34 o TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



have enlarged the crater on this fide. The ifland is four 

 miles from fouth to north, has a peek in form of a pyramid 

 in the middle of it, and is about a quarter of a mile high. 

 It defcends, equally, on both fides, to the fea; has four open- 

 ings at the top, which vent fmoke, and fometimes,in ftrong 

 foutherly winds it is faid to throw out fire. There was no 

 fuch appearance when we pafled it. The -^and is perfect- 

 ly defert, being covered with fulphur and pumice ftones. 



Some journals that I have {een are full of indraughts, 

 whirlpools, and unfathomable depths, all around this ifland; 

 I muft however take the liberty of faying to thefe gentle- 

 men, who are otherwife fo very fond of foundings as to 

 diftribute them all over the channel, that they have been 

 unfortunate in placing their unfathomable depths here, 

 and even foundings. It is probable thefe are occafioned 

 by the convulfions in the earth made by this volcano ; but 

 the only indraught we faw was a ftrong current fetting 

 northward, and there are foundings as far as three leagues 

 eaft of it, in $$ fathom water, with a fandy bottom. Between 

 this and the ifland Rafab you have foundings from 20 to $5 

 fathom, with fand and rocks ; and on the north-eaft fide you 

 have good anchoring, from a league's diftance, till within 

 a cable's length of the more, and there is anchorage five 

 leagues S. \V. by. \V. in twenty-five fathoms, and I believe 

 alfo, in the line from Loheia to Dahalac, the effects of the 

 convulfions of this vulcano. Such, at leaft, is the informa- 

 tion I procured at Mafuah from the pilots ufed to this na- 

 vigation in fearch of fulphur; fuch was the information al- 

 fo of my Rais, who went twice loaded with that comma* 

 dity to his own country at Mafcatte ; no other people go 

 there. Both Abyflinians and Arabians believe that this is- 



the 



