30:20
Read the excerpt from chapter 8 of The Travels of Marco
Polo.
What indicates that the author's purpose is to inform
readers about travel south of Madagascar and Zanzibar?
I should add that ships cannot sail to the other islands
that lie farther south, beyond Madagascar and Zanzibar,
because the current sets so strongly towards the south
that they would have little chance of returning. Therefore
they do not venture to go. You may note that ships
coming from Maabar to this island make the voyage in
twenty days, whereas the return trip takes them all of
three months; and this is due to the continual southward
set of the current. It flows in the same direction the all
time-southward, ever southward. These more southerly
islands, which men do not willingly visit because of this
southward drift, are very numerous, and it is said that
they are inhabited by gryphon birds, which make their
appearance here at certain seasons of the year.
The author shares facts and specific details about the
difficulty of sailing in the region.
The author tells a dramatic story about ships having
difficulty sailing in the region
The author expresses nervousness about the animals
living in the region.
The author wants to discourage readers from trying to
sail in the region.