48 Sheik back into Persia. At that point he returned to Turkey. This was the first time Sheik Ismael was routed, and hurt by the defeat he decided to attack the Turk again. This time better equipped with artillery and with a lot more power than he had come with on thefirst occasion. Sheik Ismael is lord of Babylon; Armenia; the whole of Persia; a large part ofArabia, and part of India towards Cambay.His determination is to lay his hands on the House of Mecca. He sent an embassy to the Captain of the Fleet of the King of Portugal in India, bearing many gifts. He offered an accord and peace. This was very well received and soon thereafter he sent another embassy bearing gifts. The Fortress at Basra A large fortress called Basra lies almost at the end of the Persian Sea. It is inhabited by Moors and is vassal of Sheik Ismael. Here, a very large and beautiful fresh water river flows from the mainland into the sea. The Moors call it Euphrates and say that it is one of the four rivers that spring from the source of the earthly paradise. Local Moors claim it has an infinite number of branches. They call the largets of the other branches - the Indus, which reaches the sea in the kingdom of Sindh, the first India, from which it took its name. Another is called the Ganges and flows into the sea in the second India. And the fourth is the Nile, which flows through the middle of Prester John and carries water to Cairo. Coming back to our purpose: many ships laden with merchandise and spices and cotton cloths sail to this fortress. There they load up with a lot of wheat, butters, sesame, barley, camlets and many other goods; and in one river which flow past the fortress, there are fish which the more you boil or roast them, the more blood comes out of them.
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