At about a mile from the shore, nearly opposite A alum Limarish, is
a remarkably white rock, about forty feet high, and steep on aU
sides; it has breakers scattered about it, and should not be closely
approached till better known: beyond this rock, which is called
Ishaifa, we perceived the sea breaking heavily over another rock, as
much as four miles from the shore, which extends itself in reefs
towards G&ra. There are two other islands laid down by Ptolemy in
the Gulf of the Greater Syrtis; but one of these is placed in the
neighbourhood of Aspis, where we could perceive nothing whatever
like an island, and the other is laid down so far in the centre of the
Gulf, that we could not certainly have seen it had it been still in
existence. On coming abreast of G&ra, which lies about six miles off
shore, we had a good opportunity of observing it with our glasses ;
it appeared to be covered with verdure, and we thought we perceived
some appearances of building upon it; it rises in white cliffs
from the sea, in some parts very abruptly, but the table-land on their
summits was green when we passed it. I t was in vain that we
longed for some means of crossing over to this island, for there is not
a boat or a vessel of any description to be found from one end of
the Gulf of Syrtis to the other; but we consoled ourselves with the
idea that it would be visited by the officers of the Adventure, which
we afterwards found to have been the case. In passing by Ain Ag&n,
the Shekh of the place paid us a visit; but as we found that we
could obtain no information from him, and he soon discovered that
there was little chance of getting any bkkshis from us, the visit was
not of very long duration. From Astlum Limarish to Sheibah, the
country is much encumbered with sand-hills, which are however
partially covered with vegetation ; and finding we made but little
progress in passing among them, we kept along the beach, which is
hard and level as far as Khout el Assoud, so called from its dark
colour. Near Sheibah we found the water tasted very strong of
sulphur, besides being brackish and stinking, but among some sandhills
two miles beyond it there were several wells of sweet water ; a
circumstance which it is essential to know, as thè water of Sheibah
can scarcely be called drinkable, and there is no other but that just
alluded to at less than two days from the place.
On our way to Khout el Assoud we passed several flocks of sheep,
.but could not persuade the shepherd to part with a single one.
As we were now heartily tired of being so often refused what there
seemed to be no sufficient reason for withholding, we told the man
that we should act as the Bashaw’s people would on similar occasions,
if he did not think more considerately on the subject; which was as
much as to say, that if he would not part with his sheep voluntarily,
we should certainly make bold to take it without his leave ; the only
difference being, that His Highness’s people would have taken the
animal without paying for it, while we were quite ready to pay the full
price of it. But the Arab, who had evidently been tampered with by
the Dùbbah, was steady in his decided refusal ; and we were too hungry
to wait very long in endeavouring to reason him out of his obstinacy.
Besides, we had already proposed an alternative, and could not. with
credit avoid putting our threat in execution. As neither our dignity,
therefore, nor our appetites, would allow us to discuss with our obstinate
Arab friend the propriety or impropriety of eating his mutton