148 becalmed sailing-ship they come across and start firing arrows at it, until it surrenders and they plunder it. They take the crew ashore and use their boats, called catures, to take the valuable booty ashore, a part of which they give to their Lord. Just beyond this village lies another one called Kayankullam, which is thefirst one of the kingdom of Quilon, where many Mouros; gentiles, and Indian Christians of the teaching of the Blessed St. Thomas come, and many live inland from there among the gentiles; many ships and sometimes our carracks take on board cargoes of the abundant pepper to be found here. Just a little further South along the coast from Kayankullam, one comes to a very large city with afine seaport called Quilon, where many Mouros; gentiles, and Christians come; the Mouros and gentiles are great merchants; they have many ships which they sail to a variety of places, with a wide range of merchandise. They sail to Coromandel and Ceylon, and the islands; to Bengal; Malacca; Sumatra and Pegu; they do not trade in Cambay. There is an abundance of pepper in this city, and it has a very wide river. Agentile king rules this kingdom. He is an overlord with many lands; riches, and soldiers, who are for the most part, fine archers with a good aim. Set a little way apart from the city of Quilon on a piece of land jutting out into the sea stands a large church which was miraculously built by the apostle Saint Thomas before he passed away. It happened as follows: he arrived in the city of Quilon, where they were all gentiles, in a pauper’s habit. He converted some poor people to our holy faith and had brought some local companions with him. One particular morning, a huge piece of wood was seen in the harbour waters, which was washed up on shore. The king was quickly told of this and he ordered a large number of people and elephants to pull it up on to dry land. But they never managed to move it an inch.
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