cca near
an hundred brigantines and foists, with many barks and boats of various
kinds, some with oars and some with sails.

Three days after I had agreed for my passage, we hoisted sail and began
our voyage down the Red Sea, called by the ancients _Mare
erythraeum_[47]. It is well known to learned men that this sea is not
red, as its name implies and as some have imagined, for it has the same
colour with other seas. We continued our voyage till the going down of
the sun, for this sea cannot be navigated during the night, wherefore
navigators only sail in the day and always come to anchor every night.
This is owing _as they say_, to the many dangerous sands, rocks and
shelves, which require the ships way to be guided with great care and
diligent outlook from the _top castle_, that these dangerous places may
be seen and avoided: But after coming to the island of _Chameran_ or
Kamaran, the navigation may be continued with greater safety and
freedom.

[Footnote 47: The _Mare erythraeum_ of the ancients was of much more
extended dimensions, comprising all the sea of India from Arabia on the
west to Guzerat and the Concan on the east, with the coasts of Persia
and Scindetic India on the north; of which sea the Red Sea and the
Persian gulfs were considered branches or deep bays.--E.]

SECTION V.

_Adventures of the Author in various parts of Arabia Felix, or Yemen_.

After six days sailing from Juddah we came to a city named _Gezan_,
which is well built and has a commodious port, in which we found about
45 foists and brigantines belonging to different countries. This city is
close to the sea, and stands in a fertile district resembling Italy,
having plenty of pomegranates, quinces, peaches, Assyrian apples,
_pepons_? melons, oranges, gourds, and various other fruits, also many
of the finest roses and other flowers that can be conceived, so that it
seemed an earthly paradise. It has also abundance of flesh, with wheat
and barley, and a grain like white millet or _hirse_, which they call
_dora_, of which they make a very excellent bread. The prince of this
town and all his subjects are Mahometans, most of whom go nearly naked.

After sailing five days from _Gezan_, having always the coast on our
left hand, we came in sight of some habitations where 14 of us went on
shore in hopes of procuring some provisions from the inhabitants; but
instead of giving us victuals they threw stones at us from slings, so
that we were c