8o CHALLENGER 



These 'Pilots', as their official name is, give world coverage, des- 

 cribing the coasts, the approaches to ports and harbours and how 

 best these may be navigated, as well as some description of the 

 ports themselves and the facilities they provide. The description 

 of Muhammad Qol given in the Red Sea Pilot cannot be improved 

 upon: 



'The Village of Muhammad Qol, consisting chiefly of Arab huts, 

 lies on the north-western shore of a bight, about three miles 

 south-westward of the western extremity of Sararat ; there is a 

 conspicuous fort in this village, also a custom house. There is a 

 jetty in front of the village.' 



This, in fact, is a very full description of the extent and 

 amenities of this Sudanese seaport. 



Off the jetty were moored two of the dhows which are the 

 trading vessels of this part of the world; the anchors of these 

 craft had been hooked beneath the coral knobs on the sea-bed 

 by a member of the crew who had dived down for this purpose. 

 The huts of the village, rudely constructed of driftwood, corru- 

 gated iron and sacking, were stifling within ; only the thick walls 

 of the fort could provide the surveyors with shelter from the 

 burning sun at midday. Inside the fort were a few chairs and a 

 battered table, and two police camel saddles of complicated 

 design which appeared to have been little used in a country where 

 an old sack is considered saddle enough for a riding camel. Bats, 

 disturbed by the unexpected intrusion as the opening of the heavy 

 door admitted glaring daylight, fluttered helplessly out into the 

 sun and were easy prey for the black crows which were standing 

 about the sandy outskirts of the village. 



The tribesmen had long, woolly, unkempt hair, and carried 

 short camel sticks with which to guide their riding camels, great 

 light coloured beasts which lay around the well, groaning and 

 grumbling. 



The ship herself was much under way while surveying the 

 approaches to the port, encumbered as they were with shoals, 

 most of which did not appear on the existing chart. Normally, 

 such coral patches may be seen from the bridge or by a look-out 

 aloft, but a cloudy sky casts shadows upon the water which con- 

 fuse the observer. On such an afternoon Challenger was searching 

 for a sheltered anchorage on the west side of Mayatib Island; 



