THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 



33$ 



they mould fall to the eaflward of this ifland, they will- 

 have good anchorage, from nine to eighteen fathoms wa- 

 ter ; the bottom being good fand, between the town and 

 the white rock Baida. 



Having fupplied our great and material want of water, 

 we all repaired on board in the evening of the 7th ; we 

 then found ourfelves unprovided with another neceflary, 

 namely fire ; and my people began to remember how cold 

 our ftomachs were from the drammock at Babelmandeb. 

 Firewood is a very fcarce article in the Red Sea. It is, never- 

 thelefs, to be found in fmall quantities, and in fuch only it 

 is ufed. Zimmer, an ifland to the northward, was known 

 to afford fome ; but, from the time I had landed at Fooflit, 

 on the 6th, a trouble of a very particular kind had fallen 

 upon our veilel, of which I had no account till I had return- 

 ed on board, 



An Abyffinian, who had died on board, and who had 

 been buried upon our coming out from Loheia bay, had 

 been feen upon the boltfprit for two nights, and had ter- 

 rified the failors very much ; even the Rais had been 

 not a little alarmed ; and, though he could not directly 

 fay that he had feen him, yet, after I was in bed on the 7th, 

 he complained ferioufly to me of the bad confequences it 

 would produce if a gale of wind was. to rife, and the ghofl 

 was to keep his place there, and defired me to come forward 

 and fpeak to him. " My good Rais," faid I, " I am exceedingly 

 tired, and my head achs much with the fun, which hath 

 been violent to-day. You know the Abyfiinian paid for his* 

 paffage, and, if he does not overload the fhip, (and I appre- 

 hend he mould be lighter than when we tookhim on board) 



4 I do 



