a.d. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1584. 



also bought us tents to lie in, and to put our goods 

 A Caravan of under : and in this our caravan were foure thousand 

 tome t ousand came j s l ac [ en w ith spices and other rich marchandises. 

 These camels will live very well two or three dayes with- 

 out water : their feeding is on thistles, wormewood, 

 magdalene, and other strong weeds which they finde upon 

 the way. The government and deciding of all quarels 

 and dueties to be payed, the whole caravan committeth 

 to one speciall rich marchant of the company, of whose 

 honesty they conceive best. In passing from Babylon to 

 Aleppo, we spent forty dayes, travelling twenty, or foure 

 and twenty miles a day, resting ourselves commonly from 

 two of the clocke in the afternoone, until three in the 

 morning, at which time we begin to take our journey. 

 Eight dayes journey from Babylon toward Aleppo, neere 

 [II. i. 271.] unto a towne called Heit, as we crosse the river Euphrates 

 by boates, about 3. miles from the town there is a valley 

 wherein are many springs throwing out abundantly at 

 great mouths, a kind of blacke substance like unto tarre, 

 which serveth all the countrey to make stanch their 

 barkes and boates : every one of these springs maketh 

 a noise like unto a Smiths forge in the blowing & puffing 

 out of this matter, which never ceaseth night nor day, 

 and the noise may be heard a mile off continually. This 

 vale swaloweth up all heavie things that come upon it. 

 The people of the countrey cal it in their language Babil 

 gehenham, that is to say, Hell doore. As we passed 

 through these deserts, we saw certaine wild beasts, as 

 wild asses all white, Roebucks, wolfes, leopards, foxes, 

 and many hares, whereof we chased and killed many. 

 Aborise the king of the wandring Arabians in these 

 deserts, hath a dutie of 40.S. sterling, upon every Camels 

 lode, which he sendeth his officers to receive of the 

 Caravans, and in consideration hereof, he taketh upon 

 him to conduct the sayd Caravans if they need his helpe, 

 and to defend them against certaine prowling thieves. 

 I and my companion William Shales came to Aleppo 

 with the Caravan the eleventh of June, 1584. where we 



8 



