Page 285 - Travels in Arabia (Vol 2)_Neat

266 COAST OF ARABIA. [CH.
1

Their method of navigating along the Ara­
bian coast by the inner passage is as fol­
lows :—They sail after the sun has acquired
sufficient altitude to enable them to dis­
m
tinguish the numerous rocks with which the
channel is studded; while the land-breeze

: assists their boats out of the sherms, and
accelerates their progress a few miles. On

going down the sea, as well as in working up,
they invariably anchor about three o’clock in
the day, and display so little anxiety to arrive
at the end of their voyage, that if a contrary
wind, towards the afternoon, affords any pros­
pect of their halt being delayed two or three
hours later than usual, they run back to some
point of shelter they have recently quitted,
i and anchor there until the following morning,

?■ however fair the wind may become. Few,
1
I excepting the largest of these boats, drop
l!
their anchors or grapnells ; but when the
£
vessel approaches sufficiently near the reefs,
the sail is lowered, and two or three of the
1 crew jump overboard with ropes, and secure
her to the rocks by means of hooks. When
the vessel is hauled close to the beach the
v::
pilgrims land and cook their evening meal.