THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 539 



The 28th, at five o'clock in the morning, we faw the 

 fmall ifland of Rafab ; at a quarter after fix we -palled be- 

 tween it and a large ifland called Camaran, where there is 

 a-Turkiih garrifon and town, and plenty of good water. 

 At twelve- we palled a low round ifland, 1 which feeiried to 

 confift of white fand. The weather being cloudy, I could 

 get no obfervation. Atone o'clock.we were. off. Cape Ifrael. 



As the weather was fair, and the wind" due north and 

 Heady, though little of it, my Rais faid that we had bettor 

 ftretch over to Azab, than run along the coaft in the direc- 

 tion we were now going, becaufe, fomewhere between Ho- 

 deida and Cape Nummel, there was foul ground, with which 

 he fhould not like to engage inthe night- Nothing could, 

 he more agreeable to me. For, though I knew the people: 

 of Azab were not to be trufted, yet there were two things 

 I thought I might accompliih, by being on my guard. The 

 one was, to learn what thofe ruins were that I had heard 

 fo much fpoken of in Egypt and at Jidda, and which are 

 fuppofed to have been works of the Queen of Sheba, whofe 

 country this was. The other was., to obtain the myrrh and 

 franki'icenfe-tree, which grow upon that coaft only, but: 

 neither of which had as yet been defcribed by any authors. 



At four o'clock we pafFed a dangerous lhoal, which is j 

 the one I fuppofe our Rais was afraid of If fo, he could not 

 have adopted a worfe meafure, than by ftretching over from 

 Cape Ifrael to Azab in the night; for, had the wind come 

 wefterly, as it foon after did, we fhould have probably been 

 on the bank ; as it was, we palled it fomething lefs than a 

 mile, the wind was north, and we were going at a great 

 rate. At fun-fet we faw Jibbel Zekir, with. three fmali 



iflands* . 



