Page:The Natural History of Sokotra and Abd-el-Kuri.djvu/39

Rh lower elevation than anywhere else on the island, indicating very distinct lines of fault. These patches looked as if they had been morticed into gaps in the granitoid rocks, and lay inclined at an angle of 35° to 40° to the horizon. Neither on our passage along the south-western part of the coast, nor on our excursions on shore, or our view of the island from the top of Gebel Saleh did we note a single deposit of limestone upon the archæan rocks to the westward of the depression running athwart the island.

III. Sokotra: Hadibu.

In the afternoon of the 7th December, the Elphinstone, passing under Ras Shoal), the westernmost point of Sokotra, into the bay of the same name, cast anchor at the mooring spot indicated on the Admiralty chart. Here our captain thought it might be possible to land the Expedition in this less surf-beaten bay more safely than at the town of Kallansiya, a little to the north, where at that season the sea rolls in with great violence on the beach, rendering a landing difficult and liable to accidents. The spot looked forbidding and desolate, and without sign of habitation. As chance would have it, however, we found a baghlah at anchor, from which some information could we hoped be obtained as to the locality. On landing, which had to be accomplished by wading from the launch through a breast-high surf, we found a venerable Arab — the naghoda of the boat, which, it turned out, belonged to the Sultan, and had just arrived from Bombay — sitting on the beach, who assured us that if we landed there it would be extremely difficult to obtain food or porterage, and impossible to get camels to the spot. On this information we deemed it unwise to risk landing there, although so near to a region of the island we specially desired to visit. Captain MacArthur, therefore, decided to run as far east, in the morning, as Ras Haulaf, a projecting headland near to Hadibu, the capital of the island, under which we might expect to find a sheltered anchorage and landing place.

It was only much later that we knew how great a risk we had run in landing in Ghubbet Shoab to make inquiries from the Sultan's baghlah. She was lying in voluntary quarantine with a large number of her crew down with small-pox ! Indeed, I believed I had from our deck seen them carrying out one of their dead; but the naghoda stoutly denied they had any sickness when I asked if they had not just been burying one of their number!

Leaving Ghubbet Shoab at 2 a.m. of the 7th, we steamed slowly along the northern coast of the island with a brilliant moon overhead. In passing through Tamarida Bay we had a splendid view, against the clear sky of the opening day, of the towering pyramids and needles of the Haghier range, which here enclose a wide and deep amphitheatre in which lie embowered among palms the white houses of Hadibu. Ras Haulaf promontory under which we anchored forms the eastern arm of this Bay. Facing us a few yards from the shore stood a fair-sized square white-washed edifice, with close by what looked like a mosque and other low buildings.