Page:A voyage to Abyssinia (Salt).djvu/397

 by the curving shape of the two coasts, influenced by the Promontory of Babelmandeb, and the high land on the African continent to the northward of Zeyla.

At ten the next morning, to our great surprise, though the weather was hazy, a lofty range of land was discovered on our starboard beam; the southern extreme bearing S.S.E. and the western S. by W., distant about five leagues; and at eleven A.M. we saw a white rock on our lee-bow, bearing NE. by E., distant four miles, being at noon, when the weather cleared, in latitude 12° 20′ 0″ N. At this time, from the general appearance of the land, which was extensive and mountainous, we concluded that we were passing the Island of Socotra, to which we supposed that we must have been carried by an extraordinary current, said to prevail in this part of the sea; as, owing to the erroneous manner in which the Island of Abdelcuria is laid down in modern charts, (appearing to be little more than a rock,) we did not entertain a suspicion that it could possibly prove to be that island. Under this impression, the Captain proceeded to steer about east south-east, resting confidently assured that we had before us a clear sea. The strong south-westerly gales still prevailed: and the vessel shipped several heavy seas; at midnight, the wind blowing excessively hard, split the fore-top-mast stay-sail, and the sea continued to run very cross.

At half past five in the morning, an appearance resembling that of land was seen on our lee-beam, which was supposed at first to be nothing more than a fog bank. But at seven, to our great alarm, it proved to be very high land, not above four miles distant; while at the same time a perpendicular cliff came in sight less than three miles distant on our lee-bow, which satisfied us at once, that we had got into a deep bay on the south-west side of the island of Socotra, the sea then running very high, and the ship being evidently in very shallow water. Our situation now became imminently dangerous, and, in