MALTA AND SICILY. 
167 
then, by the advice of our boatmen, we pro¬ 
ceeded to Marsa Scirocco, at the south¬ 
eastern end of the island, passing between 
Cape Delimara and the Ittactia Rock. After 
passing the Cape we encountered a fresh 
westerly breeze, with a short disagreeable 
sea, which made us glad to pull into the 
bottom of the bay for shelter. Here we 
landed, and after wading in the shallow 
water for some time, we made another en¬ 
tirely unsuccessful attempt with the dredge. 
Tired of this employment, and pinched with 
the cold wind, we sailed back along the 
coast to a sheltered cove, near St. Thomas’s 
Bay, where we dined. As it was a fast-day, 
neither our boatmen nor Michele would eat 
any meat, but they made a meal of bread 
and cheese and anchovies, which fish are so 
cheap here, that they are a common article 
of food with the lower orders. Here we 
