The 3d June, we departed from Aden and sailed into the Red Sea through the Straits of Mecca.[288] This strait is about a league in breadth, and three leagues in length, with an island in the middle, and 18 fathoms water close to the island.  Within the straits there is a shoal some two leagues off shore, which it is necessary to keep clear from.  From the straits it is about six leagues to Mokha, where is a good road and fair ground for vessels to ride in 14 fathoms.  This port is never without shipping, being a place of great trade, and frequented by caravans from Sanaa, Mecca, Cairo, and Alexandria.  There is good vent here for tin, iron, lead, cloth, sword-blades, and all kinds of English commodities.  It has a great bazar, or market, every day in the week; and has plenty of apricots, quinces, dates, grapes, peaches, lemons, and plantains, which I much wondered at, as the inhabitants told me they had no rain for seven years before, and yet there was abundance of good corn to be had at 18d. a bushel.  There is such abundance of cattle, sheep, and goats, that we got an ox for three dollars, and a goat for half a dollar.  Of dolphins, mow-fish, basse, mullets, and other good fish, there was such plenty, that we could buy as much for 3_d_. as would suffice ten men for a meal.  The town is under the government of the Turks, who punish the Arabians severely for any offence, having gallies for that purpose, otherwise they would be unable to keep them in awe and under subjection.

[Footnote 288:  In the original it is Mockoo, and on the margin Moha, but these are not the Straits of Mokha, but of Mecca—­Astl.  I. 348 b.

The proper name of the entrance into the Red Sea is Bab-al-Mondub, usually called Babelmandel, signifying the gates of lamentation, owing to the dangers of the navigation outwards to India.—­E.]

We departed from Mokha on the 18th July, repassing the straits, where we lost two anchors.  From thence we sailed to Socotora, and about the 5th August cast anchor opposite the town of Saiob, or Sawb, where the king resides.  One of our merchants went ashore, desiring leave to purchase water, goats, and other provisions, which he refused, alleging that the women were much afraid of us; but if we would remove to another anchorage about five leagues off, we might have every thing his country afforded.  We accordingly went there, where we bought water, goats, aloes, dragon’s blood, &c.  We set sail from Socotora on the 18th.[289] [August?], and on the 28th came to Moa,[290] where one of the natives told us we might have a pilot for 20 dollars to bring us to the road of Surat, but our wilful master refused, saying that he had no need of a pilot.

[Footnote 289:  This date is inexplicable, but was probably the 18th of August; the month being omitted by the editor of Astley’s Collection, in the hurry of abbreviation.—­E.]