_ 167 _ ing of the harbour that the Sabaio had made, with great imagination, for his ships in Goa, where he could build a hundred ships it seems to me, Sir, that it broke his heart and he considered it in his interests to defend his own house, namely Jidda, which comprises the whole of his estate. Item 39: He has a few fustas that he has built and I know for certain that he has six small boats, six three-masted galleys like those of the Venetian trade, six small galleys and seven fustas and brigantines. They all have high yards and the crew have been paid. When Amir Hussain arrived in Jidda from India, he called for a dromedary, which took the news to the Sultan, that he had come to Jidda, that he wanted to sail to El Tur. El Tur is near Mount Sinai, where there is a monastery of St. Catherine. Then the Sultan sent another messenger on a dromedary, which reached Jidda in eight days. Amir Hussain was given instructions not to travel by sea but overland, so as to get there more quickly. Your Highness should know that by some miracle you do not encounter any easterly winds, only westerlies. On the journey from El Tur to Jidda they occur every two weeks, at night, and from Jidda to El Tur, every two, three, sometimes four months, for the above-mentioned reason.
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