u farther on the northern coast of Sumatra.--(Cf. _G. Schlegel,
Geog. Notes_, XVI.; _P. Pelliot, Bul. Ecole Franc. Ext. Orient_, II. pp.
94-96.)--H.C.]

CHAPTER IX.

CONCERNING THE ISLAND OF JAVA THE LESS. THE KINGDOMS OF FERLEC AND BASMA.

When you leave the Island of Pentam and sail about 100 miles, you reach
the Island of JAVA THE LESS. For all its name 'tis none so small but that
it has a compass of two thousand miles or more. Now I will tell you all
about this Island.[NOTE 1]

You see there are upon it eight kingdoms and eight crowned kings. The
people are all Idolaters, and every kingdom has a language of its own. The
Island hath great abundance of treasure, with costly spices, lign-aloes
and spikenard and many others that never come into our parts.[NOTE 2]

Now I am going to tell you all about these eight kingdoms, or at least the
greater part of them. But let me premise one marvellous thing, and that is
the fact that this Island lies so far to the south that the North Star,
little or much, is never to be seen!

Now let us resume our subject, and first I will tell you of the kingdom of
FERLEC.

This kingdom, you must know, is so much frequented by the Saracen
merchants that they have converted the natives to the Law of Mahommet--I
mean the townspeople only, for the hill-people live for all the world like
beasts, and eat human flesh, as well as all other kinds of flesh, clean or
unclean. And they worship this, that, and the other thing; for in fact the
first thing that they see on rising in the morning, that they do worship
for the rest of the day.[NOTE 3]

Having told you of the kingdom of Ferlec, I will now tell of another which
is called BASMA.

When you quit the kingdom of Ferlec you enter upon that of Basma. This
also is an independent kingdom, and the people have a language of their
own; but they are just like beasts without laws or religion. They call
themselves subjects of the Great Kaan, but they pay him no tribute; indeed
they are so far away that his men could not go thither. Still all these
Islanders declare themselves to be his subjects, and sometimes they send
him curiosities as presents.[NOTE 4] There are wild elephants in the
country, and numerous unicorns, which are very nearly as big. They have
hair like that of a buffalo, feet like those of an elephant, and a horn in
the middle of the forehead, which is black and very thick. They do no
mischief, however, with the horn, but with