180 The Banda Islands Further on beyond the island of Timor lie five islands almost touching each other, who form a well in the middle of them where the junks moor, having come from both sides. These islands are called the Bandas and are inhabited by Mouros and gentiles. A lot of nutmeg and mace grows on three of the islands on bay tree-like trees. The fruit of the tree is the nut and the mace grows over it like a flower, and then there is a thick shell over this; one quintal of mace is worth as much as seven of nutmeg here, and there is so much of it here that they burn and almost give it away. Those who go to buy it take Cambay cloths, some cotton and others silk, and a lot of copper; quicksilver, and vermillion; tin; lead; red felt hats from the Levant and large bells; they give twenty bahars of mace for each one. Heading North from the Banda islands towards Malacca, lie some other inhabited islands, and some desert ones. All of them greatly value very large metal bells; ivory; patolas, which are Cambay cloths, and fine porcelain. There are no kings on these islands, nor do they obey anyone, sometimes they obey the King of the Moluccas. Ambon Heading away from the Banda Islands and towards the Moluccas, there are other islands inhabited by gentiles called Ambon, each of which has its own king and language. They have oared boats which the Mouros use to attack other islands; wage war; take each other prisoner and kill each other. They value Cambay cloths highly and each man will work as hard as he can to own enough of them, so that when they are folded and piled up on thefloor, they are as tall as he is. Those with this many cloths are considered free and alive, because if captured, they will only be ransomed for the same number of cloths.
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