For you've got to take into account," says he, "adverse winds, roundabout turns to avoid currents, possible delays to have the ship scraped free from the parasite life that does be attaching itself to the strakes, time spent in barter and trade.

Other matters, too; the attacks of pirates; cross-grained princes who don't want you to be leaving their ports with a good cargo in your hold; sickness; loss of sails and masts; repairs to the ship.

It wasn't a short journey and it wasn't a long one." "It will be a long ways to China, I'm thinking." "I can tell you how long it is from China to here, and you can reverse that, and you will get a fair idea of how long it is from here to China.

I left Zeitoon with a cargo of porcelain for Japan, and traded it for gold-dust, and from Japan I went to Chamba to lay in a store of chessmen and pen-cases.

And from Chamba I sailed to Java, which is the greatest island in the world.