A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 07Kerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 07
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
[Footnote 63: What sovereign of India is meant by the _king of Joga_ we
cannot ascertain, unless perhaps some Hindoo rajah in the hilly country
to the north-east of Gujerat. From some parts of the account of this
king and his subjects, we are apt to conceive that the relation in the
text is founded on some vague account of a chief or leader of a band of
Hindoo devotees. A king or chief of the _Jogues_.--E.]
Departing from Cambay, I came in twelve days journey to the city of
_Ceull_[64], the land of Guzerat being interposed between these two
cities. The king of this city is an idolater. His subjects are of a dark
yellow colour, or lion tawny, and are much addicted to war, in which
they use swords, bows and arrows, darts, slings, and round targets. They
have engines to beat down walls and to make a great slaughter in an
army. The city is only three miles from the sea on the banks of a fine
river, by which a great deal of merchandise is imported. The soil is
fertile and produces many different kinds of fruits, and in the district
great quantities of cotton cloth are made. The people are idolaters like
those of Calicut, of whom mention will be made hereafter, yet there are
many Mahometans in the city. The king has but a small military force,
and the government is administered with justice. Two days journey from
thence is a city named _Dabuly_[65] on a great river and in a fertile
country. It is walled like the towns of Italy, and contains a vast
number of Mahometan merchants. The king is an idolater, having an army
of 30,000 men. Departing from thence I came to the island of _Goga_[66],
not above a mile from the continent, which pays yearly a tribute of 1000
pieces of gold to the king of _Deccan_, about the same value with the
seraphins of Babylon. These coins are impressed on one side with the
image of the _devil_[67], and on the other side are some unknown
characters. On the sea coast at one side of this island there is a town
much like those of Italy, in which resides the governor, who is captain
over a company of soldiers named _Savain_, consisting of 400 Mamelukes,
he being likewise a Mameluke. Whenever he can procure any white man he
takes them into his service and gives them good entertainment, and if
fit for military service, of which he makes trial of their strength by
wrestling, he gives them a monthly allowance of 20 gold seraphins; but
if not found fit for war he employs them in handicrafts. With this small
force of only 400 men, he gives much disturbance to the king of
Narsinga.
[Footnote 64: There is a district on the west of Gujerat or Guzerat
named _Chuwal_, on the river Butlass or Banass which runs into the gulf
of Cutch, which may be here meant.--.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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