« S o TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



fand, mixed with fhells and other marine productions. It 

 is deftitute of all forts of herbage, at leaft in fummer, unlefs 

 a fmall quantity of bent grafs, jufl fufficient to feed the few 

 antelopes and goats that are on the ifland. There is a very 

 beautiful fpecies of this laft animal found here, fmall, fhort- 

 haired, with thin black fharp horns, having rings upon them, 

 and they are very fwif t of foot. 



This illand is, in many places, covered with large plan- 

 tations of Acacia trees, which grow to no height, feldom a- 

 bove eight feet, but fpread wide, and turn flat at top, pro- 

 bably by the influence of the wind from the fea. Though 

 in the neighbourhood of Abymnia, Dahaiac does not par- 

 take of its feafons : no rain falls here, from the end of 

 March to the beginning of October ; but, in the intermedi- 

 ate months, efpeciaily December, January, and February, 

 there are violent mowers for twelve* hours at a time, which 

 deluge the ifland, and fill the ciflerns fo as to ferve all next 

 fummer ; for there are no hills nor mountains in Dahaiac, 

 and confequently no fprings, Thefe ciflerns alone preferve 

 the water, and of them there yet remain three hundred and 

 fevcnty, -all hewn out of the folid rock. They fay thefe 

 were the works of the Perfians ; it is more probable they 

 were thofe of the firft Ptolemies. But whoever were the 

 conftrucTors of thefe magnificent refervoirs, they were a 

 very different people from thofe that now poffefs them, 

 who have not induftry enough to keep one of the three 

 hundred and feventy clear for the ufc of man. All of them 

 are open to every fort of animal, and half full of the filth 

 they leave there, after drinking and warning in them. The 

 water of Dobclew, and Irwce, taftcd flrong of mufk, from 

 the dung of the goats and antelopes, and the fmell before 



4 you 



