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 the quay of Jidda was lined with people to see the English salute,
and along with my vessel there parted, at the same time, one bound to
Masuah, which carried Mahomet Abd el cader, Governor of Dahalac, over
to his government. Dahalac[194] is a large island, depending upon
Masuah, but which has a separate firman, or commission, renewed every
two years. This man was a Moor, a servant of the Naybe of Masuah, and
he had been at Jidda to procure his firman from Metical Aga, while
Mahomet Gibberti was to come with me, and was to bring it to the Naybe.
This Abd el cader no sooner was arrived at Masuah, than, following the
turn or his country for lying, he spread a report, that a great man,
or prince, whom he left at Jidda, was coming speedily to Masuah; that
he had brought great presents to the Sherriffe and Metical Aga; that,
in return, he had received a large sum in _gold_ from the Sherriffe’s
Vizir, Yousef Cabil; besides as much as he pleased from the English,
who had done nothing but feast and regale him for the several months
he had been at Jidda; and that, when he departed, as this great man
was now going to visit the Imam in Arabia Felix, all the English ships
hoisted their colours, and fired their cannon from morning to night,
for three days successively, which was two days after he had sailed,
and therefore what he could not possibly have seen. The consequence
of all this was, the Naybe of Masuah expected that a man with immense
treasures was coming to put himself into _his hands_. I look therefore
upon the danger I escaped there as superior to all those put together,
that I have ever been exposed to: of such material and bad consequence
is the most contemptible of all weapons, the tongue of a liar and a
fool!
Jidda is in lat. 28° 0´ 1´´ north, and in long. 39° 16´ 45´´ east of
the meridian of Greenwich. Our weather there had few changes. The
general wind was north-west, or more northerly. This blowing along the
direction of the Gulf brought a great deal of damp along with it; and
this damp increases as the season advances. Once in twelve or fourteen
days, perhaps, we had a south wind, which was always dry. The highest
degree of the barometer at Jidda, on the 5th of June, wind north, was
26° 6´, and the lowest on the 18th of same month, wind north-west, was
25° 7´. The highest degree of the thermometer was 97° on the 12th of
July, wind north, the lowest was 78° wind north.
CHAP. XII.
_Sails from Jidda--Konfodah--Ras Heli boundary of Arabia
Felix--Arrives at Loheia--Proceeds to the Straits of the Indian
Ocean--Arrives there--Returns by Azab to Loheia._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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