_ 207 _ We thought it appropriate to write to you about what we want him to do. We wish you to send him to enter the Red Sea and to go as far as Suez and to make a note of all he sees from one end to the other: of cities, villages, places, ports, anchorages, islands and all manner of dealings or anything else. We would also like to know the types of ships that sail there and what ports the Abyssinians could go to. We need to know all that goes on in that part of the world; where the convoys go and how they pass through, and with what safety, and what sort of people they meet on the way, right up to when they reach Abyssinia. Are there any Kings who do not recognize our lordship and are they Moors or heathens? How long do these convoys take to make the outward and return journey and what do they bring and take? We want to know all about Abyssinia in particular. Item: What sort of place is Suez? Is it the kind of place one can build a fortress? Has it got water? Could we destroy what we find, especially ships and anything else making up an armada? How far is it from Suez to Cairo? Is it desert or peopled? We need to know all this in detail so that we know everything and nothing at all escapes our knowledge. Item: Equally, we want to know about the port of Jedda and how distant it is from Mecca and what sort of area it
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTg0NzAy