f Axum
in the middle of the 4th century.

[3] _Muir's Life of Mahomet_, I. cclxiii.

[4] _Ritter, Africa_, p. 605. The statement appears to be taken from
Burckhardt's _Nubia_, but the reference is not quite clear. There is
nothing about this army in Quatremere's _Mem. sur la Nubie_. (_Mem. sur
l'Egypte_, vol. ii.)

[5] Armandi indeed quotes a statement in support of such use from a
Spaniard, _Marmol_, who travelled (he says) in Abyssinia in the
beginning of the 16th century. But the author in question, already
quoted at pp. 368 and 407, was no traveller, only a compiler; and the
passage cited by Armandi is evidently made up from the statement in
Poggio and from what our traveller has said about Zanjibar. (Supra, p.
422. See _Marmol, Desc. de Affrica_, I. f. 27, v.)

[6] 834 for 836.

[7] On Aufat, see De Sacy, _Chrestom. Arabe_, I. 457.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF ADEN.

You must know that in the province of ADEN there is a Prince who is called
the Soldan. The people are all Saracens and adorers of Mahommet, and have
a great hatred of Christians. There are many towns and villages in the
country.

This Aden is the port to which many of the ships of India come with their
cargoes; and from this haven the merchants carry the goods a distance of
seven days further in small vessels. At the end of those seven days they
land the goods and load them on camels, and so carry them a land journey
of 30 days. This brings them to the river of ALEXANDRIA, and by it they
descend to the latter city. It is by this way through Aden that the
Saracens of Alexandria receive all their stores of pepper and other
spicery; and there is no other route equally good and convenient by which
these goods could reach that place.[NOTE 1]

And you must know that the Soldan of Aden receives a large amount in
duties from the ships that traffic between India and his country,
importing different kinds of goods; and from the exports also he gets a
revenue, for there are despatched from the port of Aden to India a very
large number of Arab chargers, and palfreys, and stout nags adapted for
all work, which are a source of great profit to those who export them.
[NOTE 2] For horses fetch very high prices in India, there being none bred
there, as I have told you before; insomuch that a charger will sell there
for 100 marks of silver and more. On these also the Soldan of Aden
receives heavy