Page 128 - Travels in Arabia (Vol 2)_Neat

VII.] GULF OF ’aKAHAII. 109

Sinus Elanaticus, from the port of Elan, situ­

ated at its northern extremity.
To this day the Arabs are profoundly igno­
rant of the sea of’Akabah, and, when looking
upwards from our snug anchorage, I view the
effects of its boisterous winds in the danger­
ous swell they create, and the sullen appear­
ance of its dark-blue waters, yet further in­
creased by the high mountains towering on

either side, I must admit there is enough to
justify the degree of dread they entertain of
a voyage up it in their rude boats. Nor must
we omit to mention the indifferent character
of the Bedowins who inhabit its barren and
inhospitable shores.
From the entrance of the straits to our an­
chorage, and for some distance thence to the
northward, the coast is low, sandy, and steril,
even beyond the usual desert features of Ara­
bia. The thorny mimosa, which retains its
verdure in the most arid parts of the Desert,
with no other moisture at the hottest season

than what it receives from the night dews, is
here quite parched and dry. This arises in a
great measure from the violence and bleak­
ness of the wind, which blows the soil, com-