At the same time, if you will take my advice you will head much more to the south, so as to be out of the regular track of ships making from Constantinople or the islands to Acre.

You may meet pirates anywhere, but they are assuredly thicker along the more frequented routes.

The safest plan of all would probably be to bear south, and strike the Egyptian coast well to the east of the mouth of the Nile.

Thence, till you get to Palestine, the country is utterly barren and uninhabited, while, running up the coast to Palestine, there are, save at Jaffa, no ports to speak of until you arrive at Acre; and besides, the inhabitants there, even if pirates, would not venture to disregard the pasha's safe conduct.

I do not by any means say that such a course would be absolutely safe.