sxS TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



This account was brought by Sidi Ali el Meymoum el 

 Shehrie, which fignifies * Ali, the ape or monkey, from 

 Sheher.* For though he was a faint, yet being in figure liker 

 to a monkey, they thought it proper to diftinguifh him by 

 that to which he bore the greateft refemblance. 



We were all heartily lick of CoiTeir embarkations, but the 

 veiTel of Sidi Ali el Meymoum, tho' fmall, was tight and well- 

 rigged ; had fails of canvas, and had navigated in the In- 

 dian Ocean ; the Rais had four flout men on board, appa- 

 rently good failors ; he himfelf, though near fixty, was a 

 very active, vigorous little man, and to the full as good a 

 failor as he was a faint. It was on the 5th of April, after ha- 

 ving made my lafc obfervation of longitude at Cofleir, that 

 I embarked on board this veilel, and failed from that port. 

 It was neceifary to conceal from fome of my fervants our 

 intention of proceeding to the bottom of the Gulf, leaft, 

 finding themfelves among Chriftians fo near Cairo, they 

 might defert a voyage of which !they were lick, before it 

 was well begun. 



For the firft two days we had hazy weather, with little 

 wind. In the evening, the wind fell calm. We faw a high 

 land to the fouth-weft of us, very rugged and broken, which 

 feemed parallel to the coaft, and higher in the middle than 

 at either end. This, we conceived, was the mountain that 

 divides the coaft of the Red Sea from the eaftern part of the 

 Valley of Egypt, correfponding to Monfalout and Siout. 

 We brought to, in the night, behind a fmall low Cape, tho* 

 •the wind was fair, our Rais being afraid of the Jaflateen 

 Mauds, which we knew were not far a- head. 



We 



