Moistening a leaf of the betel, together with a grain of lime, they rub the one upon the other, roll them together, and then place them in the mouth.  They thus take as many as four leaves of betel at a time and chew them. Sometimes they add camphor to it” (p. 32).  And Abul Fazl:  “They also put some betel-nut and kath (catechu) on one leaf, and some lime-paste on another, and roll them up; this is called a berah.  Some put camphor and musk into it, and tie both leaves with a silk thread,” etc. (See Blochmann’s Transl. p. 73.) Finally one of the Chinese notices of Kamboja, translated by Abel Remusat, says:  “When a guest comes it is usual to present him with areca, camphor, and other aromatics.” (Nouv.  Mel. I. 84.)

[Illustration:  Map showing the position of the Kingdom of ELY in MALABAR]

[Illustration:  Sketch showing the position of KAYAL in TINNEVELLY]

NOTE 5.—­This is the only passage of Ramusio’s version, so far as I know, that suggests interpolation from a recent author, as distinguished from mere editorial modification.  There is in Barbosa a description of the duello as practised in Canara, which is rather too like this one.

[1] “Sonagar or Jonagar is a Tamil corruption of Yavanar, the Yavanas,
    the name by which the Arabs were known, and is the name most commonly
    used in the Tamil country to designate the mixed race descended from
    Arab colonists, who are called Mapillas on the Malabar coast, and
    Lubbies in the neighbourhood of Madras.” (Dr. C.’s note)

[2] I am sorry to say that the coin never reached its destination.  In the
    latter part of 1872 a quantity of treasure was found near Kayal by the
    labourers on irrigation works.  Much of it was dispersed without coming
    under intelligent eyes, and most of the coins recovered were Arabic. 
    One, however, is stated to have been a coin of “Joanna of Castille,
    A.D. 1236.” (Allen’s India Mail, 5th January, 1874.) There is no such
    queen.  Qu.  Joanna I. of Navarre (1274-1276)? or Joanna II. of
    Navarre (1328-1336)?

[3] See above, p. 334, as to Dr. Caldwell’s view of Polo’s Sonderbandi.  May
    not Ashar very well represent Ashadha, “invincible,” among the
    applications of which Williams gives “N. of a prince”.  I observe also
    that Aschar (Sansk. Aschariya “marvellous”) is the name of one of
    the objects of worship in the dark Sakti system, once apparently
    potent in S. India. (See Taylor’s Catalogue Raisonne, II. 414, 423,
    426, 443, and remark p. xlix.)

    ["Ils disent donc que Dieu qu’ils appellent Achar, c’est-a-dire,
    immobile ou immuable.” (F.  Bernier, Voy., ed. 1699, II. p.
    134.)—­MS. Note.—­H.Y.]

CHAPTER XXII.