Saiél, Sunt. He answered, "Eh owah Saiél!" but being asked for the myrrh (mour), he said it was far up in the mountains, but would bring it to me if I would go to the town. Providence, however, had dealt more kindly with us in the moment than we expected. For, upon going ashore, out of eagerness to get the myrrh, I saw, not a quarter of a mile from us, sitting among the trees, at least thirty men armed with javelins, who all got up the moment they saw me landed. I called to the boatmen to set the boat afloat, which they immediately did, and I got quickly on board, near up to the middle in water; but as I went by the old man, I gave him so violent a blow upon the face with the thorny branch in my hand, that it felled him to the ground. The boy fled, and we rowed off; but, before we took leave of these traitors, we gave them a discharge of three blunderbusses, loaded with pistol-shot, in the direction where, in all probability, they were lying to see the boat go off. I directed the Rais to stand out towards Crabisland, and there being a gentle breeze from the shore, carrying an easy sail, we stood over upon Mocha town, to avoid some rocks, or islands, which, he said, were to the westward. While lying at Crab-island, I observed two stars to pass the meridian, and by them I concluded the latitude of that island to be 13° 2′ 45′′ north. The wind continuing moderate, but more to the southward, at three o'clock in the morning of the 3d, we passed Jibbel Ourèe, then Jibbel Zekir; and, having a steady gale, with fair and moderate weather, passing to the westward of the island Rasab, between that and some other islands to the north-east, where the wind turned contrary, we arrived at Loheia, the 6th, in the morning, being the third day from the time we quitted Azab. We found every thing well on our arrival at Loheia; but no word of Mahomet Gibberti, and I began now to be uneasy. The rains in Abyssinia were to cease the 6th of next month, September, and then was the proper time for our journey to Gondar. The only money in the country of the Imam *, is a small piece less than a sixpence, and by this the value of all the different denominations of foreign coin is ascertained. It has four names, Commesh, Loubia, Muchsota, and Harf; but the first of these is most commonly used. ས ་ This money is very base adulterated silver, if, indeed, there be any in it. It has the appearance of pewter; on the one side is written Olmass, the name of the Imam; on the other, Emir el Moumeneen, Prince of the Faithful, or True Believers; a title, first taken by Omar after the death of Abou Becr; and since borne by all the legitimate Caliphs. There are likewise Half-commeshes, and these are the smallest specie current in Yemen. When the Indian merchants, or vessels, are here, the fonducli is raised three commeshes more, though all specie is scarce in the Imam's country, notwithstanding the quantity continually brought hither for coffee, in silver patakas, that is dollars, which is the coin in which purchases of any amount are paid. *Arabia Felix, or Yemen. When they are to be changed into commeshes, the changer, or broker, gives you but 39 instead of 40, so he gains two and a half per cent. for all the money he changes, that is, by giving bad coin for good. The long measure in Yemen is the peek of Stamboul, as they call it; but, upon measuring it with a standard of a Stamboul peek, upon a brass rod made on purpose, I found it 26 inches, which is neither the Stambouline peek, the Hendaizy peek, nor the el Belledy peek. The peek of Stamboul is 23 inches, so this of Loheia is a distinct peek, which may be called Yemani*. The weights of Loheia are the rotolo, which are of two sorts, one of 140 drachms, and used in selling fine, the other 160 drachms, for ordinary and coarser goods. This last is divided into 16 ounces, each ounce into 10 drachms; 100 of these rotolos are a a kantar, or quintal. The quintal of Yemen, carried to Cairo, or Jidda, is 113 rotolo, because the rotolo of these places is 144 drachms. Their weights appear to be of Italian origin, and were probably brought hither when the Venetians carried on this trade.There is another weight, called faranzala, which I take to be the native one of the country. It is equal to 20 rotolo, of 160 drachms each. The customs, which at Mocha are three per cent. upon India goods, are five here, when brought directly from India; but all goods whatever, brought from Jidda by merchants, whether Turks or natives, pay seven per cent. at Loheia. Loheia is in lat. 15° 40′ 52′ north, and in long. 42° 58′ 15′′ east of the meridian of Greenwich.-The bar * That is, the Peek of Arabia Felix, or Yemen. ometer, at its highest on the 7th day of August, was 26° 9', and its lowest 26° 1', on the 30th of July.→ The thermometer, when at its highest, was 99° on the 30th of the same month, wind north-east; and its lowest was 81° on the 9th of August, wind south by east. On the 31st of August, at four o'clock in the morning, I saw a comet for the first time. The head of it was scarcely visible in the telescope, that is, its precise form, which was a pale indistinct luminous body, whose edges were not at all defined. Its tail extended full 20°. It seemed to be a very thin vapour, for through it I distinguished several stars of the fifth magnitude, which seemed to be increased in size. The end of its tail had lost all its fiery colour, and was very thin and white. I could distinguish no nucleus, nor any part that seemed redder or deeper than the rest; for all was a dim ill-defined spot. At 4hrs. 1' 24", on the morning of the 31st, it was distant 20° 40' from Rigel; its tail extended to three stars in Eridanus. The 1st of September Mahomet Gibberti arrived, bringing with him the firman for the Naybe of Masuah, and letters from Metical Aga to* Ras Michael. He also brought a letter to me, and another to Achmet, the Naybe's nephew, and apparent successor, from Sidi Ali Zimzimia, that is, the keeper of Ishmael's well at Mecca, called Zimzim.' In this letter, Sidi Ali desires me to put little trust in the Naybe, but to keep no secret from Achmet his nephew, who would certainly be my friend. . * Governor of the Province of Tigrè, in Abyssinia. CHAP. XIII. Sails for Masuah-Passes a Volcano-Comes to Dahalac-Troubled with a Ghost-Arrives at Masuah. All being prepared for our departure, we sailed from Loheia on the 3d of September, 1769, but the wind failing, we were obliged to warp the vessel out upon her anchor. The harbour of Loheia, which is by much the largest in the Red Sea, is now so shallow, and choked up, that, unless by a narrow canal through which we enter and go out, there is no where three fathom of water, and in many places not half that depth. This is the case with all the harbours on the east-coast of the Red Sea, while those on the west are deep, without any banks or bars before them, which is probably owing, as I have already said, to the violence of the north-west winds, the only constant strong winds to be met with in this Gulf. These occasion strong currents to set in upon the east-coast, and heap up the sand and gravel, which is blown in from Arabia. All next day, the 4th, we were employed at warping out our vessel against a contrary wind. The 5th, at three quarters past five in the morning, we got under sail with little wind. At half past nine, Loheia bore east north-east about four leagues distant; and here we came in sight of several small, barren, and uninhabited islands. Booarish bore south-west two miles off; Zebid one mile and a half distant, east and by north; Amar, the smallest of all, one mile south; and Ormook, south-east by east two miles. |