All This Day We Saw Many Islands Along
The Coast, So Low And Flat That They Seemed To Have No Surface Above
Water.
The coast stretched N.W. and S.E. to a low point which is as far
forward as the island of Dallac.
On doubling this point, a great bay
or creek penetrates ten or twelve leagues into the land.
[Footnote 275: In Purchas these two last mentioned places are named
Dalaqua and Xamea, the Portuguese expressing our k by qu, and our
sh by x; but we have preferred the more ordinary mode of spelling in
modern geography. - E.]
[Footnote 276: This expression is absolutely unintelligible, but in the
context the ship is said to have returned to the south-east. It is used
on a subsequent occasion apparently in the same sense, and perhaps means
beating to windwards or drifting to leeward. - E.]
The Island of Dallac is very low land, almost level with the sea, having
no mountain or any other height. In the common opinion it is 25 leagues
long by 12 in breadth. The side of the island opposite to the south
stretches E.S.E. and W.N.W. being all the coast which I could see, and
along the coast lay great numbers of little islands, all very low, and
having the same direction with the coast. I only went along this coast
of the island seven leagues, at two leagues from the land, and though
the lead was often cast I never found ground. The metropolitan city or
chief town is situated almost on the point of the island which lieth on
the west side, and is a frontier to Abyssinia. It is called Dallaca,
whence the island took its name. Dallac, in the Arabic language
signifies ten lacs, because in former times the custom-house of this
city yielded that sum yearly to the king. Every Arabian lac is 10,000
Xerephines; so that ten lacs are worth 40,000 crusadoes[277]. The west
point of the island, opposite to Abyssinia, is distant from the
continent about 6 or 7 leagues, and in this space there are five very
flat islands. The first of these, one league from the point, called
Shamoa, is two leagues in circuit, and contains some springs and
wells. Between this island of Shamoa and the western point of Dallac,
is the principal and most frequented channel for going to Massua. In
this channel the water is 70 fathoms deep. The land of this island is
red, and produces few trees, but plenty of grass. The king of it and all
his people are Moors. He resides most part of the year at Massua,
because of the trade which he carries on with the Abyssinians. At
present this island and Dallac yields very little profit; for since the
rise of Suakem, Massua, Aden, and Jiddah, it has lost its trade and
reputation.
[Footnote 277: A Xerephine being 3s. 9d., a lac is L.1875 sterling, and
ten lacs are consequently L.18,750.
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