182 The main king is Mouros almost gentil, he has a Mouros wife and three to four hundred gentile gentile mistresses in his house, whose sons and daughters are gentiles, only his wife’s are Mouros. He is served by hunch-backed women who he has for status, and whose spines he had broken when they were girls; he has up tofive old women and girls in this condition and they accompany him everywhere and see to all his needs. Some will give him betel, another carries his sword for a week at a time. This King wants very much to serve Our Lord and King, who he has offered himself to as his subject. There are many red parrots here withfine [colours] and are very tame. They call them noires; they [value] them highly. Solor Beyond the Molucca islands to the North towards China, lies a very large and fertile island called Solor, inhabited by almost white-skinned men, gentiles and good-looking. They have a gentile gentile king and their own language. A lot of gold can be found all around this island and also a lot of seed-pearls which the Mouros, or rather, the inhabitants collect and pearls offine colour but not shape. Island of Borneo There is another very fertile island lying off this island towards China. It is inhabited by gentiles and has a gentile king and its own language. Large quantities of edible camphor which is highly valued by the Indians can be found here, and in weight it is worth as much as silver or more. They take it in powder in cane tubes to Vijayanagara; Malabar and Deccan and this island is called Borneo.
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