ely Arabic. The land, as I
was told, is entirely plain, on which it never rains except for a
wonder; but God hath provided a remedy by ordaining that the Nile should
twice a year[310] overflow its natural bounds to water the fields. They
said likewise that the Nile from opposite to _Al Kossir_, and far above
that towards the bounds of Abyssinia, was navigable all the way to
Alexandria; but having many islands and rocks, either it was necessary
to have good pilots or to sail only by day. They told me likewise that
the natives inhabited this barren spot of _Al Kossir_, as being the
nearest harbour on the coast of the Red Sea to the Nile, whence
provisions were transported; and that the inhabitants were satisfied
with slight matts instead of roofs to their houses because not troubled
with rain, and the matts were a sufficient protection from the sun: but
made their walls of stone to defend themselves against the malignity and
rapaciousness of the _Badwis_, a perverse people, void of all goodness,
who often suddenly assaulted the place in hope of plunder, and
frequently pillaged the caravans coming across from the Nile with
provisions and other commodities.

[Footnote 308: No wonder, as _Messr_ is the name by which Egypt is known
to the Arabs.--E.]

[Footnote 309: More properly _Al Rif_, which name more particularly
belongs to part of Lower Egypt.--Ast.]

[Footnote 310: This is erroneous, as the Nile only overflows once
yearly.--E.]

The 18th of April we fastened ourselves to a shoal about four leagues
past _Kossir_, and set sail from thence at noon. The 19th, about half
an hour past eight o'clock, while proceeding with fine weather, we were
suddenly taken aback by a fierce gust at N.N.W. which obliged us to take
shelter in an island called _Suffange-al-bahar_[311] or
_Saffanj-al-bahr_, losing 4 or 5 leagues of way that we had already
advanced. The name given to this island means in the Arabic a
_sea-sponge_. It is 13 leagues beyond _Al Kossir_, in lat. 27 deg. N. being
in length about two leagues by about a quarter in breadth, all of sand
without trees or water. Its harbour is good in all weathers; but upon
the main land the number of bays, ports, and harbours about this place
are wonderful. The best channel here is between the island, and the
main, along the coast of the continent, as on the side next the island
there are some shoals. Likewise in the northern entry to this port there
are other shoals which need not b