THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 333 



The inhabitants of Dahalac feemed to be a fimple, fear- 

 ful, and inoffenfive people. It is the only part of Africa, or 

 Arabia, (call it which you pleafc) where you fee no one 

 carry arms of any kind; neither gun, knife, nor fword, is 

 to be feen in the hands of any one. Whereas, at Loheia, 

 and on all the coaft of Arabia, and more particularly at 

 Yambo, every perfon goes armed ; even the porters, naked, 

 and groaning under the weight of their burden, and heat 

 of the day, have yet a leather belt, in which they carry a 

 crooked knife, fo monftrouily long, that it needs a particu- 

 lar motion and addrefs in walking, not to lame the bearer. 

 This was not always the cafe at Dahalac ; feveral of the Por- 

 tuguefe, on their firft arrival here, were murdered, and the 

 ifland often treated ill, in revenge, by the armaments of that 

 nation. The men leem healthy. They told me they had 

 no difeafes among them, unlefs fometimes in Spring, when 

 the boats of Yemen and Jidda bring the fmall-pox among 

 them, and very few efcape with life that are infected. I could 

 not obferve a man among them that feemed to be fixty 

 years old, from which I infer, they are not long livers, 

 though the air mould be healthy, as being near the chan- 

 nel, and as they have the north wind all fummer, which 

 moderates the heat. 



Of all the iflands we had paffed on this fide the channel, 

 Dahalac alone is inhabited. It depends, as do all the reft, 

 upon Mafuah, and is conferred by a firman from the Grand 

 Signior, on the Baflia of Jidda; and, from him, on Metical 

 Aga, then on the Naybe and his fervants. The prefent go- 

 vernor's name was Hagi Mahomet Abd el cader, of whom 

 I have before fpoken, as having failed from Jidda to Mafuah 

 before me, where he did me all the dif-fervice in his power, 



Vox.. I. Y y and 



