_ 140 _ flourish there, as if there were an abundance of vegetation. Indeed, there are a great deal of cattle, all of it fat, and in the sea, there is a great deal of excellent fish. This is where all ships which sail in the strait come to fetch water and meat, and for this reason a great number of ships from Aden used to stop there. In ancient times it was inhabited by many merchants what traded in the Prester's lands; from which they brought quantities of gold and a great deal of wheat, meat and fruit like ours used to be brought to the island from Arabia. The governor still found many traces of what an important centre it had been in former days; there were for instance old houses and mosques built entirely of stone. Here he found that the westerly winds were already beginning to blow, which prevented him pressing on ahead. But as the rubans told him that there would still be more easterly winds, he very hastily obtained some water and meat: it took only seven days to do so, during which time he captured some Arabs who had had to stay in the island, because they had been unable to go to the mainland. Among them there was a man who had been Sheikh of the islands of Dolaga and Masua, as well as of the island where seed-pearls are fished- his nephew was also among the captives.
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