ed a phirmaun for us before the arrival of Mr Salbank,
but hearing of his coming, had delayed sending it, and had since granted
another, according to his instructions, and had delivered it to Mr
Salbank with his own hand.

On the 13th there passed by the roads a junk of four or five hundred
tons from Jiddah, bound for _Kitchine_, a day's sail within the entrance
of the Red Sea, which I suppose is not far from Cape Guardafui, on the
coast of Africa.[292] She is said to contain great sums in gold and
silver, with much valuable merchandize. This ship comes yearly to Mokha
at the beginning of the western monsoon, bringing myrrh, and boxes for
_coho_ seeds, [coffee] and goes from hence to Jiddah or _Aliambo_, [Al
Yambo] where she sells her coffee and the India goods procured at
Kitchine; which last are brought thither by Portuguese barks from Diu
and other places. Her outward lading consists of indigo, all manner of
India cotton goods, gum-lac; and myrrh.[293] She is freighted by the
Portuguese, and the governor of Mokha wished much we had met with her,
which we had probably done, had not our ship been absent, which returned
into the road of Mokha on the 21st. I went aboard, and was told that the
king of Assab and his brother had been aboard, and were kindly
entertained, in return for which he promised to supply them with
abundance of beeves and goats; but that same evening, in consequence of
a signal of fire, he and all his people fled into the mountains,
pretending they were threatened by an attack from their enemies, and
never even gave thanks for their entertainment.

[Footnote 292: The only place resembling this name is Kissem, on the
oceanic coast of Yemen, or Arabia Felix, nearly due N. from Cape
Guardafui.--E.]

[Footnote 293: This must refer to her homeward lading, called outward in
the text in respect to India.--E.]

Before day of the 27th July, Mr Salbank returned from Sinan in perfect
health, and much satisfied with his phirmauns. He gave me an account of
his whole journey, having been respectfully treated every where; always
before entering any town, being met both by horse and foot to conduct
him to the different governors, by whom he was kindly received. All his
provisions were provided by their officers, but at his own expence; and
the servant of the governor of Mokha caused him every where to be well
used. He was met a mile from Sinan by forty or fifty Turks, well
mounted, sent by the Pacha to escort him