‘The perillous and most unhappy voyages of John Struys, through Italy, Greece, Lifeland, Moscovia, Tartary, Media, Persia, East-India, Japan, and other places in Europe, Africa and Asia. Containing, I. Most accurate remarks and observations of the distinct qualities, religion, politie, customs, laws and properties of the inhabitants: II. A due description of the several cities, towns, forts and places of trust, as to their site and strength, fortifications by nature, or art, &c. with other things worthy of note: and III. An exact memorial of the most disastrous calamities which befell the author in those parts (viz) by ship-wrack, robberies, slavery, hunger, tortures, with other incommodities and hardships’ [‎346] (419/470)

346 The Voyages of S trujs. V oy. UI .
M^Tt, On the 19 we travailed through a molt pleafant Valley , where
1672 'we faw many Boors Cottages and great groves of Date-trees, on the
right hand and on the left/ We called at a Boors houfe and would
have bought of them fom Milk, but the People would take no Money
for it. They afked me from whence I came j 1 told them from
scamachy •, but that being a place they had never heard of in their
lives, afked me further if that were as far as ifpahm , 1 told them it
was more than twice as far, at which they greatly wondred thinking
that I muft needs com from the urmoft bounds of the World, thefc
being a poor ignorant People and never travail farther than their
Market Town,which is a little Grange in the Valley, and never heard
tell of any Countrey than their own j in {hort they would have had
me to ftay longer with them, but my Time was too precious to fpend
in anfwering all they would have afked me. At night we came to the
City Laar . where we took up our Refting place m the Dutch Lodge,
where we found very good Convenience, and only an old Man and
a Woman to look to the Houfe and aikft the , who were
fet there by the Company. Here I got the Chefts and Cafes repaired
that were broken and endamaged, by the often falling of the Camels
thro the rocky way.
Laar or Lar is a pretty big Town > but has no Walls to refifl: or
endure a ftrong liege, fave only fuch as are made of Bricks that are
dry'd in the Sun, but is reafonably ftrong in refpeft of its Scifuation,
as well as for the Fort or Caftle, which is built upon a Hill on the
North-fide, the Walls thereof are of folid ftone, and the Fort it
felf fo feated that it can command the whole Town, having one nar
row Paflage to enter it , which is very fteep: itisiupplyed withfeve-
ral pieces of great Ordnance, which the King fent hither from ,
when by the help of the he took that City in. About
grojv abundance of Date-trees , but no Wine , and by real on tiiat
they have no Commerce or Traffic abroad but poor, muft fupply
themfelvs with Water, which, as well as the Air hereabout, is very
unwholfom, infomuch that many times Strangers who are to make
__ ufe of it for want of Wine fall fick, and are tormented with a fmall
Worm, but long, which breeds between the Skin and the Flefh, and
cannot be taken out without great pain. They fliow'd me one that
was above < Foot lone, and not io thick as an ordinary Goos-quul.
T he