30' N. At This Time We Were Abreast Of A Very Long
Point Of Sand Projecting From The Main-Land.
After doubling this point,
we found the sea very free, and sailed N.W. and by W. One hour after
noon we came to a haven called Marate.
All the coast on our left hand
during this day stretched N.N.W. and S.S.E. the land by the sea shore
being very low with not even a hillock; but within the land the
mountains rise to such a height that they seem to reach the clouds.
Marate is a very low desert island and without water, 66 leagues
beyond Massua, of a roundish figure, and a league and a half in circuit.
It is about three leagues from the main, and on the S.W. side which
fronts the Ethiopean coast it has a very good harbour, safe in all
winds, especially those from the eastern points; as on this side two
long points stretch out from the island east and west, one quarter N.W.
and S.E. between which the land straitens much on both sides, forming a
very great and hollow bosom or bay, in the mouth and front of which
there is a long and very low island, and some sands and shoals, so that
no sea can come in. This haven has two entries, one to the east and the
other to the west, both near the points of the island which form the
harbour. The channel on the east stretches N. and S. one quarter N.W.
and S.E. having three fathoms water in the shallowest place, after which
it immediately deepens, and within the haven we have four and five
fathoms near the shore, with a mud bottom. During the night the wind was
from the east, but less than in the day, and we rode at anchor all
night.
[Footnote 285: The particular enumeration comes only to 46 vessels, so
that the number of 64 in the text seems an oversight or
transposition. - E.]
At sunrise on the 23d of February, we set sail from the island and port
of Marate, finding seven fathom water and a sandy bottom[286]. At
eleven o'clock we came to two small islands far to seawards, one called
Darata and the other Dolcofallar[287], from whence to Swakem is a
days sail. From noon we sailed N.W. by W. till even-song time, when we
entered the channel of Swakem, in which, after sailing a league N.W.
we had certain shoals a-head, on which account we altered our course to
W. one quarter N.W. and sometimes W. to keep free of these shoals. We
continued in this course about three leagues, till we saw a great island
a-head of us, when we immediately tacked towards the land, and came to
an anchor between certain great shoals of stone or sunken rocks,
forming a good harbour named Xabaque[288], which in the Arabic means a
net. It might be an hour before sunset when we came to anchor. This day
my pilot took the sun at noon, and found our latitude scarce 19 deg.
N[289]. The shoals of Swakem are so many and so intermingled, that no
picture or information were sufficient to understand them, much less to
sail through among them; the islands, shoals, banks, rocks, and channels
are so numerous and intricate. At the entrance among these shoals, there
is to seaward a shoal under water on which the sea breaks very much, and
to landward a small island, these two ranging N.E. and S.W. a quarter
more E. and W. the distance between being three quarters of a league.
Immediately on entering, the channel seemed large and spacious, and the
farther we advanced so much more to seaward there appeared to us an
infinite number of very flat islands, shoals, sand-banks and rocks, that
they could not be reckoned. Towards the land side these were not so
numerous; but it is the foulest and most unnavigable channel that ever
was seen, in comparison with any other sea. What ought chiefly to be
attended to in this channel, is always to keep nearer to the shoals that
are to seawards, and as far as possible from those to landward. The
breadth of this channel in some places is about half a league, in others
a quarter, and in others less than a gun-shot. In the entry to this
channel we had six fathoms, and from thence to the port of Shabak
never less, and never more than 12. From the beginning of the shoals to
Shabak may be about five leagues, and their whole length eight or
nine. We have then another channel, more secure for ships and great
vessels; and we may likewise pass these shoals leaving them all to
seaward, going very close to the main-land, which is the best and most
pleasant way.
[Footnote 286: Perhaps this refers to the west channel of the harbour,
though not so expressed in the text. - E.]
[Footnote 287: Named Daratata and Dolkefallar in Astley.]
[Footnote 288: More properly Shabak. - Ast.]
[Footnote 289: Purchas in a side-note makes this the latitude of the
harbour of Xabaque; but it is obvious that they had sailed a long way
between noon, when the altitude was taken, and an hour before sunset,
when they entered the harbour. - E.]
On the 24th, at sunrise, we set sail from the port of Shabak, and
rowed by so narrow a channel that our fleet had to follow each other in
single line a-head, being only about a cross-bow shot over in the widest
parts. In this narrow channel we were never more than a cannon shot from
the main-land, and sometimes little more than a cross-bow shot; having
shoals, rocks and banks on every side of us, all under water, yet we had
always sufficient indications to avoid them; as wherever they lay, the
water over them appeared very red or very green, and where neither of
these colours appeared we were sure of the clearest channel, the water,
being there dark.
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