Page:Kaempfer History of Japan 1727 vol 1 (IA historyofjapangi01kaem).pdf/76

 6 They live eparate from each other in poor mall Cottages, coniting only of one ingle Room, with a mall Window and a Door to come in. Thee Huts are not above five or ix Paces long, and two or three broad. All the Furniture within, conits in a Bench round the room, to it, or lye upon; without, there are ome few Pinang Trees: For although the Iland conits of carce any thing but rocky Precipices, yet they chooe for their Habitations uch Places, where they can have a little flat ground round their Cottages, on purpoe to plant ome Pinang and other Trees. The Inhabitants are lively enough, and not ill haped. They are omewhat blacker than the Javans, as they live alo nearer the Æquinoctial Line, ome of them eem’d to me to be of a very unhealthy Complexion. They pluck out the Hairs of their Beards, as do alo the Inhabitants of Malacca and Sumatra, which makes them both look like ugly old Women. They are all Mahomethans, this Religion having pread almot all over the Eat. Their Habit conits in a Piece of coare Cloath, madcmade [sic] of the Bark of a Tree, which they wear about the Wate. They wear a piece of the ame Cloath, twited in form of a Garland, about their Heads; ome wear Hats of Gabbe Gabbe Leaves. Gabbe Gabbe is a common Tree all over the Eat-Indies, and not unlike the Palm Tree. The Indians make their Saga of it, which they eat intead of Bread. The Inhabitants came on board our Ship in mall Boats jut big enough to hold each a Man, and withall o light, that one Man can eaily hawl them on Shore. The Man its in the middle his Goods laid behind him: The Oars are above a Man’s Length, and o hap’d that the Man holding them in the middle rows with both ends on either ide of the Boat. They have alo larger Boats, which will hold conveniently four People, and with thee they venture as far as the Coats of Malacca. They brought us exceeding large Mango's, bigger than ever I aw them; Piangs (Indian Figs) likewie of an uncommon Size, about a Span and a half in Length and a Span in their angular Circumference, very large Suuracks, Pine Apples, mall Lemons, Fowl, and a very particular ort of Rams, of a redih colour, with long Hairs and a large Tusk on each Side. They brought nothing of their Manufactures on board but Bags of Piang neatly enough twited, and mall Mats of the ame Subtance, as alo of Gabbe Gabbe Leaves, likewie very artfully wrought. They would take no Money for their Commodities, but Linnen, Shirts, Rice, Iron, and other Bawbles were very acceptable to them. They eem to have no Knowledge at all in MoncyMoney [sic], for having hew’d them ome Pieces, they would ask for a mall Mat ten times its Value. On the contrary, for a mall Piece of coure Linnen, perhaps not worth three Farthings, they would readily exchange Victuals to the Value of two or three Shillings. The whole Iland, as I have already oberv’d is carce any thing ele but a heap of Stones, Rocks, and teep high Mountains, and yet, what appear’d to me remarkable, their barren Tops, where haps