e returneth from
Balsara to Aleppo.] I and my companion William Shales hauing dispatched our
businesse at Balsara, imbarked our selues in company of seuenty barks all
laden with marchandise, hauing euery barke 14. men to draw them, like our
Westerne bargemen on the Thames, and we were forty foure dayes comming vp
against the streame to Babylon, [Sidenote: Their provision of victuals.]
where arriuing and paying our custome, we with all other sorts of marchants
bought vs camels, hired vs men to lade and driue them, furnished our selues
with rice, butter, bisket, hony made of dates, onions and dates: and euery
marchant bought a proportion of liue muttons, and hired certaine shepheards
to driue them with vs: we also bought vs tents to lie in and to put our
goods under: [Sidenote: A Carauan of foure thousand Camels.] and in this
our carauan were foure thousand camels laden with spices, and other rich
marchandises. These camels will liue very well two or three dayes without
water: their feeding is on thistles, wormewood, magdalene, and other strong
weeds which they finde vpon the way. The gouernment and deciding of all
quarels and dueties to be payed, the whole carauan commiteth to one
speciall rich marchant of the company, of whose honesty they conceiue best.
In passing from Babylon to Aleppo, we spent forty dayes, trauelling twenty,
or foure and twenty miles a day, resting ourselues commonly from two of the
clocke in the afternoone, vntill three in the morning, at which time we
begin to take our iourney. Eight dayes iourney from Babylon toward Aleppo,
neere vnto a towne called Heit, as we crosse the riuer Euphrates by boates,
about 3. miles from the town there is a valley wherein are many springs
throwing out abundantly at great mouths, a kinde of blacke substance like
vnto tarre, which serueth all the countrey to make stanch their barkes and
boates: euery one of these springs maketh a noise like vnto a Smiths forge
in the blowing and puffing out of this matter, which neuer ceaseth night
nor day, and the noise may be heard a mile off continually. This vale
swalloweth vp all heauie things that come vpon it. The people of the
countrey call it in their language Babil gehenham, that is to say, Hell
doore. As we passed through these deserts, we saw certaine wild beasts, as
wild asses all white, Roebucks, wolfes, leopards, foxes, and many hares,
whereof we chased and killed many. Aborise the king of the wandring
Arabians in these de