Chau Ju-Kua - University of Oregon Libraries

84 CENTRAL JAVA. 1,15
The country of Ta-pan connects to the east with Great Sho-p'o, it is
(also) called, (^) Jung-ya-lu. (Note: Also written Chung-kia-lu (^ ^ )^).
The houses which the people of this country build are like those of China.
The country being a level plain, intersected by an anchorage (J^), there is
trade both by water and by land. 5
The native products are bay-salt (^ ^), sheep and parrots.
The foreign head-men^ (^ ^) are brave and fierce; they take wives from
the pirate states of the eastern borders. The people of the latter, under pretext
of visiting relatives (married to the Fan-kuan and on board their ships), ships
were frequently plundered (in this way). Matters went so far that captives 10
were considered a most valuable commodity, each one being worth two or three
taels of gold. For this reason trade (with this country) was presently broken off.
(Note®: By «pirate states», Tan-chung-pu-lo (^ ^ ^ ^), Pa-li
M\ Sun-t'a (^ /{g,) and Ku-lun (^ |^) are to be understood).
The countries of Ta-kang, Huang-ma-chu, Ma-li, Tan-jung-wu-lo, 15
Ti-(wu), Ping-ya, I-wu and Nu-ku are situated on islands; each of them has
its own chief, and they have vessels plying between them. There is but little
agriculture, but there are many old trees, the inner parts of which produce
sJia-hi (sago), which looks like wheat flour. The natives by mixing water with
it, make it into pellets of the size of peas. After being sun-dried it is packed 20
up and stored like grain. They also mix it with fish or meat and make a
porridge. They are fond of sugar-cane and bananas. The former is crushed
and by adding a certain substance (lit., drug) is caused to ferment and is
made into wine. They have also the wei-pa^° (j^ g,) tree, whose pith
being taken out and the juice extracted yields wine. 25
The natives (of these countries) are strong fellows, but savage and of
a dark bronze colour. They wrap (a cloth round) their limbs and tattoo their
bodies. They cut their hair and go barefooted. They use no vessels in eating
or drinking; in their stead they bind leaves together, which are thrown away
when the meal is finished. •
As a standard of exchange the people use only pecks and pints of sago.
They do not know either how to write or how to count.
They erect stages with wooden poles stuck in the ground and reaching
to a height of twenty feet or more; on the top they build houses with walls
and roofs of the same type as those made by the Sin-t'o people. 35
The native products include sandal-wood, cloves, cardamoms, fancy
mats, foreign cotton cloth (^ ^), iron swords and other weapons.
Among these islands those of Tan-jung-wu-lo and Ma-li " are rather
30