THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 3^9' 



The 28th, at five o'clock in the morning, we faw the 

 fmall illand of Rafab ; at a quarter after fix \vc palled be- 

 tween it and a: large illand called Camanan, where there is 

 a Turkiih garrifon and town, and plenty of good water. 

 At twelve we palled a low round illand, which feemed to 

 confilt of white fand. The weather being cloudy, I could 

 get no obfervation. At one o'clock-we were off Cape Ifrael. 



As the weather was fair, and the wind due north and 

 Heady, though little. of it, my Rais laid that w^e had better 

 ftretch over to Azab, than run along the coaft in the direc- 

 tion we were now? going, becaufe, fomewhere between Ho- 

 deida and Cape Nummel, there was foul ground, with which 

 he mould not like to engage in the night. Nothing could 

 be more agreeable to me. For, though I knew the people 

 of Azab were not to be fruited, yet there were two things 

 I thought I might accomplifh, by being on my guard. The 

 one was, to learn what thofe ruins were thatT had heard 

 fo much fpoken of in Egypt and at Jidda, and which are 

 fuppofed to have been works of the Queen of Shcba,whofe 

 country this was. The other was, to obtain the myrrh and 

 frankincenfe-tree, which grow upon that coaft only, but 

 neither of which had as yet been defcribed by any author. - 



At four o'clock we pane d a dangerous fh'oal, which is 

 the one I fuppofe our Rais was afraid of If fo,he could not 

 have adopted a worfe meafure, than by ftretching over from 

 Cape Ifrael to Azab in the night; for, had the wind come 

 weiterly, as it foon after did, we mould have probably been 

 on the bank ; as it was, we palled it fomething lefs than a 

 mile, the wind was north, and we were going at a great 

 rate. At fun^fet we faw Jibbel Zekir, with three fmr.M 



illands, 



