_ 106 _ from the city, and there is no other source of drinkable water anywhere, because the land is so hot and dry that sometimes it doesn't rain for two or three years; during which time there is occasionally thunder, but no rain. Throughout the top of the mountain range of Aizina, there are many little casties (probably towers or turrets) which are visible from the sea. These are so numerous that their purpose seems to be to beautify the city, rather than to fortify it. These are lit up with fires at night whenever there are enemy attacks, as a sign for the people of the mainland to send them reinforcements. Although the land is very arid there is an abundance of provisions in the city, including meats, wheat, fruits like our own and rice brought there from India; it is a very busy trading port, specially since the Portuguese became established in India, because the merchants from the strait were afraid of our fleets and they didn't sail at the appropriate time. As a result, when they came back from India it was too late to sail into the strait and they had to stay in Aden. For this reason, many merchants from Iudda went to live there, and as they joined the ones who were already settled there trading activities intensified. In the harbour there are always many ships from Iudda with cargoes of copper, mercury, vermilion, coral, silk and
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