[Footnote 321:  The latitude in the text is very erroneous; the most southerly part of Socotora being in 13 deg. 6’ N.]

The 7th November, while steering along the coast of Arabia, we saw a high land about ten o’clock, rising like Abba-del-curia, and capable of being seen a great way off, which we imagined to be the high land of Aden.  In the evening, we came to anchor before the town in twenty fathoms on sandy ground.  Aden stands in a vale at the foot of a mountain, and makes a fair appearance.  It is surrounded by a stone wall, and has forts and bulwarks in many places; but how these are furnished I know not.  The 8th, there came off a small boat in which were three Arabs, who said they were sent by the lieutenant of the town to enquire of what nation we were; sending us word we were welcome if English, and that Captain Sharpey had been there the year before, and had gone thence to Mokha, where he sold all his goods.  I asked the name of the pacha, and whether he was a good man.  They answered his name was Jaffer Pacha; that the former pacha was a very bad man, this rather better, but all the Turks were bad.  Asking what sort of place Mokha was for trade, they told me there was one man in Mokha who would purchase all my goods.  I sent John Williams ashore, one of my factors, who could speak Arabic, who was kindly entertained.

The morning of the 9th, I sent my pinnace ashore to procure a pilot for Mokha, and in the mean time weighed anchor and got under sail.  The pinnace returned without a pilot, saying, they would not let us have any unless we left three of our chief merchants in pledge, and that they entreated me to leave one ship, and they would buy all her goods.  Being desirous of trade, I agreed to leave the Pepper-corn, and did what we could to regain the road, but were carried to leeward by the current, so we came to anchor to the south of the town.  I then sent Mr Fowler and John Williams ashore, to tell them I was to leave one ship with them to trade, and begged they would let me have a pilot They seemed glad that one of the ships was to remain, and promised me a pilot next day.  Seeing no hope of a pilot on the 12th, and having dispatched our business with the Pepper-corn, I sailed about noon with the Trades-increase and Darling for Mokha.

The 14th, we saw the head-land going into the Red Sea, rising like an island, and about eleven, we were athwart the entrance, being only three miles broad.[322] On the north side is a rugged land like an island, and on the other side is a low flat island, called Babelmandd,[323] on the south side of which island there appeared to be a broad strait or entrance.  After passing through the strait, we saw a village in a sandy bay on the north shore, to which place I sent my pinnace to get a pilot.  It soon returned with two Arabs, who pretended to be very skilful.  Our depth in the straits was from eight to eleven fathoms, and the distance from Aden to the straits is thirty leagues.  About four o’clock p.m. we had sight of the town of Mokha; and about five, while luffing with a strong wind, we split our main-top-sail, and putting abroad our mizen, it split likewise.  At this time our pilots got our ship aground on a sand bank, the wind blowing hard, and the sea somewhat high, so that we much feared her getting safe off again.