Those
Who Have Said That The Land On The Coast Is Red, Have Not Well Observed
The Coats And Strands:
For generally on both, sides the land by the sea
is brown and very dark, as if scorched.
In some places it appears black
and in others white, and the sands are of these colours. In three places
only there are certain parts of the mountains having veins or streaks of
a red colour; and at these places the Portuguese had never been before
the present voyage. These three places are all far beyond Swakem
towards Suez, and the three hills having these red streaks or veins are
all of very hard rock, and all the land round about that we could see
are of the ordinary colour and appearance. Now, although substantially
the water of this sea has no difference in colour from that of other
seas, yet in many places its waves by accident seem very red, from the
following cause. From Swakem to Kossir, which is 136 leagues, the
sea is thickly beset with shoals and shelves or reefs, composed of
coral stone, which grows like clustered trees spreading its branches
on all sides as is done by real coral, to which this stone bears so
strong resemblance that it deceives many who are not very skilful
respecting the growth and nature of coral.
This coral stone is of two sorts, one of which is a very pure white,
and the other very red. In some places this coral stone is covered
by great quantities of green ouze or sleech, and in other places it is
free from this growth. In some places this ouze or sleech is very bright
green, and in others of an orange-tawny colour. From Swakem upwards,
the water of this sea is so exceedingly clear, that in many places the
bottom may be distinctly seen at the depth of 20 fathoms. Hence,
where-ever these shoals and shelves are, the water over them is of three
several colours, according to the colour of these rocks or shelves, red,
green, or white, proceeding from the colour of the ground below, as I
have many times experienced. Thus when the ground of the shoals is sand,
the sea over it appears white; where the coral-stone is covered with
green ouze or sleech, the water above is greener even than the weeds;
but where the shoals are of red coral, or coral-stone covered by red
weeds, all the sea over them appears very red. And, as this red
colour comprehends larger spaces of the sea than either the green or
the white, because the stone of the shoals is mostly of red coral, I
am convinced that on this account it has got the name of the Red Sea,
and not the green sea or the white sea, though these latter colours are
likewise to be seen in perfection.
The means I used for ascertaining this secret of nature were these. I
oftentimes fastened my bark upon shoals where the sea appeared red, and
commanded divers to bring me up stones from the bottom.
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