reat
importance as any castle that hee hath in all his Indies vnder his
protection, and the Captaine of this castle hath certaine voyages to this
Cafraria, to which places no Marchants may goe, but by the Agent of this
Captaine: [Sidenote: Buying and selling without words one to another.] and
they vse to goe in small shippes, and trade with the Cafars, and their
trade in buying and selling is without any speach one to the other. In this
wise the Portugals bring their goods by litle and litle alongst the Sea
coast, and lay them downe: and so depart, and the Cafar Marchants come and
see the goods, and there they put downe as much gold as they thinke the
goods are worth, and so goe their way and leaue their golde and the goods
together, then commeth the Portugal, and finding the golde to his content,
hee taketh it and goeth his way into his ship, and then commeth the Cafar,
and taketh the goods and carieth them away: and if he finde the golde there
still, it is a signe that the Portugals are not contented, and if the Cafar
thinke he hath put too little, he addeth more, as he thinketh the thing is
worth: and the Portugales must not stand with them too strickt; for if they
doe, then they will haue no more trade with them: For they disdaine to be
refused, when they thinke that they haue offered ynough, for they bee a
peeuish people, and haue dealt so of a long time: [Sidenote: Golden trades
that the Portugals haue.] and by this trade the Portugals change their
commodities into gold, and cary it to the Castle of Mozambique, which is an
Island not farre distant from the firme land of Cafraria on the coast of
Ethiopia, and is distant from India 2800. miles. Nowe to returne to my
voyage, when I came to Ormus, I found there Master Francis Berettin of
Venice, and we fraighted a bark together to goe for Basora for 70. duckets,
and with vs there went other Marchants, which did ease our fraight, and
very commodiously wee came to Basora and there we stayed 40. dayes for
prouiding a Carouan of barks to go to Babylon, because they vse not to goe
two or 3. barkes at once, but 25. or 30. because in the night they cannot
go, but must make them fast to the banks of the riuer, and then we must
make a very good and strong guard, and be wel prouided of armor, for
respect and safegard of our goods, because the number of theeues is great
that come to spoile and rob the marchants. And when we depart for Babylon
we goe a litle with our saile, and the