Page:History of India Vol 2.djvu/126

96 people were known as Gedrosioi, and no longer as Oreitai. The inhabitants of the coast continued to astonish the voyagers by their strange manners and customs. "These poor wretches," we are told, "had nothing but fish to live on," and so they were dubbed Ichthyophagoi, or "Fish-eaters," by the Greeks — what the real name of the race may have been is not known. Whales, which were numerous along this coast, although very alarming to the sailors of the fleet, were extremely useful to the natives on shore, and supplied the materials for the better houses, which were built of whales' bones, the huge jaws serving as doorways.

The seamen on board the ships of Nearchos, being superstitious, like the sailors of all ages and countries, were much frighte'ned at the weird tales told about an uninhabited island, which Arrian calls Nosala, and is now known as Astola or Astalu. It lies nearly midway between Urmera and Pasni headlands, and is to this day as much an object of dread to the Med fisherman as it was long ago to the Greek sailors.

Thus threading their way through all dangers, real or imaginary, the explorers made their way to a port called Badis, near Cape Jask at the entrance to the Straits of Ormuz, and so came into touch with the more civilized province of Karmania. Proceeding through the straits, the delighted mariners found themselves at Harmozeia (Ormuz), a charming place, producing everything that they wanted, except olives. Here the men came ashore and were gratefully enjoying their rest, when some of the more adventurous spirits