Of ships that have no iron in their frame; and in such an one Fr. Odoric passeth to Tana in India.

In this country men make use of a kind of vessel which they call Jase ¹ , which is fastened only with stitching of 114twine. On one of these vessels I embarked, and I could find no iron at all therein ¹ . And having thus embarked, I passed over in twenty-eight days to Tana ² , where for the faith of Christ four of our Minor Friars had suffered a glorious martyrdom. The city is excellent in position, and hath great store of bread and wine ³ , and aboundeth in trees. This was a great place in days of old, for it was the city of King Porus ⁴ , who waged so great a battle with King Alexander. The people thereof are idolaters ⁵ , for they worship fire, and serpents, and trees also. The land is under the dominion of the Saracens, who have taken it by 115force of arms, and they are now subject to the Empire of Dili ¹ .