206 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER: 



about three miles from the more, of an oval form, rifing 

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

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

 has been tranilated 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 Jibbel Zumrud, and that word has been 

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

 fmce 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 

 chryftaline fubllance ; 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 Zumrud,. 



The 16th, at day-break in the morning, Itook the Arab 

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

 point perfectly defert; at-firft, fandy like CofTeir, afterwards,, 

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

 or abfmthium. We advanced above three miles farther in 

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

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

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

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

 do not underftand 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 -Signifies- a male acacia- 

 tree ; merely becaufe he faw an acacia growing there; and, 



with 



