Hamilton’s account of the east indies.
271
being furrounded with dangerous rocks under water, it is not much frequented, andfo the manners of the inhabitants not fo well known. The religion of thofe iflands isMahometan, but there are very few zealots among them; and fo I leave them, andreturn to Cape Guardafoy, and travel up the Red Sea .
The navigation of the Ethiopian feas is very dangerous, and their maps are very de-ficient ; for I faw a Dutch {kipper at Mocha, who had orders to fail from Batavia to-wards Mocha, in the month of January, and to navigate to the north end of Madagaf-car, and from thence to the Red Sea ; he affirmed to me, that he faw feveral largeiflands, and many rocks and fands in thofe feas that were not placed in his maps, forwhich reafon he was obliged to anchor in the night, when he could have anchorground; and that the currents run very ftrong to the fouthward, among thofe banksand rocks.
Chap. III.— Gives a Defcription of Zeyla’s Bea-coajl , and of a Part of Ethiopia ,
BUT to return again to Cape Guardafoy, from thence up to Zeyla is about 120leagues. The coaft is inhofpitable as / well as the people. There are only two placesin all that trad that afford frefh water ; one is a little to the eaftward of Mount Felix, butin Arabic it is called Baba-fileck, or the mountain of camels, where there is a fmallfrefh water river; the other is called Khagi, 10 leagues more wefterly; it may be eafilyknown by the fide of a hill clofe to the fea, whofe north afpect is of white fand,that fhews at a diftance like a fail, but may be feen in that figure 10 leagues off. Se-veral fhips from India , that have been neceffitated to call at thofe places for water, havebeen cut off; and one poor man they furprifed with his own boat that he fent for' wa-ter. The boat’s crew were furprifed whilft filling water, them they killed, except twobeys whom they faved; they then came off in the night, and thofe in the fhip notexamining them in time, they boarded the fhip, and took them all unarmed, andkilled every man, and carrying the fhip clofe to the fhore, they unladed her, andthen funk her. The two youths who gave the account of that tragical accident,were brought to Aden, which lies oppofite to that place, and were fold for Haves.A Surat fhip being there, bought the youths, and brought them to Surat .
There is no anchoring on that coaft above a mile off fhore, the fea is fo deep;and above Zeyla, in a deep bay oppofite to Babelmandel, which makes the entry intothe Red Sea , there is a large river that difembogues into the fea, but though the mouthbe large, yet it is fo deep, and full of banks and rocks, with fuch whirlpools, thatno fhip dare go near it. At that river begins the Ethiopian fhore, fhewing manyhigh mountains, which are eafily feen from the Arabian fhore; and all the coaftfrom this river, as far north as Zuakin, which is near 200 leagues, is called theEthiopian coaft.
And though I never was on that fouth-weft coaft of the Red Sea , and know butfew that traffick there, except Romifh priefts, yet I will venture to relate what Ilearned from them. There are two or three fmall ports between Zeyla and Mof-fava, but an inconfiderable trade, being moft in flaves of both fexes, which theEthiopians bring to Mocha for a market, where I have feen a drove of thofe un-fortunate creatures carried like a flock of fheep, moft part of them infenfible oftheir own mifery, and the higheft bidder carries the bargain. They alfo bring fomeelephants teeth, the beft that ever I faw, and fome oftriches feathers.
Moffava