'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎163] (182/622)

HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
163
in a barrel, for twenty-four hours in their wet clothes. On the
8th, at three p.m., they came to an anchor at a watering place
called Boa, about seven miles from Hulloolah, where the nacodah
of the boat advised them to make their camp; the Sherreef
tried to induce them to go to that town, but they refused to
have anything more to do with him,
A military officer, who was a passenger on board the
4 Memnon,' says of their later proceedings :—
" On coming to an anchor, we had to swim ashore through
the surf. Our encamping ground was a beach of line white
sand, which made, a most comfortable bed, and plenty of water
to be had by scooping out the sand about two feet deep with our
hands. We slept every night in the open air, and were always
soaking wet through in the morning, but from low living, and
having no liquor whatever, we all kept our healths; there was
not even a cold amongst the whole of us. Our daily allowance
was at first half a handful of biscuits and two handsful of dates.
When the biscuit fell short we had to take to jowary. On the
16th, Rubeah bin Salem, an Arab merchant at Fetuk, came
into camp, and changed the face of affairs, by offering to supply
everything on credit. Orders were, therefore, given to him to
complete a month's supply for the whole party. Some days
previous to this, after a long discussion, an arrangement had
been made with the nacodah of the boat we came to Hulloolah in,
to take a party to Aden to obtain assistance; this, after some
time, he agreed to do for 300 dollars, to be paid on reaching
Aden. On the morning of the 17th, at eight, a party, consist
ing of Lieutenant Balfour, Mr. Stradling, and three seamen of
the ' Memnon,' with five passengers, embarked on board her,
and put up sail, with three cheers from the whole party on
shore. We had a hazardous cruise of eight days in this craft,
several times having had most narrow escapes of being upset
during the heavy land squalls. On the 22nd got sight of a
barque, which, on approaching, we found to be the wreck of
the ' Captain Cook,' of Scarborough; we boarded her, and found
the Soomalies plundering her. As the crew had been taken to
Aden by a brig, we imagined that some craft would soon be
sent down from that place to the wreck. We wrote up a
description of the wreck of the ' Memnon' on the mast with
tar, and gave a note in pencil to one of the Soomalies, who
promised to deliver it to any ship that might come. On the
morning of the 23rd, finding that our water was failing and no
chance of procuring more, we decided at once to bear up for
Aden. All hands were put upon two measures of water per
diem, the measure being a tin wafer box, and we weighed
anchor with a stiff land breeze. From the part of the coast
whence we took our departure, Aden bore, by a rough calculation,
north-west about 130 miles. We had neither chart, compass,
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