Page 149 - Travels in Arabia (Vol 2)

130 SUUVEY OF THE [CH.

culty in heaving up our anchors. Indeed,
our Captain was more than once inclined to
slip, in which case we should again have
been compelled to leave the sea. At length,
however, after much labour, we got them up

to the bows, and bore away for Sherm Ma-
jowwik. Of this we knew nothing but from
the report of a fisherman we had hired as
pilot, who described it as capacious and easy
of access ; but, on approaching the shore, we
perceived from the mast-head that the en­
trance was exceedingly narrow, and, in con­
sequence of the sea being one sheet of foam,
that small space could only be discerned when
some huge breakers burst high over the rocks
on either side. Its width we afterwards ascer­
tained to be 100 yards. From her peculiar

construction, our brig steered but wildly; and
the seaman, without further description, will
comprehend the extremity of the danger we
encountered, before a hard gale, and a tremen­
dous high sea setting right across it. No­
thing, therefore, would have warranted the at­
tempt, but a full conviction that our bagald
would be swamped should we remain out,
without, in the event of such an accident oc-