OFF CAPE GAKDAPUI. 
95 
tion of the needle was at that time 17y west, which is 13° more 
west than we found it to be. 
This part of the coast is inhabited by the Mijertayne Somauli, 
commanded by a chief, styled Stdtann Hiissan. The Imaum of 
Muscat some time ago sent presents of considerable value to this 
tribe, and solicited pennission to build a small fort on the pro- 
montory of d'Orfui (called by the natives Hafoon ;) but a com- 
pliance with his request was very prudently declined, and the 
presents rejected. This anecdote was communicated to me by a 
member of the tribe. By a good observation at noon we ascer- 
tained the lat. of d^Orfui to be 10° 30' 30", its long. 51° 12'. 
In the evening we passed another shoal of dead fish, which had 
become white and putrid. An occurrence of this nature is ex- 
tremely rare, especially in deep water, and I cannot in any way 
pretend to account for it. 
At ten in the evening we came abreast of the land behind (5ar- 
dafui, which, owing to a slight haze in the atmosphere, appeared 
prodigiously high : sailing on with a fresh breeze, we came up 
at midnight with the Cape itself, and passed within half a mile 
of it. The moon glittering on the water, the boldness of the 
promontory, the sea breaking on the beach, and the lofty moun- 
tains in the back-ground changing their aspect every moment as 
we swept rapidly round the point, united to the awful stillness 
which prevailed on board the ship, rendered the scene strikingly 
sublime. Its effect on my mind was also greatly heightened by 
the recollection of my former voyage, which seemed to fami- 
liarize the objects in sight, and made me appear as if surrounded 
by old acquaintance. Scarcely had we got round the Cape when 
