Page:Small-boat sailing; an explanation of the management of small yachts, half-decked and open sailing-boats of various rigs; sailing on sea and on river; cruising, etc (IA smallboatsailing01knig).pdf/289

 skipper and his willing men threw themselves heartily into the sport of the thing; and had they been (as most probably some of them had been in their time) cracking on with a cargo of slaves on board to escape a pursuing British cruiser, they could not have sailed their craft more smartly. It reminded me agreeably of former yachting days; and I well knew that, should my friend on the other dhow catch sight of us, he would do his utmost to make his crew win the race. I afterwards found that this had been indeed the case.

I soon discovered that the crew of my dhow were a fine, cheery lot of men, and excellent sailors. It was a picturesque crew, too, as if it had just come out of The Arabian Nights; it might well have sailed under the adventurous Sindbad himself. The skipper was a jovial, old, one-eyed mariner from Jiddah; his mate was a huge fellow, black as coal, but with aquiline Arab features. The men knew their work thoroughly—were prompt in repeating each word of command and in obeying it; discipline was well maintained, and I was astonished to find how well ordered everything can be on an Arab dhow. The diet of the crew was simple and excellent; they ate their fill of dates and rice, and hospitably brought me dishes of their food at each repast. They were very regular at their morning and evening devotions; the skipper called them together at the proper hours, and himself chanted in a rather fine voice; for, being natives of Jiddah