Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, Volume 1 (of 5): In the years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772 and 1773Bruce, James
History
Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, Volume 1 (of 5): In the years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772 and 1773
Bruce, James
Egypt -- Description and travel; Ethiopia -- Description and travel; Ethiopia -- History; Natural history -- Ethiopia; Nile River
All this morning since before day, our pilot had begged us to go no
farther. He said the wind had changed; that, by infallible signs he
had seen to the southward, he was confident (without any chance of
being mistaken) that in twenty-four hours we should have a storm,
which would put us in danger of shipwreck; that Frat, which I wanted
to see, was immediately opposite to Jidda, so that either a country,
or English boat would run me over in a night and a day, when I might
procure people who had connections in the country, so as to be under
no apprehension of any accident; but that, in the present track I was
going, every man that I should meet was my enemy. Although not very
susceptible of fear, my ears were never shut against reason, and to
what the pilot stated, I added in my own breast, that we might be blown
out to sea, and want both water and provision. We, therefore, dined
as quickly as possible, and encouraged one another all we could. A
little after six the wind came easterly, and changeable, with a thick
haze over the land. This cleared about nine in the evening, and one
of the finest and steadiest gales that ever blew, carried us swiftly
on, directly for Cosseir. The sky was full of dappled clouds, so that,
though I, several times, tried to catch a star in the meridian, I was
always frustrated. The wind became fresher, but still very fair.
The 19th, at day-break, we saw the land stretching all the way
northward, and, soon after, distinctly discerned Jibbel Siberget upon
our lee-bow. We had seen it indeed before, but had taken it for the
main-land.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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