The ocean of story, being C.H. Tawney's translation of Somadeva's ...

242 THE OCEAN OF STORY
the Moors and Gentios do not let a day pass without eating
it. The Moors and Moalis (who are those that follow the law
against Mafamede x
) keep a feast or fast of ten days, when
they say that the sons of Ali, son-in-law of Mafamede, were
besieged in a fortress and died. During the ten days that
they were besieged, they sleep on the ground, and do not partake
of betre. In these days they chew cardamom and areca,
which is much used to chew, as it clears the stomach and the
brain.
Ruano. Now tell me how the betre is used, how it is
administered, whether to help or to rectify.
Orta. The betre is warm, and the areca is cold and temperate.
The lime they use with the betre is much warmer.
They do not use our lime from stone, but a lime made from
oyster shells which is not so strong. With the areca they
mix the medicines, you see, because they are cold and dry,
and much drier when not dried in the sun. Then they add
the cate, 2 which is a medicine I have mentioned before ;
because with the cate it is a good medicine to open the gums,
fortify the teeth, and compose the stomach, as well as an
emetic, and a cure for diarrhoea. The tree from which it is
collected is straight and very spongy, and the leaves like
those of our palm-trees. Its fruit is like that of the nutmeg,
but not so large, and very hard inside, with veins white and
vermilion. It is the size of the small round nuts with which
the boys play. It is not exactly round, for it has a band
round it, though this is not the case with every kind of
catechu, for I must not deceive you. This fruit is covered with
a very woolly husk, yellow outside, so that it is very like the
fruit of the date-palm when it is ripe and before it becomes
When this areca is green it is stupefying and intoxicat-
dry.
ing, for those who eat it feel tipsy, and they
any great pain they have.
eat it to deaden
Ruano. How do these Indians eat it, and how do they
the medicine ?
Orta. It is usual to cut the areca into small pieces with
prepare
some large scissors they have for the purpose, and then they
chew them, jointly with the cate. Presently they take the leaves
of the betre, first pulling out the veins with their thumb-nails,
which for this are cut to a fine point, and they do this that
1 Muhammed. They did not follow any law against Muhammed, but
were of the Shiah sect. [Markham.]
2 I.e. catechu. See later, p. 247 ; and p. 264 et seq. of Orta.