fei_, lib. III.;
_Buesching_, IV. 278; _Faria_, I. 117-118; _Ram._ I. f. 181 v. and 292;
_Jarric, Thes. Rer. Indic._ I. 108-109; _P. Vinc._ 132, 442; _J.R.G.S._
V. 129 seqq.)

NOTE 3.--As far back as the 10th century Socotra was a noted haunt of
pirates. Mas'udi says: "Socotra is one of the stations frequented by the
Indian corsairs called _Bawarij_, which chase the Arab ships bound for
India and China, just as the Greek galleys chase the Mussulmans in the sea
of Rum along the coasts of Syria and Egypt" (III. 37). The _Bawarij_ were
corsairs of Kach'h and Guzerat, so called from using a kind of war-vessel
called _Barja_. (_Elliot_, I. 65.) Ibn Batuta tells a story of a friend of
his, the Shaikh Sa'id, superior of a convent at Mecca, who had been to
India and got large presents at the court of Delhi. With a comrade called
Hajji Washl, who was also carrying a large sum to buy horses, "when they
arrived at the island of Socotra ... they were attacked by Indian corsairs
with a great number of vessels.... The corsairs took everything out of the
ship, and then left it to the crew with its tackle, so that they were able
to reach Aden." Ibn Batuta's remark on this illustrates what Polo has said
of the Malabar pirates, in ch. xxv. supra: "The custom of these pirates
is not to kill or drown anybody when the actual fighting is over. They
take all the property of the passengers, and then let them go whither they
will with their vessel" (I. 362-363).

NOTE 4.--We have seen that P. Vincenzo alludes to the sorceries of the
people; and De Barros also speaks of the _feiticeria_ or witchcraft by
which the women drew ships to the island, and did other marvels (u.s.).

[1] [Assemani, in his corrections (III. p. 362), gives up _Socotra_
in favour of _Bactria_.]

CHAPTER XXXIII.

CONCERNING THE ISLAND OF MADEIGASCAR.

Madeigascar is an Island towards the south, about a thousand miles from
Scotra. The people are all Saracens, adoring Mahommet. They have four
_Esheks_, i.e. four Elders, who are said to govern the whole
Island. And you must know that it is a most noble and beautiful Island,
and one of the greatest in the world, for it is about 4000 miles in
compass. The people live by trade and handicrafts.

In this Island, and in another beyond it called ZANGHIBAR, about which we
shall tell you afterwards, there are more elephants than in any country in
the world. The amount of traffic in elephants' teeth in these two Isla