be seen to the northward
by the fishermen, and their skins are brought to Suez for sale. We are
making tacks backwards and forwards across the narrow sea, an exciting
amusement for a yachtsman, as it requires constant attention. The
sailing directions say that this sea is ill surveyed, except in the
direct channel. There are many coral reefs and sunken rocks, and on
whichever side you may happen to be wrecked, the natives are ready to
rob, ill-treat, and kill you, or sell you as slaves in the interior.
It was on two projecting coral reefs from the island of Shaduan, that
the 'Carnatic' was wrecked in 1869. She ran ashore at four o'clock in
the morning of the 13th of September, soon after having made the light
on Rhas Garril. We were at Suez in October of the same year, and
everybody was then full of the sad particulars of the wreck, the
soldiers being especially useful in bringing in the passengers'
luggage, which had been recovered from the Arabs. One of our firemen,
Abraham, was on board the 'Carnatic' at the time of the disaster, and
lost all his worldly goods (not many, I should think, judging by what
he has brought on board here).

The sea was very rough and disagreeable all day. To us the temperature
appears quite cool, indeed cold, though the thermometer still remains
at 75 deg.. Our friends at Aden, who prophesied that I should want my
sealskin jacket before leaving the Gulf of Suez, were not so far wrong
in their prognostications as I imagined at the time.

_Tuesday, April 24th_.--We are still beating to windward against a
head gale, and by noon had made sixty-five miles to the good, right in
the wind's eye--not a bad performance, considering that the gale was
blowing with a force of nine or ten. It has the merit of novelty too,
for I suppose that for years no sailing ships have been seen in the
Gulf of Suez. The winds blow so steadily for months together, that for
six months in the year you cannot get into the Red Sea, and for the
other six months you cannot get out of it.

We passed the island of Rhas Garril, and soon afterwards a steamer
went by, altering her course a good deal to inspect us. She evidently
thought we were a broken-down steamer, and intended to come to our
rescue. All yesterday and to-day we have been making flannel coats for
the monkey, and covers for birdcages, and improvising shelters and
snug corners for our pets. At night especially the wind is quite
crisp. If this gale continues, it