Page:A voyage to Abyssinia (Salt).djvu/107

 It would be difficult to find a person whose lot is more to be envied, than that of Sultaun Hamed. By his able and judicious line of conduct, he has raised his seignory to a respectable rank among the principalities of Yemen, and by his constant solicitude for the welfare of his subjects, has fully become entitled to the appellation of "Father of his country," which is now commonly bestowed upon him by his people. The more respectable Arabs of this district seem, indeed, to inherit a peculiar and distinctive character, bearing a very near affinity to the patriarchal simplicity of their forefathers. From the descriptions given by the accurate Niebuhr, I am led to suspect that this honourable distinction prevails throughout a great part of the interior, forming a very striking contrast to the debauched manners of the inhabitants dwelling on the upper coast. On the evening of the 9th, having taken a friendly leave of the Sultaun, we returned on our way to Aden, as far as the caravan-serai of Sheik Othman, where we rested for the night, in order that we might pursue our route early on the following day, before the heat should set in, which is here very oppressive. Our lodging was not particularly agreeable, on account of the building being hardly large enough to contain the party, but slight inconveniences and difficulties only serve, by contrast, to give a zest to the enterprises of the traveller. Tuesday 10th.—At day-break we continued our route to Aden. As we approached the peninsula, we were much struck with the singular appearances which the sun put on as it rose. When it had risen about half way above the horizon, its form somewhat resembled a castellated dome; when three parts above the horizon, its shape appeared like that of a balloon, and at length the lower limb suddenly starting up from the horizon, it assumed the general form of a globe, flattened at either axis. These singular changes may be attributed to the refraction produced by the different layers of atmosphere through which the sun was viewed in its progress. The same cause made our ship in the bay look as if it had been lifted out of the water, and her bare masts seemed to be crowded with sail. A low rock also appeared to rise up like a vessel, and a projecting point of land to rest on no