His Excellency the Ambassador leaves Caphà, and after crossing the Mar Maggiore, reaches Fasso; then passing Mengrelia, Giorgiana, and part of Armenia, arrives at the country of Ussuncassan.
I cannot give many particulars concerning the town of Caphà, as I remained indoors nearly all the time I was there, that I might not be seen; but I will mention what little I saw and heard. The town is situated on the Mar Maggiore; it is very mercantile, with a numerous population composed of natives of every nation, and has the reputation of being very wealthy. While there, as it was my intention to go to Fasso, I hired a ship lying in the Sea of Zabacche, of which was master Antonio di Valdata, and I had to ride on horseback to this ship to complete the engagement. When I had concluded the business, a proposal was made to me by an Armenian named Morach, who had been to Rome and who acted as ambassador to Ussuncassan, and another old Armenian, to the effect that, instead of going, as was my intention, to Fasso, I should go to another place named Tina, about a hundred miles from Trebizond, and belonging to the Turk, and that, as soon as we had landed, we should take horses, and I was promised that, in four hours, I should be taken to the castle of a certain Ariam, who was a subject of Ussuncassan, giving me also to understand that at Tina there was only a castle belonging to Greeks, in which I should certainly be placed in safety. This project did not please me in any way; but I was so persuaded by the consul and his brother, that I consented to it, although against my will.
On the 3rd of June, 1474, we left Caphà, accompanied by the consul, and, the next day arrived at the place where the ship I had hired was lying. I had engaged to pay seventy ducats for our passage; but, as we had altered our course I was obliged to pay a hundred. And, as I was informed that there were no horses at the place at which we intended landing, I took nine on board for the use of the guides, and also to enable us to carry provisions through Mengrelia and Giorgiania.
On the 15th, the horses being embarked, we set sail and entered the Mar Maggiore; and, then bending our course towards the said Tina, sailed with a favourable wind. Having sailed about twenty miles, however, without seeing that place, the wind veered to the east, contrary to us while we kept on the same course. Having noticed that the sailors were talking together, and wishing to know the subject of their conversation, I was told that they were willing to do whatever I wished, but was assured that Tina was a very dangerous place. Hearing this, and seeing that it appeared as though our Lord God did not wish me to come to harm, I determined to make for Leati and Fasso; and having come to this determination, the weather became favourable shortly afterwards, and we sailed with good winds.
On the 29th, we reached Varti, and as the horses were out of condition, I had them put on shore and sent to Fasso,[154] a distance, I was told, of sixty miles. At this place a certain Bernardino, the brother of our captain, came on board, who, hearing that we had intended to go to Tina, said that, if we had done so, we should all have been taken as slaves, as he knew for certain that that place was frequented by a Sobassi with many horsemen, who acted according to their usual custom. Returning thanks to God, we left this place. Varti, in Mengrelia, consists of a castle surrounded by a town of small extent, and belongs to a lord named Gorbola. There is another town on the Mar Maggiore, of little importance, called Caltichea, trading in silks, canvass, and wax, of little value, and the people of every condition are very miserable.
On the 1st of July, 1474, we arrived at the mouth of the Fasso, and a boat came alongside filled with Mengrelians, who behaved like madmen. Leaving the ship, we went, in this boat, to the mouth of the river, where there is an island over which, it is said, reigned King Areta, the father of the poisoner Medea. We slept there that night and were annoyed by so many gnats that we could scarcely guard against them.
On the morning of the 2nd, we went up the river in the boats of the country to a city called Asso, situated on the river and surrounded by woods. The river is as wide as two shots of a crossbow. When we had landed at the city I found a certain Nicolò Capello da Modone, who had settled there and become a Mahometan; a Circassian woman, named Marta, who was the slave of a Genoese; and a Genoese, who was also settled and married there. I lodged with the woman Marta, who certainly treated me well, and staid till the 4th. Fasso belongs to the Mengrelians, whose chief is named Bendian. He has not much territory, as it may be traversed in three days, and consists principally of woods and mountains. The men are brutal, and shave their heads after the fashion of minor friars. There are stone quarries in the country, and a little corn and wine is also produced, but of no great value. The men live miserably on millet made hard like polenta, and the women fare more miserably still; and were it not for a little wine and salt fish imported from Trebisond, and salt from Capha, they would be very badly off. They produce canvas and wax, but in small quantities. If they were industrious they might procure as much fish as they required from the river. They are Christians, and worship according to the rites of the Greek Church, but they have many heresies.
On the 4th, we left Fasso with the above-mentioned Nicolò Capello as guide, and crossed a river named Mazo in a boat.