which went vnto Banda for to lade Nutmegs
and Maces: from Goa to Malacca are one thousand eight hundred miles, we
passed without the Iland Zeilan, and went through the chanell of Nicubar,
or els through the chanell of Sombero, which is by the middle of the Iland
of Sumatra, called in olde time Taprobana: [Sidenote: In the Ilands of
Andemaon, they eate one another.] and from Necubar to Pegu is as it were a
rowe or chaine of an infinite number of Ilands, of which many are inhabited
with wilde people, and they call those Ilands the Ilands of Andemaon, and
they call their people sauage or wilde, because they eate one another: also
these Ilands haue warre one with another, for they haue small Barkes, and
with them they take one another, and so eate one another: and if by euil
chance any ship be lost on those Ilands, as many haue bene, there is not
one man of those ships lost there that escapeth vneaten or vnslaine. These
people haue not any acquaintance with any other people, neither haue they
trade with any, but liue onely of such fruites as those Ilands yeeld: and
if any ship come neere vnto that place or coast as they passe that way, as
in my voyage it happened as I came from Malacca through the chanell of
Sombrero, there came two of their Barkes neere vnto our ship laden with
fruite, as with Mouces which wee call Adam apples, with fresh Nuts, and
with a fruite called Inani, which fruite is like to our Turneps, but is
very sweete and good to eate: they would not come into the shippe for any
thing that wee could doe: neither would they take any money for their
fruite, but they would trucke for olde shirtes or pieces of olde linnen
breeches, these ragges they let downe with a rope into their Barke vnto
them, and looke what they thought those things to bee woorth, so much
fruite they would make fast to the rope and let vs hale it in: and it was
told me that at sometimes a man shall haue for an old shirt a good piece of
Amber.

Sumatra.

This Iland of Sumatra is a great Iland and deuided and gouerned by many
kings, and deuided into many chanels, where through there is passage: upon
the headland towardes the West is the kingdom of Assi gouerned by a Moore
king: this king is of great force and strength, as he that beside his great
kingdom, hath many Foists and Gallies. In his kingdom groweth great store
of Pepper, Ginger, Beniamin: he is an vtter enemy to the Portugals, and
hath diuers times bene at Malacca to fight against