hold; sickness; loss of sails and masts; repairs to the ship. It
wasn't a short journey and it wasn't a long one."

"It will be a long ways to China, I'm thinking."

"I can tell you how long it is from China to here, and you can
reverse that, and you will get a fair idea of how long it is from
here to China. I left Zeitoon with a cargo of porcelain for Japan,
and traded it for gold-dust, and from Japan I went to Chamba to lay
in a store of chessmen and pen-cases. And from Chamba I sailed to
Java, which is the greatest island in the world. Java is fifteen
hundred miles from Chamba, south and southeast, and it took me four
months sailing, but a sea-captain cannot pass Java by, for it is
the chief place for black pepper, nutmegs, spikenard, galingale,
cubebs, doves, and all the spices that grow.

"And I stopped at various small islands from there, until I came
to Basma, which is the island of the unicorns. And there we trade
in pygmies, which ignorant people think are human folk. They are
just a wee monkey, with all the hair plucked out except the hair of
the beard. There is great money in them.

"I stopped at Sumatra for cocoanuts and toddy, and just for water
at Dragoian. Dragoian is not a good city. It is filled with
sorcerers who have tattooed faces. At Lambri I put in for the
sago you buy from the hairy men with tails.

"Son, never stop at the isle of Andaman. The men there have faces
like dogs. They are a cruel generation, and eat every one they can
catch. I could tell you a story, but I would not spoil this fine