102 vast lands. They border Tartary to the North and encompass many kingdoms; those of Cambay and Deccan used to be his, and when he sent some captains to complete their conquest, they took the other side and rebelled, and thus they became independent kingdoms. There are some trees in this land whose roots are called braechague, which is so poisonous that it kills anything that eats it; the fruit of this tree is called miralexy and has the great virtue of killing all poison and reviving any man who has been poisoned, even if he has eaten the very root of the tree or any other strong poison. The yogi, who are the gentiles that I described above, carry this root and fruit with them, and some of them give it to the Indian kings; they also carry some unicorn horn, but it is a marvellous thing, and there is very little of it. I have often asked these men how unicorn horn is made, and they replied that the true horns must be twisted, like a goat’s, and it must be twisted on the inside as well, because there are many other animal horns that look like theirs, and they can only be distinguished through these markings. These yogi also carry a stone called a bezoar, which is found in the stomach of an animal known to them as a pagem. It is the size of an almond and brown. It is ground in a cup of rose-water and given to anyone who has been poisoned. They drink it through a straw, because if it touches one’s teeth, they will break. It defeats all poisons and is highly valued by Mouros and great lords. It is also found in Hormuz and sold in meticals. The animal it is found in is the wild billy-goat. The lands of Malabar begin. Entry into the kingdom of Calecut. Leaving this country and kingdoms and returning to the sea coast, the Malabar country begins at a place known as Kumbla, and it runs for the length of Dely mountain to Cape Comorin, which is one hundred and thirty leagues along the coast, give or take a little. It is said that at
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