44 
MASSOWAH 
May ^3. — I had given notice to Captain Keys that I wished to 
proceed to Massowah. The old Dola came on board in his catama- 
ran, (rather an undignified conveyance,) with his son, who requested 
a passage to Massowah : this was willingly granted. His father sent 
a letter by Captain Keys to the Nayib, praising, as I heard, our good 
behaviour while at his island. He received the money due to him, 
and having expressed a wish to hear one of the great guns, as he 
called them, fired. Captain Keys saluted him with one as his cata- 
maran left the side of the ship. We weighed anchor between ten and 
eleven, and with a tolerable breeze bore away for Ras Gidden, which, 
since we had left Valentia, had never been out of sight. The pilot 
kept us so much to windward, that at three o'clock we were oppo- 
site to Massowah, though distant about three leagues. The wind 
was very light, and we were not able to get completely into the bay, 
but anchored without. We were alarmed during this day's sailing 
by a man calling out that there were shoals right a-head ; but they 
proved only masses of floating fishes spawn, which had so defined an 
outline, and were so extensive, as to have the complete appearance 
of shoals. In the night we heard several guns from the shore. 
