Commendation of the Island of Barateue. we happened vpon no place (Ternate onely excepted) wherein we found more comforts and better meanes of refreshing.
Iaua Maior. At our departure from Barateue, we set our course for Iaua maior, where arriuing, we found great courtesie, and honourable entertainment. This Island is gouerned by 5. Kings, whom they call Raiah: as Raiah Donaw, and Raiah Mang Bange, and Raiah Cabuccapollo, which liue as hauing one spirite, and one minde.
Of these fiue we had foure a shipboord at once, and two or three often.
Red and greene clothes much esteemed. They are wonderfully delighted in coloured clothes, as red and greene: their vpper parts of their bodies are naked, saue their heads, whereupon they weare a Turkish roll, as do the Maluccians: from the middle downward they weare a pintado of silke, trailing vpon the ground, in colour as they best like.
The manners of the people of Iaua. The Maluccians hate that their women should bee seene of strangers: but these offer them of high courtesie, yea the kings themselues.
The people are of goodly stature, and warlike, well prouided of swords and targets, with daggers, all being of their owne worke, and most artificially done, both in tempering their mettall, as also in the forme, whereof we bought reasonable store.
They haue an house in euery village for their common assembly: euery day they meete twise, men, women, and children, bringing with them such victuals as they thinke good, some fruites, some rice boiled, some hennes roasted, some sagu, hauing a table made 3. foote from the ground, whereon they set their meate, that euery person sitting at the table may eate, one reioycing in the company of another.
A strange fashion of boyling rice. They boyle their rice in an earthen pot, made in forme of a sugar loafe, being ful of holes, as our pots which we water our gardens withall, and it is open at the great ende, wherein they put their rice drie, without any moisture. In the meane time they haue ready another great earthen pot, set fast in a fornace, boiling full of water, whereinto they put their pot with rice, by such measure, that they swelling become soft at the first, and by their swelling stopping the holes of the pot, admit no more water to enter, but the more they are boiled, the harder and more firme substance they become, so that in the end they are a firme and good bread, of the which
