_ 376 _ are of spirit and courage, prepared to do anything, however difficult it might be. And it is a far smaller leap from being a muleteer of those deserts to becoming a brigand than from a shepherd. Whatever is the true story, it is avowed by all that he was from Lara and that, wherever he went, he was most certainly a brave captain but over cruel; those who met him compared him with Hannibal. And however, favoured, he was by fortune in everything he did, it was a pity that he had no-one to write about him, since one must believe that someone who goes from being a muleteer to such a strong monarch must have faced great danger and used subtle and wily ruses, showing great bravery and taking good counsel. But we only have a few common beliefs about his life to rely upon. The entire kingdom of Lara is a rocky and barren land with rugged, wild mountains. But between the mountains are valleys with palm groves, water wells and rainwater cisterns. They breed mares and stallions, which are their main trade and which they take to Ormuz and from there to India. It is very hot in summer, although not as hot as Ormuz. It rarely rains. It has a winter and summer as we do in Europe.
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