90 
Travels into f/;^ I N D 1 E S. Part III. 
Indian Pirats. 
Bergare, C oug- 
nciles , Mon- 
toiigue. 
Tlie punifh- 
mcnc of Maîa- 
bnr Robbers. 
The Leaf of 
tlie Palm-Trec 
on which Men 
write. 
The Bramens 
much efteeraed 
in Malabtir, 
Banguel, Olala 
Mangalor^ 
Barcehr. 
Qmr, 
The Malabars of Bergare, Cou fnale s and Montongue near Cavanor^SLVO. the chief 
Pirats of the Indian Sea, and there are many Robbers alfo in the Coiintrey 
though the Magiftrates do all they can to root them out. The truth is ' 
They'll put a Man to death for a iingle Leaf of Betlie ftolen ^ they tyc his 
hands, and having ftretched him out upon his belly, run him through with 
a Javelin of Areca , then they amn him upon his back, and the Javelin be- 
ing quire through his Body, they fkften it in the ground, and bind the Cri- 
minal fo faft to it that he cannot llir, but dies in that poflure. 
All the Malabars write as wedo (from the left to the right) upon the leaves 
of Valmer^s-Bravas , and for making their Chara61:ers , they ufe a Stiletto 
a Foot long at leaft ^ the Letters which the}^ write to their Friends on thefe 
leaves, are made up round, like a roll of Ribbons -, they make their Books 
of feveral of thefe leaves , which they file upon a String , and enclofe them 
betwixt two Boards of the famebignefs j they have many Ancient Books 
( and all almoft in Verfe ) which they are great lovers of. I believe the 
Reader will be glad to fee their Characters , and I have hereto fubjoyn- 
ed the Alphabet : The Bramens are held in greater honour here thari elfe- 
where -, what War foever there may be amongft the Princes of MaUhar, 
Enemies do them no hurt , and neverthelefs, there are many Hypocrites a- 
mong them who are very Rogues. There are certain Feftival days in Ma- 
labar^ on which the Young People fight like mad-men , and many times 
kill one another -, and they are perfwaded,that fuch as die in thole Combats 
are certainly faved. 
The Kings of Bangue I a.nd Olala are to the North of that Countrcy , and 
Mangalor (which lies within ten degrees and fome minutes of the Line) be- 
longs to the King of Banguel. This is a little ill built Town twelve Leagues 
from Barcehr y as Barcelor is twelve Leagues from Onor , and the Countrey 
v/here thefe Towns lie, is called Canara^all the reft of the coaft(as far as Goa) 
fignifies but very little , except the Town of Onor , which is about eighteen 
Leagues from Goa ; it hath a large and fafe Harbour made of two Rivers , 
that fall into the Sea by one andlchc fame mouth below the Fort , which 
ftands upon a pretty high Rock. The Town is far worfe than the Fort ^ the 
moft confiderable People live there with the Governour , and many Portu- 
^efe have their Refidence in it -, it lies in the Latitude of fourteen degrees. 
The reft of Decan Northwards, within a little of Surrat, belongs to the King 
oîViziafour or to the Pcrtuguefe ^ the Englijh (as I havefaid) hold Bombay m 
there , and Raja Sivagy fome other j)laces. The Kings of that coaft liave 
hardly fo much yearly Revenue a piece , as a Governour of a Province in 
France, and yet they hold out ftill , notwithftanding the Changes that have 
happened in the other Countreys of Decan. 
C ri A p. IL 
Of the Revolutions of Decan. 
Tcher'Can. 
Chahalem. 
Humayon, 
Selim, 
HE who may be called laft King of Decan , or at leaft the laft but one y 
was a Raja of the Mountains of Bengale, called Tcher-Can, who render- 
ed himfelf fo powerful , that having taken to himfelf the haughty Title of 
Chahalem, (which fignifies King of the World) he made all the Kings of the 
Indies to tremble-, that Captain having raifed a great Revolt in the Kingdom 
o^Bengala, put the King of it to death, and not only ufurped the King- 
dom and all Tatan, but alio all the Neighbouring Dominions -, he even for- 
ced the firft King Hwwa^ow to flie from , which he had feized 
from an Indian King called Selim , and all that (which at prefent is called 
the Kingdoms of Fiziapour, Bifnagar or Cornâtes, and Gokonda) fell under his. 
power. 
