_ 93 _ where they pay more customs, and again load the spices on camels and take them on a day trip to a city called Alexandria, a sea port. The galleys come from Venice and Genova to Alexandria to deliver these spices, through which the Grand Sultan is known to receive six hundred thousand "cruzados" as customs, of which one hundred thousand to be annually paid to the King called Sidi al-Din for him to wage war against Prester John. The title of Grand Sultan is bought for money and is not passed on from father to son. I here return to speak about our homeward voyage. Having travelled thus along the coast, with a light seaward wind and then a landward breeze, we were becalmed by day and dropped anchor. On Monday 10 September, while sailing in this manner, the captain sent a one-eyed man, whom we were bringing, with some letters to the Samorin written in Arabic by a Moor who was travelling with us. The land where we dropped this Moor off with the letters was known as Compia and the name of its King Biacole, who was at war with Calicut. The next day, while we were becalmed, some boats came to us bringing fish. Their crews came aboard without showing any fear. The following Saturday, which was the
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