yi6 f he EXPEDITION of Commodore Beaulieu Book I. 
$5, The twenty-eighth we croffed the Equino£lial Line, 
and July the firft, the Wind blowing very high, we fail- 
ed fifty-five Leagues in twenty-four Hours, notwithftand- 
ing that moft of our Sails were furled, which gave me to 
underftand, that upon that Coaft the Tides ran rapidly 
before the Wind. Next Morning we difcovered a clear 
and rocky Coaft, with good Ground, a great Way from 
it, for at three Leagues Diftance we had thirty Fathom 
Water, upon a fine white Sand. On the fecond of July 
we flood againft the Wind, hoping the Storm would a- 
bate upon the Change of the Moon ; but by our Lati- 
tude found, that the Tide and Storm had carried us thir- 
ty-eight Leagues, tho’ in the Night we flood to Sea, and 
by Day towards the Land, which feemed very wonderful. 
The fourth we made Cape Orpin , which in the Maps is 
placed in ten Degrees Latitude, and dropped two An- 
chors, the Storm ftill continuing. The eighth it blew fo 
very hard, that a Man could not walk upon Deck. Upon 
which we tried all the Inventions imaginable of low- 
ering our Topmaft, running out above one hundred and 
eight Fathom Cable to every Anchor, &c. and our Pi- 
lots declared us loft. At the fame Time our Pinnace 
was drove from two Anchors, the Ropes being cut by the 
Rocks. The fourteenth, fifteenth, and fixteenth, it blew 
ftill harder, infomiich that the Pinnace was obliged to 
quit the Coaft, but the feventeenth fhe returned, and caft 
Anchor nearer the Shore, at fix Fathom Water, upon ve- 
ry good Ground. 
The high Winds continued without Intermiffion till the 
third of Auguft , during which Time we could neither fend 
our Boats afhore, nor hoift up a Sail. However, I re- 
folved to ftand for Cape Guardafu , in order to confider 
the State of our Tackling, as well as to take in frefh Wa- 
ter, and receive Directions from the Natives about our 
Coafting on Soccotora , where none of us had ever been. 
With this View I fitted out our Long-boat with Provifi- 
ons for three Days, ordering the Men, by all Means, to 
make the Land, and know of the Natives where they 
might come at frefh W ater. 
1 6. They returned on the twelfth, and reported, that 
they had coafted along the Shore to the Eaftward of the 
Place, where we rode under fteep Mountains, on the Tops 
of which they faw Perfons in mean Arabian Habits, who 
feemed to be Negroes, and threw fo many Stones on them 
from the Tops of the Mountains, that they were obliged 
to fheer off ; for, notwithftanding all the Signals they could 
make of Peace and Friendfhip, the Natives feemed to inti- 
mate by their Swords and Affagays, that if they came afhore, 
they would cut their Throats. Upon which they fleer’d 
to that Part of the Coaft which was oppofite to our An- 
chorage, where fome of them got up the Precipice, by a 
Gap, and found an open champam Country, as far as 
they could fee, without any Trees, except it was fome 
withered Bufhes, and fome Herbs, burnt up by the Sun : 
They faw likewife two or three of the Natives, who fled 
further into the Country. 
Having lain that Night under the Precipice, they fleer- 
ed next Day two or three Leagues to the Weft ward, and 
faw fome Natives along the Shore, who marched up Hill 
as foon as the Boat offered to come near them. After 
they had doubled the Cape, from which a Ridge of Rocks 
tfioots above half a League into the Sea, and there found 
a large Bay, three Leagues broad, and (hooting very far 
into the Terra Firma , but very (hallow, for about two 
Leagues from the Mouth of it they found but three and 
four Feet Water, the Ground, Sand and thick Gravel, 
with a great deal of Wreck, and an Infinity of Fifh, In 
this Bay they found two of the Natives a fifhing, who fled 
as foon as they made up to them. Our Men went afhore 
there, and met with a great many of the Inhabitants, who, 
notwithftanding all the Signals they could make of a white 
Standard, ftill fled from them, crying aloud, Ilia , Alla, Ilia 
la Mohammed refula'la , which is the Mohammedan Confef- 
fion of Faith. 
Upon the Shore they found an Arabian Boat with 
nothing^ in it ; a little further in the Country they met 
with a few final! Trees, and a little Lodge, with two or 
three very pretty Mats in it, which they did not touch. 
After they had re-embarked they faw the Natives peep 
out again, but could find no Opportunity of treating with 
them either by Friendfhip or Force, Upon this unfa- 
vourable Report, I refolved to weigh Anchor as foon as the 
Storm abated. This Anchorage in which we encountered 
this Seafon, and which is, indeed, the W inter of that Country 
lies in io° 30' N, Lat. the Needle varying iy° 4.0'N, w! 
and the Coaft running E. and W. I would not advife 
any one to pitch upon that Place to lie in till the proper 
Seafon of Coafting upon Malabar, for not only the Land 
is defert and inacceffable, by reafon of the continual Vio- 
lence of . the Wind, which never varies farther than from 
S. S. W. to S. W. but it affords no Water, either from 
Earth or Heaven, as being altogether deftitute of Rain. 
17. The Storm being abated, we weighed Anchor the 
feventeenth, and the eighteenth came within a League of 
Cape Guardafu. That Night we tacked about, and flood 
to the Seas, fleering E. a Quarter S. E. and S. S. E. in 
order to make the Ifles of Curia and Maria , which lie be- 
tween the I fie of Soccotara and the Cape,, and affords good 
Water. But miffing of them, we returned next Morn- 
ing, {landing for the Cape, and in the Afternoon came 
into an Anchor within Cape Guardafu , in nine Fathom 
Water, upon good Ground, within one-fourth of a League 
of the Ifland, that runs away N. W. a Quarter W. Next 
Morning I fent one Boat’s Crew in queft of fome Spring of 
frefh Water, falling from the Mountains into the Sea, on 
its S. Side, and another to coaft along the Shore, N. W. 
three Quarters W. which extends to the Mouth of the 
Red-Sea, in order to find Water, or to fpeak to fome of 
the Inhabitants. At the fame Time I fent out the lit- 
tle Skiff, to try what Conveniency they could have for 
Fifhing. 
The Skiff brought back Word, that all along the Shore, 
for twenty or thirty Paces, the Ground was fo rocky, that 
they durft not venture to bend their Scan. Thole who 
went in Queft of Water to the Southward returned, and 
gave me an Account that they had travelled four or five 
Leagues into the Country, which was extreamly defart, dry, 
and unfufferably hot, the Sun being in the Zenith of the 
Horizon, and there being no Shade or Wind. The other 
Boat’s Crew reported, that about three Leagues Weft- 
North- Weft from us they came to a Place which feemed 
to be pretty green in Comparifon of that dry Country, 
where they went afhore, and meeting with ten or twelve 
Negroes, afked them where they could have Water to 
drink ? That one of the "Negroes afked a Piece of Cotton 
Cloth that one of the Seamen had, as a Reward for the 
Difcovery, and upon having it, (hewed him fome Ditches 
and Wells dug out of the Ground, in which was abundance 
of Water ; and that the faid Negroes afked them, if they 
were Englijh, and promifed to give them Cattle in Ex- 
change ; upon this Report we weighed Anchor, and fee 
Sail for that Place. 
The 2 2d, about Noon, we came to an Anchor at fix 
Fathom Water, bad Ground, about four Leagues from 
Cape Guardofu , over-againft fome Bufhes and Greens, which 
are not common upon that Coaft. Having fet thirty Men 
afhore to dig for Water, I found that the Water, which 
came in great abundance, after they had digged but one 
Foot deep, was at firft fweet, but after we had filled a 
Barrel or two, the reft came very fait, infomuchi that for 
twenty- two Tun of Water we were obliged to dig in above 
feventy Places, which we did in four Hours, the Soil being 
Sand ; while we lay here it was infufferably hot, without 
any Wind. 
18. Cape Guardafu lies in 12 0 Degrees Latitude, the 
Needle varying 17 0 45' North- Weft; ftis thehigheft Land 
upon all this Coaft, and rifes to a Precipice. All this Coaft 
is wonderfully defart, fcorched by the Sun, infomuch that 
I do not believe there is a hotter Place in the World. We 
faw no Appearance of Houfes, but there appeared to us 
fome Negro Men wandering upon the Shore, who were fo 
large, that we Ihould have taken them for Rocks, if we 
had not feen them move. I faw one of their Bows, which 
by its Largenefs and Strength fpoke the huge Stature of 
the Owner. I was mightily furprized to find no manner 
of Wind when we lay ciofe by this Cape ; whereas it had 
blown very hard but a few Leagues off, in the Latitude of 
io° 30. 
The 
