An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies: Together with an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author's Miraculous EscapeKnox, Robert
History
An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies: Together with an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author's Miraculous Escape
Knox, Robert
Sri Lanka -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800; Sri Lanka -- Social life and customs
[The people eat the Bees, as well as their honey.] When they meet
with any swarms of Bees hanging on any Tree, they will hold Torches
under to make them drop; and so catch them and carry them home. Which
they boyl and eat, and esteem excellent food.
[Leaches that ly in the grass, and creep on Travellers Legs.] There is
a sort of Leaches of the nature of ours, onely differing in colour and
bigness. For they are of a dark reddish colour like the skin of Bacon,
and as big as a Goose quill, in length some two or three inches. At
first, when they are young, they are no bigger than a horse hair,
so that they can scarce be seen. In dry weather none of them appear,
but immediately upon the fall of Rains, the Grass and Woods are full
of them. These Leaches seize upon the Legs of Travellers; who going
barefoot according to the custom of that Land, have them hanging upon
their Legs in multitudes, which suck their blood till their bellies are
full, and then drop off. They come in such quantities, that the people
cannot pull them off so fast as they crawl on. The blood runs pouring
down their Legs all the way they go, and 'tis no little smart neither,
so that they would willingly be without them if they could, especially
those that have sores on their Legs; for they all gather to the sore.
[The remedies they use against them.] Some therefore will tie a piece
of Lemon and Salt in a rag and fasten it unto a stick, and ever and
anon strike it upon their Legs to make the Leaches drop off: others
will scrape them off with a reed cut flat and sharp in the fashion
of a knife. But this is so troublesom, and they come on again so fast
and so numerous, that it is not worth their while: and generally they
suffer them to bite and remain on their Legs during their Journey;
and they do the more patiently permit them, because it is so wholsome
for them. When they come to their Journeys end they rub all their
Legs with ashes, and so clear themselves of them at once: but still
the blood will remain dropping a great while after. But they are most
annoyed by them when they go out to stool a-Nights, being small and
of the colour of their bodies, so that they can neither see nor feel
to pull them off. And these, tho they be in such quantities in some
of these Countreys, yet in others there are none at all, nor ever
were known to have been. But besides these, there are Water Leaches
the same with ours.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account