Si nny 
a 
— ae, 
att Ag ecm. 
SC 
1923. | St. Thomas and San Phomé, Mylapore. 223 
trees werein a desert, in which was the fruit of the balm which, 
when eaten, made men live 400 or 500 years. The desert is 
described thus, and seems to be the Desert of Babylon again: 
“We would have gone toward the Trees full gladly, if we had 
might. But I trow that 100,000 Men of Arms might not pass 
the Deserts safely, for the — Multitude of wild Beasts and 
of great Dragons and of great ao that there be, that slay 
and devour ali that come anent then 
On the trees that spake to Mexantl see Yule’s Marco Polo 
(1875), 11. 131 ff. 
P. 
202. 
bodies of fighting | women “at the courts of Indian Princes, 
h we 5 
I spent at St. Joseph's College, Trichinopoly. 1 tl noted in one of 
the books of the library (Descriptive and Historical Papers 
relating to the Seven Pagodas, edited by Capt. M. W. Carr, 
Madras, 1889, pp. 60-61) a picture of a three armed woman 
who had sts one breast, the left one. My notes show that 
two of her arms were right arms, one of which was raised or 
blessing, while the other held a battle-axe. What the third arm 
was doing, I did not note. Above her head was an inscription, 
hin her name. Did not t the Amazons burn their ly 
What struck me most in the pictures of that book was the 
apeaily Egyptian look of many of the a a point Bn 
ufficiently commented on, I believe, by the writers of t 
papers. And — socil pitts appeared to be fully two es 
sind years old 
. 202. + Prester John’s two carbuncles shining at 
worth ioc Saye Marco: ‘‘ The King [of Ceylon] ae the 
most beautiful ruby that ever was or can be in the whole 
world. It is the most splendid object on earth, and eth to 
glow like fire: it is of such value as mo ney ¢ could searcely 
purchase.” Cf. Mirabilia descripta, The Wonders of the 
East, by Friar Jordanus, translated by H. Yule, London, 
Hakluyt Society, iad p. 30n. 2, quoting Marco Polo, HI, 17. 
Ibn : “T also saw in the possession of the 
King [of Cev four a saucer made of ruby, as large as the palm 
