Windermere,
September 1912.
POSTSCRIPT TO PREFACE
ON reading my book for the press I find that it has a moral, a thing never intended! It is that real romance and beauty are to be found in things as they are, so that the man of science, popularly supposed to be hardened by “materialistic” pursuits, has opportunities for a truer worship than has the sentimentalist who bows before idols of his own imagination.
I tender my thanks to the Council of the Linnean Society who have permitted the reproduction of most of the illustrations of Chapter IX and some of those of Chapter VIII from my papers in their Journal, vol. xxxi, in which the account of Red Sea Structure was originally published for Scientific readers, and to Messrs Murray and the Challenger Society for the use of two diagrams from their Science of the Sea. The beautiful photograph of a Suakin mosque is by my friend W. H. Lake, Esq.
CYRIL CROSSLAND.
Dongonab, Red Sea.
Sept. 1913.
CONTENTS
| PARTI | |
| THE DESERT AND ITSPEOPLE | |
| PAGE | |
| Preface | [vii] |
| CHAPTER I | |
| THE SUDAN COAST | |
| Approach by sea through coral reefs — Themaritime plain and the mountains beyond — Desert flowers — Summercalm on the pearling grounds — Sandstorm — Winter rain — Goldendesert and turquoise sea — Coral gardens — Port Sudan — Suakin | [1] |
| CHAPTER II | |
| THE PEOPLE, SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUSCONDITIONS | |
| The three nationalities — The negroes —Escapes from slavery, Mabrûk’s adventure — Introduction to aHamitic native — Dress and arms — Women — Sexual morality, duels —Government under Shêkhs — Tribal fights — Fraternity and Equality,little Liberty — The power of tradition — Mohammedanism | [a]15] |
| CHAPTER III | |
| RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES ANDSUPERSTITIONS | |
| Religious phraseology — Veneration of Shêkhs— “Old Man Flea” and his legends — The mûled celebration and“dervish dance” — Amulets — Witchcraft — Milking — Evil Eye —Pearls — Cats — Eclipse of the Moon — Medical — British parallels —Honesty | [35] |
| CHAPTER IV | |
| THE DAILY LIFE OF THE PEOPLE | |
| Desert farming — Nomad life — Tents andutensils — Amusements | [50] |
| CHAPTER V | |
| SAILORS, FISHERMEN AND PEARLDIVERS | |
| The sambûk — Arab travel — Pearlfishing — Diving — Fishing nets and spears — Sting rays andsawfish | [59] |
| CHAPTER VI | |
| WOMEN’S LIFE | |
| Social position and influence — Divorce —Ibrahim’s wife, forgiveness and death — Women’s work — Home | [73] |
| PART II | |
| CORALS AND CORALREEFS | |
| CHAPTER VII | |
| CORALS AND CORAL ANIMALS | |
| Importance of corals — Coral polyp and seaanemone — Propagation by cuttings — Colonial polyps — Forms ofcorals — Fungia — Coral gardens — Colours — Place in marine life,and in Evolution | [83] |
| CHAPTERVIII | |
| THE BUILDING OF REEFS | |
| Fate of dead corals — Stony seaweeds — Rateof growth of a reef — Destruction of coral by sponge, mollusca,&c. — Form of a coral reef — Origin by growth of coral —Abrasion of the shore forming reef flat — Origin of the boatchannel — Distinctive features of coral reefs formed by abrasionalone in Zanzibar, Cape Verde Islands, and near Alexandria —Recrystallisation of limestone — Three kinds of reef — The problemof Atolls — Darwin’s Theory — The Funafuti boring — Atolls formedby direct growth | [98] |
| CHAPTER IX | |
| THE MAKING OF THE RED SEA | |
| Climate, alternations of desert and seaconditions — Hot sand-bearing winds — Rainfall — Peculiarities ofthe tide — Canal-like shape of Red Sea — The great Rift Valley —Origin of the “Brothers” and “Daedalus Reef” — “Emerald Island” —The coast and reefs — Maritime plain — Its coral border — Recentnature of internal structure of coral rock — Elevation of coastline— Foundations of the reefs — Previous theories inadmissible —Rawaya peninsula — Three steps on sides of Rift Valley — Successiveelevations — Harbours — Problem of their origin — A naturalpromenade — Coast-wise travel — The Shubuk labyrinth — Summary ofhistory of the Red Sea | [118] |