(f. 431 v.).  So also the Diccion. de la Lengua Castellana comp. por la Real Academia (1783) gives:  “Gato Paul, a kind of monkey of a grey colour, black muzzle and very broad tail.”  In fact, the word is used by Columbus, who, in his own account of his third voyage, describes a hill on the coast of Paria as covered with a species of Gatos Paulos. (See Navarrete, Fr. ed.  III. 21, also 147-148.) It also occurs in Marmol, Desc.  General de Affrica, who says that one kind of monkeys has a black face; “y estas comunemente se llaman en Espana Gatos Paules, las quales se crian en la tierra de los Negros” (I. f. 27).  It is worth noting that the revisers of the text adopted by Pauthier have not understood the word.  For they substitute for the “Il hi a gat paul si divisez qe ce estoit mervoille” of the Geog.  Text, “et si a moult de granz paluz et moult grans pantains a merveilles”—­wonderful swamps and marshes!  The Pipino Latin has adhered to the correct reading—­“Ibi sunt cati qui dicuntur pauli, valde diversi ab aliis.”

[1] Ind.  Alt. 1st ed.  I. 158.

[2] Id. 564; and 2nd ed.  I. 103.

CHAPTER XXIV.

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF ELI.

Eli is a kingdom towards the west, about 300 miles from Comari.  The people are Idolaters and have a king, and are tributary to nobody; and have a peculiar language.  We will tell you particulars about their manners and their products, and you will better understand things now because we are drawing near to places that are not so outlandish.[NOTE 1]

There is no proper harbour in the country, but there are many great rivers with good estuaries, wide and deep.[NOTE 2] Pepper and ginger grow there, and other spices in quantities.[NOTE 3] The King is rich in treasure, but not very strong in forces.  The approach to his kingdom however is so strong by nature that no one can attack him, so he is afraid of nobody.

And you must know that if any ship enters their estuary and anchors there, having been bound for some other port, they seize her and plunder the cargo.  For they say, “You were bound for somewhere else, and ’tis God has sent you hither to us, so we have a right to all your goods.”  And they think it no sin to act thus.  And this naughty custom prevails all over these provinces of India, to wit, that if a ship be driven by stress of weather into some other port than that to which it was bound, it is sure to be plundered.  But if a ship come bound originally to the place they receive it with all honour and give it due protection.[NOTE 4] The ships of Manzi and other countries that come hither in summer lay in their cargoes in 6 or 8 days and depart as fast as possible, because there is no harbour other than the river-mouth, a mere roadstead and sandbanks, so that it is perilous to tarry there.  The ships of Manzi indeed are not so much afraid of these roadsteads as others are, because they have such huge wooden anchors which hold in all weather.[NOTE 5]