"down thb coast." 291 



" sea-pies," which abound here. Some remain all the year round, 

 and probably breed on the sandhills of the shore to our left. 



Further out, a flock of ducks are wheeling over the water as if 

 looking where to alight, and they pass near enough to be recog- 

 nised by the white wing-mark as " White-eyed Pochards," the 

 commonest sea-duck hereabouts. By this time we have poled out of 

 the creek against the tide, and set our sail to a light land breeze, 

 which wants the help of oars to move the boat, and will presently 

 die away in " cat's paws." 



But by this time we are well clear of bank and reef, and have 

 already found the ebb tide running down the coast at the rate of 

 nearly three knots an hour; and this, with our oars, carries us down 

 some six miles, till we pass within half a mile of the fortified point 

 mentioned before. 



This is Korlai, or " Castle Curlew," once known as the " Morro 

 of Chaui" to the Portuguese, who took it by storm from the kings 

 of Ahmednagar, pulled it down, and rebuilt it. Inside and north 

 of it we can see the opening of a great creek, full of native shipping, 

 and flanked on the otber (north) side by an extensive European 

 fortification. This is the Agarkot, or "garden fort" of Rewadanda, 

 once a walled town crowded with palaces, convents, and the other 

 incidents of Portuguese colonization. It now contains little beyond 

 nuts and trees, mostly cocoanut palms, which hang over the ruinous 

 ramparts. Only one tall Franciscan tower shows itself above the 

 palms, a mere shell, and covered with vegetation, but still erect. 



A fishing boat running for the port answers our hail with a yell of 

 " Waghade"= a Tigerlings," which is rather good news, as these 

 are not named from their vice, but from their stripes, and are, in 

 fact, Mackerel (Scomber microlepidotns) . 



They are not so large as the English ones, but quite equal in 

 quality, if properly cooked while fresh, and we can have more than 

 enough for our whole ship's company for a rupee. By way of 

 variety, we take the change in sardines, which are commonly in season 

 here along with the mackerel, and much better than the tinned article. 

 Our cooks mostly know how to treat them a Vhuile, which is the 

 classic method ; but at present they may go on to the gridiron along 

 with the mackerel, and, just in time, the forenoon calm of the tropic 

 coast gives way to the sea-breeze and the oars can be got in, which 

 leaves space for getting breakfast ready, as we run down the shore 

 of Little Ethiopia ( Habsau ). 



