p.o6. TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



about three miles from the ihore, of. an oval form, riling 

 in the middle. It feems to mt to be of granite ; and is cal- 

 led, in the language of the country, jibbel Siberget, which 

 has been traniiated the Mountain of Emeralds. . Siberget, how- 

 ever, is a word in the language of the Shepherds, who, I 

 doubt, never in their lives faw an emerald ; and though the 

 Arabic translation is Jilbd Zumrud, and that word has been 

 transferred to the emerald, a very fine ftone, oftener feen 

 iince the difcovery of the new world, yet I very much 

 doubt, that either Siberget or Zumrud ever meant Emerald in 

 old times. My reafon is this, that we. found, both here and: 

 in the Continent, fplinters, and pieces of green pellucid 

 chryilaline fubftance ; yet, though green, they were veiny, 

 clouded, and not at all fo hard as rock-cryftal ; a mineral 

 production certainly, but a little harder than glafs, and this, 

 I apprehend, was what the Shepherds, or people of Beja, cal- 

 led Siberget, the Latins Smaragdus, and the Moors Zummd. 



The i 6th, at day-break in the morning, I took the Arab 

 of Coffeir with me, who knew the place. We landed on a 

 point perfectly defert ; at firft, fandy like Coffeir, afterwards, 

 where the foil was fixed, producing forne few plants of rue 

 or abfinthium. . We advanced above three miles farther in 

 a perfectly defert country, with only a few acacia-trees Scat- 

 tered here and there, and came to the foot of the mountains. 

 I afked my guide the name of that place ; he laid it was 

 Saiel. They are never at a lofs for a name, and thofe who 

 do not underfland the language, always believe them. This 

 would have been the cafe in the prefent conjuncture. He 

 knew not the name of the place, and perhaps it had no 

 name, but he called it Saiel, which fignifies a male acacia- 

 trce ; merely becaufe he faw an acacia growing there ; and, . 



with 



