There Are Many Shoals Interspersed Among These
Islands, But There Is A Channel Through Among Them, Through Which
Gallies And Rowing Vessels May Pass At Full Sea.
This island of Massua,
with all the coast from Cape Guardafu to Swakem, was only a short
time before
Under the dominion of Prester John; but within these few
years the king or sheikh of Dallac hath usurped it, and resides there
the greater part of the year, because of the trade which he carries on
with the Abyssinians, from whom he procures great quantities of gold and
ivory. In the months of May and June, in consequence of excessive calm
weather, the air of this island is exceedingly intemperate and
unhealthy; at which season the sheikh and the other inhabitants go all
to Dallac, leaving Massua entirely empty. All the coast of the bay of
Massua on the main-land is extremely mountainous, till you come to a
place called Arkiko[278] by the sea-side, where there are many wells
of water, where the coast is more clear and open, with many fields and
plains. Arkiko is about a league from Massua to the south, and through
all these mountains and fields there are many wild beasts, as elephants,
tygers, wolves, wild boars, stags, and elks, besides others not known to
us; whence Massua was called Ptolomaida of the wild beasts, which is
farther confirmed, as the latitude of Massua is the same as that
assigned to Ptolomaida[279].
[Footnote 278:
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