and it hath a good entrie. From this riuer Marannon, vnto the riuer which is called The sea of fresh water, are 25 leagues: this riuer hath 40 leagues of bredth at the mouth, and carieth such abundance of water that it entreth more then 20 leagues into the Sea, and mingleth not it selfe with the salt water: this bredth goeth 25 leagues within the land, and after it is diuided into partes, the one going toward the Southeast, and the other towards the Southwest. That which goeth towards the Southeast is very deepe and of much water, and hath a channel half a league of bredth, that a Carack may goe vp through it: and the tydes be so swift, that the ships haue need of good cables. The riuer of this port is very good, and there haue bene some that haue entred 50 leagues within it, and haue seene no mountaines. The Indians of this countrey haue their lips made full of small holes in 4 parts, and through those holes be put small rings, and likewise at their eares: and if any man ask of them where they had their gold, they answer, that going vp by the riuer so many dayes iourney, they found certaine mountaines that had much of it, and from those mountaines they brought it when they would haue it, but they made no great account of it, for they neither buy nor sell, and amongst them is nothing but change. In this countrey they eate bread of rootes, and Maiz, and they eate certaine rootes which they call Aies and Batatas, but the Batatas bee better then the other rootes, and being rawe they haue a smell of Chestnuts: they are to be eaten rosted. These Indians doe make wine of the fruit of Date-trees, which fruit is yellow in colour, and is as great as a little Doues egge, and being in season is good to be eaten, and of it proceedeth good wine, and is preserued for a long time. These kinde of people do make their houses with vpper roomes, and they sleepe in them, as also al their habitation is in the vpper roomes, and that which is belowe, they leaue open: and also they vse certaine mantels of cotten wooll, and these they tie at the endes with ropes, and the one ende of the rope they make fast to one part of the house, and the other ende to the other part of the house: and in these they lye, which bee their beddes, and these kinde of beds bee vsed in all India, and there is not in any part of India any chambers that the people do vse to lodge in aloft from the ground, nor they make any hie roomes, but only in this part of India: and in al other places they make their houses without any loftes or chambers, and they couer their houses with the leaues of date-trees, and of
