DHALAG. 
31 
twenty-two miles, when we anchored in another bay, the extremi- 
ties of the land extending from N. W. by W. to S. by E. It was very 
deep and a village was situated on the bank at the bottom of it. This, 
he said, was Dhalac, but it agreed so little with the description I 
had met with, that I had considerable doubts on the subject. I en- 
quired for Dhalac- el-Kibeer, which he told me w^as at some distance, 
but that the port w^as not safe for vessels of our size ; nor would 
he dare to take us there without permission from the Dola. 
A native soon came along side, on a catamaran, formed of four 
pieces of wood, about ten feet long, and six inches in diameter. On 
this he floated nearly naked. On recognising our pilot, he came on 
board, but seemed considerably alarmed. He was a fine muscu- 
lar figure, with a large black beard, not woolly. He afterwards 
proved to be the son of the Dola, who commanded the whole 
island on the part of the Nayib of Massowah. He pressed us to 
land, which I determined to do. He then begged leave to ac- 
company me. By an unfortunate fatality, I consented to our 
pilot's being of the party. As, from the appearance of the young 
man, who was perfectly naked, except a cloth wrapped round his 
waist, I had no very high idea of the Dola's dignity, J consulted 
the former what i)resent I should take on shore. Money, cloth, 
rice, tobacco, kc. Sec. were mentioned ; in short I found any thing 
would be acceptable. I dressed myself in an Asiatic dress, as did 
Mr. Salt. Hyder went with us as interpreter. The w^ater on this 
shore is shallow^ and has undermined the madrapore rocks, of which 
the beach is composed^ in such a manner, as to render a landing in 
most parts impracticable. At length w^e entered a strait, formed 
