141 On the return voyage, they would bring other foreign merchants with them, who in turn would settle in the city and build their ships and start to trade, from which the king earned considerable duties. As soon as a merchant arrived in the city, the king would give him a nair to protect and serve him, a Chetty clerk to do his accounts and acquire his possessions, and a broker to procure the merchandise he needed. The merchant would pay generous monthly salaries to each of the three. They are white-skinned gentlemen of fine appearance. They are well-dressed, in silk; scarlet; camlets; cotton, with their turbans on their heads. They brought large households with them and many servants. They enjoy eating and drinking and sleeping, and thus, they prospered before the Portuguese went to India, and now there are very few left and those there are do not live freely. Until now, I have given a good description of all the castes and different ways and means of the people in Malabar and some specific to Calicut, I shall now describe the place of each kingdom separately and how the country of Malabar is divided up. The Kingdom of Cannanore You know that heading South along the coast from Kumbla, which belongs to the King of Vijayanagara, one comes to a place called Kattakulam. There is a fortress on the sea front, from where a nephew of the king of Cannanore guards the border. Further on, one comes to a river called the Miraporão, where there is a sea port used by Mouros and gentiles. It has a busy trade and shipping. Another nephew who often rebels lives there. The king then brings him back to order. Further along the coast past this village, lies Mount Dely, on the sea front. It is a very high, round mountain rising from a low plain. All the Mouros and gentile ships sailing on the Indian Ocean use it is a guide and plot their route from it, when they set sail. There are many streams running
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