In The Space Between
Salaka And Ras-Al-Dwaer, But Nearer To The Latter, There Are Three
Islands Forming A Triangle, The Largest Of Which Is Called Magarzawn,
About Two Leagues Long And Very High Ground, But Has No Water.
This
island bears N. and S. with Ras-al-Dwaer distant three leagues.
The
second island lies considerably out to sea, and is called Al Mante,
and is high land without water; the third island is all sand and quite
low, being four leagues from Salaka towards Ras-al-Dwaer, but I did
not learn its name.
[Footnote 294: Meaning perhaps the sandy point near Ras-al-Dwaer. This
paragraph is very obscure, and seems to want something, omitted perhaps
by the abbreviator. - Astl.]
On the 2d of April 1541, casting loose from the before-mentioned shoal,
which is 43 leagues beyond Swakem, we rowed along the coast, and
entered a river called Farate, about four leagues from the shoal;
whence setting our sails we got into a fine haven a league from thence
called Kilfit. All this day we saw no rocks to landward, but there was
a shoal to seaward. Farate is a large and fair river, the mouth of
which is in lat. 21 deg.40' N. Its mouth is formed by two low points about a
gun-shot apart, from each of which a shoal stretches towards the middle,
where only there is any passage. The river runs from the west to the
east, having very low land on both sides, without either tree or shrub
or bush of any kind. At the entrance it is 30 fathoms deep, and from
thence diminishes to 18 fathoms. Kilfit is a fine harbour and very
safe, as when once in, no wind whatever need be feared. There are at the
entry two very low points bearing N.W. 1/4 N. and S.E. 1/4 S. distant
near a quarter of a league. It is rather more than three leagues in
circuit, and every part of it is safe anchorage, having 12 fathoms water
throughout; the shore is however rocky. This harbour is rather more than
a league from the river of Farate, between which is a range of
mountains, one of which is higher than the others. We left Kilfit on
the 3d, an hour before day, and rowed along the coast till an hour
before sunset, when we anchored in a haven called Ras al Jidid, or the
new cape, about nine leagues from Kilfit. This day we saw a few shoals
to seawards, but fewer than before. Two leagues from Kilfit there is a
very good haven named Moamaa; and from the point of the shrubs to
another very long sandy point, about two leagues distant, before the
port of Ras-al-Jidid, the coast runs N. and S. with a small deviation
to the N.W. and S.E. the distance being about three and a half
leagues[295]. Ras-al-Jidid[296] is a small but very pleasant haven, 57
leagues beyond Swakem, and so exactly circular that it resembles a great
cauldron. There are two points at its entrance bearing N. and S. and on
the inside the eastern winds only can do harm. All the ground is very
clean, having 18 fathoms at the mouth and 13 within; and half a league
inland there is a well of water, though not very plentiful, and
bitterish. This port is a large half league in circuit. It is a
singularity in all the rivers or harbours which I have seen on this
coast, that they have no bars or banks at their mouths, which are
generally deeper than within. On the land round this port, I found
certain trees which in their trunk and bark resembled cork-trees, but
very different in all other respects. Their leaves were very large,
wonderfully thick, and of a deep green, crossed with large veins. They
were then in flower, and their flowers in the bud resembled the flowers
of the mallow when in that state: But such as were opened were white,
and like the white cockle. On cutting a bough or leaf there run out a
great stream of milk, as from the dug of a goat. On all this coast I saw
no other trees, except a grove a little beyond Massua, in some marshy
ground near the sea. Besides these trees, there are some valleys inland
producing a few capers, the leaves of which are eaten by the Moors, who
say they be appropriate to the joynts. On the 4th of April, from
sunrise till eleven o'clock, the wind blew a storm from the N.W. after
which there was much and loud thunder, accompanied with hail, the stones
being the largest I ever saw. With the thunder the wind veered about to
every point of the compass, and at last it settled in the north. This
day I carried my instruments on shore, when I found the variation 1-1/4
degree north-east[297], and the latitude by many observations 22 deg. N.
Though these observations were made on shore with great care, so that I
never stirred the instrument when once set till the end of my
observations, I am satisfied there must be some error; because the great
heat cracked the plate of ivory in the middle, so that there remained a
great cleft as thick as a gold portague. On the 6th, an hour before
day, we weighed from the port of Ras-al-Jidid, and advanced about
three and a half leagues. The 7th in the morning, the wind blew fresh at
N.W. and we rowed to the shore, where at eight o'clock we fastened our
barks to certain stones of a shoal or reef, lying before a long point
which hereafter I shall name Starta. We went in this space about three
leagues. About noon we made sail and proceeded in our voyage, but in no
small doubts, as we saw on both sides of our course a prodigious number
of shelves; we were therefore obliged to take in our sails and use our
oars, by means of which we came about sunset to a good haven named
Comol, in which we anchored.
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