Page:A voyage to Abyssinia (Salt).djvu/90

 glittering on the water, the boldness of the promontory, the sea breaking on the beach, and the lofty mountains in the back-ground changing their aspect every moment as we swept rapidly round the point, united to the awful stillness which prevailed on board the ship, rendered the scene strikingly sublime. Its effect on my mind was also greatly heightened by the recollection of my former voyage, which seemed to familiarize the objects in sight, and made, me appear as if surrounded by old acquaintance. Scarcely had we got round the Cape, when the wind deadened, and the air, as is usual here, became sensibly warmer. This Cape is situated, by our observations, in lat. 11° 50′ and in long. 51° 22′ east from Greenwich.

September 28.—At day-light in the morning we found that, notwithstanding the breeze had continued during the night, we had scarcely made any perceptible progress, owing to a rapid current which headed the ship, and occasioned a strong rippling in the water. Our efforts during the whole day, indeed, put me strongly in mind of the clown in the pantomime, moving his legs constantly forward without making any actual advance. The same marks on the shore remained the whole day abreast of us; the same points of land a-head, and to add to the irksomeness of our situation, the heat became intense and scorching, though the thermometer never exceeded 89°. As the moon changed on the 23d, about which time the current set against us, it should seem to favour the idea expressed by Dr. Vincent, in his observations on this part of the coast, that the current runs out of the gulph during the wane of the moon, and in, during its increase. Lat. at noon 12° 5′ N., long. 51° 15′ E., var. 4.33.

September 29.—We had just wind enough during the night to enable the ship to stem the current, and in consequence we found ourselves at noon in the same position. The thermometer was 90° at mid-day, yet the heat was by no means so oppressive as on the preceding day, a circumstance which may be accounted for by our having become in some degree more accustomed to it. Nothing indeed more depends on relative comparison, than the effects of heat and cold on the human frame; for I have observed that it often feels as oppressive when the