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
We sailed in the night from Zimmer. When we came nearer the channel,
the islands were fewer, and we had never less than twenty-five fathom
water. The wind was constantly to the north and west, and, during all
the heat of the day, N. N. W. At the same time we had visibly a strong
current to the northward.
The 9th, at six o’clock in the morning, the island Rapha bore N. E. by
east, distant about two leagues, and in the same direction we saw the
tops of very high mountains in Arabia Felix, which we imagined to be
those above Djezan; and though these could not be less than twenty-six
leagues distance, yet I distinguished their tops plainly, some minutes
before sun-rise. At noon I observed our latitude to be 16° 10´ 3´´
north, so we had made very little way this day, it being for the most
part calm. Rapha then bore E. ¾ north, distant thirteen miles, and
Doohaarab N. N. W. five miles off. We continued under sail all the
evening, but made little way, and still less during the night.
On the 10th, at seven in the morning, I first saw Jibbel Teir, till
then it had been covered with a mist. I ordered the pilot to bear down
directly upon it. All this forenoon our vessel had been surrounded with
a prodigious number of sharks. They were of the hammer-headed kind, and
two large ones seemed to vie with each other which should come nearest
our vessel. The Rais had fitted a large harpoon with a long line for
the large fish in the channel, and I went to the boltsprit to wait for
one of the sharks, after having begged the Rais, first to examine if
all was tight there, and if the ghost had done it no harm by sitting
so many nights upon it. He shook his head, laughing, and said, “The
sharks seek something more substantial than ghosts.” “If I am not
mistaken, Rais, said I, this ghost seeks something more substantial
too, and you shall see the end of it.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account