambergris i