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THE    HAMRAN    ARABS 


o.,  Naturalist^*   •«»*•*«•*«/*••       *   < 


MOUNTED  RELICS. 


LIFE  WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS 

AN   ACCOUNT    OF 

A     SPORTING    TOUR     OF     SOME 

OFFICERS    OF    THE    GUARDS    IN    THE    SOUDAN 

DURING  THE   WINTER   OF  1874-5 


BY 


ARTHUR    B.    R.    MYERS 

\\ 

SURGEON,  COLDSTREAM  GUARDS 


WITH   PHOTOGRAPHS 


LONDON 
SMITH,    ELDER,    &    CO.,    15    WATERLOO    PLACE 

1876 


\_All    rights    reserved] 


J777/*53 


- 


TO 
MAJOR-GENERAL    HIS    SERENE    HIGHNESS 

PRINCE   EDWARD   OF   SAXE   WEIMAR,   C.B, 

THIS    VOLUME    IS 
(BY      PERMISSION) 


IN     REMEMBRANCE    OF    HIS     PAST     KINDNESS 
TO    THE    AUTHOR 


221593 


PREFACE. 


AT  THE  REQUEST  of  many  of  our  friends,  I  have  con- 
sented to  publish  the  following  account  of  our  sporting 
tour  in  the  Soudan,  during  the  winter  of  1874-75.  But 
little  alteration  has  been  made  in  the  daily  entries  of 
my  journal,  as  I  think  that  those  who  take  a  personal  in- 
terest in  our  welfare  will  feel  more  in  accord  with  us  as 
they  follow  us  through  our  novel  experiences,  our  little 
trials  and  difficulties,  and,  finally,  through  that  one  great 
calamity  which  cast  so  dark  a  shadow  over  our  joys, 
if  I  retain  it  in  the  simple  form  in  which  it  was  origi- 
nally written  ;  and  to  those  who  knew  him  whose 
bright  life  was  at  last  sacrificed  to  his  love  for  sport, 
I  feel  every  confidence  that  at  least  a  portion  of  these 
pages  will  produce  more  than  a  passing  interest. 

To  the  general  public  I  should  apologise  for  adding 


viii  PREFACE. 


one  more  to  the  ever-increasing  list  of  similar  publica- 
tions, when  it  can  but  take  a  low  rank  amongst  them. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  ask  all  my  readers,  as  they 
will  have  ample  scope  for  severe  criticism,  to  bear  in 
mind  that  the  period  to  which  my  diary  refers  is  very 
short ;  that,  owing  to  the  necessarily  great  sameness  in 
the  daily  routine  of  our  lives,  little  matters  were  apt  to 
attract  undue  notice  ;  and  that,  as  we  went  out  purely 
for  the  purpose  of  sport,  this  is  the  subject  to  which  the 
following  pages  have  been  chiefly  devoted. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

Arrival  at  Cairo— Reception  by  the  Khedive— Our  Staff—The  first  disap- 
pointment— Final  arrangements  at  Suez — Great  addition  to  our  party — 
Visit  to  the  photographer — How  we  fared  on  Christmas-day — Among 
the  coral  reefs — A  patent  hammock— M.  Marcopoli — Arrival  at 
Souakim — First  Sunday  on  land — An  Arab's  genuine  dollar — We  settle 
down  for  the  night — Enemies  of  the  night — Departure  of  Gondokoro 
party — A  valuable  present  .......  PAGE  i 

CHAPTER   II. 

The  desert  journey  is  begun — Hunger  versus  religion — Coke's  camel  shows 
off  his  paces — Important  result — The  Arabs  are  our  masters — One 
practical  lesson — Hadendowa  Arabs'  special  pride — Their  costume  and 
armour — The  right  man  in  the  right  place — A  dying  camel — Model 
kitchen  range — Ariel  and  Gazelle — Our  first  desert  visitor— Arab 
home-life — A  practical  dairyman — Water  filtration — Religious  scruples 
are  satisfied — A  desert  sunset — Even  camel  riding  has  its  charms — 
Sport  more  varied — Whirlwinds  and  mirage — A  narrative  from 
'  Baker ' — Loss  of  a  valuable  companion — Demonstrative  joy — Arrival 
outside  the  walls  of  Kassala  18 


CHAPTER  III. 

Munsinger  Pasha — One  of  the  family  ? — Our  reception  by  the  Governor — 
Daily  details  of  desert  journeys — Kassala — Visit  to  '  a  happy  family ' — 
Our  house — Nights  at  Kassala — Examination  of  stores — We  entertain 
Munsinger  Pasha — He  tells  us  about  his  people— Government  of  the 


CONTENTS. 


Soudan — Vaccination — Capable  development  of  country — The  river 
Gash — Albert  in  his  element — We  ride  round  the  Town — A  new  cotton 
manufactory — Very  mixed  society — On  abolition  of  slavery — Munsinger's 
prophecy — We  leave  Kassala — Parting  words  of  advice  .  PAGE  40 

CHAPTER   IV. 

The  Kassala  mountain — Asclepias — Our  relations  'at  home' — Albert 
and  Bob  see  a  cobra — A  domestic  disturbance — Villainous  thorns — 
Arrival  at  the  Hamran  village — Hospitable  reception — Novel  telescope 
— We  bathe  in  the  Settite — Sheik  Aghill — A  good  practical  lesson — 
Choosing  horses  and  engaging  our  hunters — A  very  intelligent  Sheik — 
His  neighbours — A  modest  request  .  .  .  .  .  .  58 

CHAPTER  V. 

Gwayha — Departure  from — Sheik  Aghill  learns  our  names— Arab  rifles — 
Life  of  the  Hamran  sword-hunter — 'Baker's'  pictures— Our  four 
hunters— Essafi  is  appointed  the  chief— We  see  elephant  tracks — Hip- 
popotami —  Disposition  of  hunters  —  Heartless  proceeding  —  Only 
stunned — Vivian  among  the  elephants — Successful  result — An  unex- 
pected moonlight  meeting — Essafi's  excitement — Waiting  for  a  shot — 
Tracking  a  wounded  elephant — The  unlucky  eight-bore — Native 
visitors — Preparation  for  a  great  feast — First  shot  at  a  lion — Acacias — 
Native  scent 70 

CHAPTER   VI. 

A  native  fruit  tree— Vivian  again  to  the  front — The  successful  sportsman's 
return— Our  tents — A  place  vacant  at  dinner — Surrounded  by  buffaloes 
— Additions  to  game  list — A  delicacy  from  the  forest — Hamran 
entertainment — Eccentricities  of  Uncle  Sam— Catching  turtle— Success- 
ful hunt— The  Maariff  and  Mehedehet — Special  characteristics — Unwel- 
come guests  -.•... 87 

CHAPTER   VII. 

Our  new  encampment— Good  sport  with  a  buffalo — Study  of  tracks — 
A  night  alarm — Its  practical  lesson — Jali,  the  chief  of  the  Hamran 
Sword-hunters— Ostriches— Their  local  value — The  guinea  fowl — 
Coke  is  unfortunate— Essafi  on  the  track  of  rhinoceros — We  disturb 


CONTENTS.  xi 


the  morning  nap — Silver's  vulcanite  pad— Backsheesh — Our  protectors 
— The  dying  hippo — Disturbance  over  the  spoil — Arab  method  of 
preserving  meat — Great  increase  of  temperature — Superstition  about 
rhinoceros'  horn — A  sudden  call  to  arms— Result  of  playing  with 
edge-tools — Giraffes  '  at  home  ' — Voracious  companions — An  old 
friend  PAGE  IOO 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Abdullah  returns  to  his  master — The  African  buffalo — Bringing  home  a 
lively  companion — Lions  abound  here— The  Kassala  post— The 
smooth-bore  does  its  duty — Unpleasant  society — Uncle  Sam's  invita- 
tion is  refused — Our  hunters'  superstitions —Ostriches'  eggs — Sanitary 
measures — How  to  catch  a  rhinoceros— Plenty  of  game — Extraor- 
dinary flight  of  small  birds — The  dead  hippo — Study  of  native  habits 
— Essafi's  delicate  attention — Coke's  first  lion  adventure — A  narrow 
escape — Uncle  Sam's  idea  of  safety  .  .  .  .  .  .121 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Gumming  is  attacked  by  a  maariff — Is  wounded  in  the  thigh — Arabs  try  to 
entertain  him — Arab  method  of  wrestling — Emanuel  to  the  front 
— Crocodiles'  eggs— Cunning  of  the  elephant— Great  sympathy  of  our 
neighbours — Various  birds — The  Aboo  Goumba — Marabou  storks — 
Albert  and  Essafi  have  a  row— Its  cause  and  consequences — Albert 
receives  a  lecture — Respective  merits  of  our  staff — Uncle  Sam  gives 
proof  of  his  courage — 'Inshallah' — Soreness  of  horses'  backs — The 
great  separation  is  arranged — Hamet's  idea  of  a  handsome  cos- 
tume ...........  138 


CHAPTER  X. 

A  sorrowful  parting — Our  immediate  neighbours — Mek  Nimmur  — The 
Base — How  they  live — The  Arabs'  fear  of  them — Essafi's  idea  of  plenty 
of  water — A  giant  tree — Home  of  the  bees — How  their  honey  is  taken 
— Sentenced  to  death — The  old  soldier's  donkey — My  first  lion — Two 
shots  are  heard — Essafi's  alarm — The  explanation — Native  language — 
We  enter  Abyssinia— Our  Arabs  object  to  come  with  us — Essafi's  en- 
counter with  a  wounded  maariff — Music  of  the  night — Waiting  upon  a 
lion — Albert  and  the  Italian  oculist — A  lesson  in  surgery  .  .156 


xii  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XL 

A  very  unlucky  day— An  ostrich  lost — Final  smash  of  my  pet  gun — 
Jarrone  decamps— Bad  news  for  the  Hamrans — Their  opinion  of  Mun- 
singer — An  addition  to  our  party — A  popular  dish — Fire-flies — Hadji 
Basheer's  grief  over  the  loss  of  Jarrone — Surrounded  by  enemies — A 
fatal  shot — Essafi  loses  his  charger — Sheik  Aghill  and  the  Abyssinian 
chiefs — Curious  shot  at  a  cobra — We  lie  in  ambush — Vivian  has  excit- 
ing sport  with  a  lion — Mo  named  deserts  his  master — We  set  fire  to  the 
jungle— Watching  and  being  watched — Albert's  career  as  an  oculist — 
Its  unfortunate  finale — Chasing  a  wounded  giraffe  .  .  PAGE  177 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Return  to  the  Settite — Face  to  face — Lion-shooting  experience— Twice 
disappointed — Comfortable  quarters — Essafi  in  disgrace — Drawbacks 
to  perfect  happiness — Ants  and  butterflies — A  charitable  conclusion — 
Hauling  a  hippo  to  land — Peaceful  enjoyment — When  animals  drink — 
Diligence  in  prayer — Governor,  two  goose  ! — Is  it  Jarrone?— Unadul- 
terated 'butter' — Guided  by  vultures — Attacked  by  the  Base — Hadji 
Basheer  visits  the  Arab  camp — His  new  pet — Troops  of  baboons — 
Arab  teeth — How  to  make  a  koorbatch — Giraffe-hunting — Habits  of 
rhinoceros — The  well-known  foot-print — Satisfactory  hunt— Jali 
arrives — A  crocodile  bags  my  hyaena— Departure  of  Kassala  post — 
Losing  a  «  right  and  left'  at  lions— A  fine  specimen — Arrival  of  birds 
of  prey — Tracking  a  female  slave — Her  escape — The  slave  trade— A 
cheap  offer  .  .  . 196 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  rhinoceros  bird — A  lucky  shot — A  doubtful  friend — One  week's 
sport — Night  visit  to  an  unknown  camp — A  'peculiar'  Arab  left 
to  die? — Return  of  the  sick  horse — We  lie  in  wait  for  ostriches — 
Their  nest — Experienced  thieves — The  Seance  is  disturbed — Mid- 
night visitors — Water  from  a  new  skin — Thirst — Thoughts  of  the  Base 
— Sheik  Aghill  with  us  again — His  little  dodges — We  entertain  him — 
Arab  vanity— A  disappointing  study— Success  of  a  galvanic  battery 
—  Suggestive  performance  of  Aghill — His  liberal  offer — His  appeal — 
Essafi  is  the  sufferer — Dying  struggle  of  a  lioness— Is  it  by  sight  or  by 


CONTENTS.  xiii 


scent  ? — Shot  at  last — A  feast  for  a  Gourmet — A  malformed  head — 
Gumming  visits  us— The  heat  becomes  oppressive — Approach  of  the 
rains — A  doubtful  performance — Buffalo  hunt  at  night — A  deaf  and 
dumb  Arab— He  kills  a  wounded  buffalo — More  about  Albert's  past 
life — He  converses  freely  with  the  deaf  and  dumb  Arab — Surprising 
news  .  .  ...  .  .  .  .  .  .  PAGE  221 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  great  gathering — An  unpleasant  position — Report  of  the  Massowah 
party — Arkwright  attacked  by  Abyssinians — His  narrow  escape — Gum- 
ming is  nursed  by  Emanuel — A  trapped  rhinoceros — No  news  from 
home  ! — Small-pox  at  Kassala — Mohamed  and  Ibrahim  fight — Hadji 
Basheer  is  wounded — Coke  is  chased  by  a  rhinoceros — We  feel  more 
respect  for  this  animal — Coke  recognises  an  old  friend — Hippo- 
potamus shooting — An  unnecessary  alarm — Our  fishing  experi- 
ments ...........  247 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Homeward  bound — Arab  cattle — The  proof  positive — Fine  specimen  of 
the  Hamran  Arab — Ibrahim's  treat — Dethronement  of  Aghill — Great 
rejoicings — Sport  on  April  I — Watching  by  night  for  elephants — A 
comfortable  bed — Harmless  visitors— Bad  news  from  Ranfurly — A 
fatiguing  ride — A  capital  joke? — Ranfurly  is  ill  with  dysentery — Its 
cause — Cumming's  first  rhinoceros — Not  dead  yet ! — Success  of  Ark- 
wright and  Ranfurly — Ranfurly  is  better — The  wart  hog — Pork  versus 
Koran 261 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

Ranfurly  and  Arkwright  separate — Arab  elephant  trap — Essafi  gives  me 
an  easy  shot  at  a  lion— Questionable  night  visitors — Ranfurly  feels 
the  heat  greatly — An  eventful  day — A  shot  in  the  right  place — The 
diary  is  neglected — I  pay  the  penalty  of  exposure  to  the  sun — 
Another  grave  case — An  unpleasant  occupation — Surprising  result — 
Vivian  kills  a  fine  lion — Albert  ignores  the  sun — Our  sick  list  in- 
creases— Great  spoit  of,  Arabs — Abyssinian  customs — An  Arab  killed 


xiv  CONTENTS. 


by  a  lion — Albert  very  ill— Great  prostration  of  Ranfurly  and  myself 
— A  favourite  practice  amongst  Arabs — Rain  at  last — Highest  tem- 
perature yet  recorded PAGE  275 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Return  to  the  Hamran  village — Aghill  no  longer  all-powerful — Ranfurly 
rapidly  losing  strength — Great  thunderstorm — Our  parting  with  the 
Hamrans — First  halt  on  homeward  desert  journey — An  anxious  night 
with  Albert— Is  he  dead? — Where  are  the  others? — Once  again  to- 
gether— Our  troubles  increase — Albert  utterly  collapses— Arrival  at 
Kassala — Kind  treatment  of  Greeks — Lorenzo  joins  us — All  at  Kas- 
sala — An  important  question — Albert's  shock — Preparations  for  de- 
parture— Great  sport  of  our  friends — Mr.  Cohen  entertains  us — Last 
night  in  Kassala 290 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Departure  from  Kassala — Our  faithful  friends — Stranded  in  the  desert — 
We  send  for  relief — Killing  time — On  again  minus  some  baggage — 
A  sudden  check —Ibrahim  supplies  the  larder — An  appeal  for  water 
— Our  limited  supply — Ranfurly's  condition  is  more  hopeful — A  bath 
in  the  desert — Hadendowa  Arabs  again — A  night  hurricane — A 
grave  complication — Vivian  is  injured — Ranfurly's  state  becomes 
critical — More  Arabs  desert — We  seize  camels — Our  guide  loses  his 
way — Anxiety  about  Vivian — Painful  desert  travelling — Burning 
winds  and  blinding  sandstorms — Vivian  still  absent  .  .  .  305 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

A  grave  question  to  decide— Our  little  stores — Ranfurly's  great  trials — 
We  keep  watch  over  our  last  Arab — Vivian  is  heard  of— Are  our 
troubles  now  to  end?— Unpleasant  misgivings  as  to  food — A  lucky 
shot — The  last  desert  dinner — No  water! — The  desert  journey  is 
over — A  meeting  of  friends — House  of  AH  Effendi — Vivian  arrives — 
The  last  night  on  land — What  comfort  in  that  prayer  ! — Visit  to  the 
Governor — Souakim  and  its  inhabitants — Young  girls  and  women 
water-carriers— Liberality  of  our  host — We  go  on  board  the  'Cof- 
feet'  .  .  .  . 325 


CONTENTS.  xv 


CHAPTER   XX. 

Postponement  of  departure — Ranfurly  sleeps — His  last  moments — His 
burial — Alii  Addeen  Bey — A  curious  coincidence— Good-bye  to  Sou- 
akim — How  to  regain  stolen  property — Result  of  experiments — 
Blowing  a  gale — An  unpleasant  roll — The  priest's  dream — Arrival  at 
Suez — Our  expedition  is  at  an  end  .....  PAGE  341 

APPENDIX— Weather  Report 351 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

MOUNTED  RELICS Frontispiece 

WATER  BUCK  (Kobus  ellipsyprymnus]      .         .  to  face  page    97 

RHINOCEROS  (R.  Keitloa}    .        .        «        .        •        •  »»          II6 

MALFORMED  MAARIFF  (Hippotragus  Bakerii)        .  ,,           238 

SOUDAN  SOUVENIRS »          293 


LIFE  WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS, 


CHAPTER   I. 

December  1 1. — At  last  our  much-talked-of  shooting 
expedition  to  the  Nile  tributaries  of  Abyssinia  feels  like  a 
reality,  for  we  have  set  foot  in  Cairo,  and  now  whilst 
wandering  about  in  the  midst  of  the  teeming  population 
of  an  Eastern  city,  jostled  by  men  of  all  nationalities  in 
their  characteristic  costumes,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the 
fact  is  brought  very  plainly  before  our  minds  that  our 
winter  programme  has  really  begun,  and  that  we  must 
set  to  work  in  earnest  to  complete  our  arrangements  for 
it.  Our  most  important  stores,  including  rifles,  guns, 
and  ammunition,  were  despatched  from  England  last 
October,  and  one  dragoman  has  already  been  engaged  ; 
and  as  our  steamer  does  not  leave  Suez  for  Souakim 
until  the  22nd,  we  have  ample  time  at  our  disposal. 
Our  own  party  at  present  only  numbers  four — viz.,  Lord 
Coke,  Sir  W.  Gordon  Cumming,  Captain  Vivian  and 

B 


2  '      '  'LIFE  'WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

myself,  and  on  the  arrival  by  the  next  mail  steamer  of 
Lord  Charles  Ker  it  will  be  complete.  Two  other 
friends  are  waiting  here  for  the  departure  of  the  Red  Sea 
steamer  on  the  22nd — viz.,  the  Earl  of  Ranfurly  and  Mr. 
Charles  Arkwright,  but  they  purpose  landing  at  a  port 
beyond  Souakim,  named  Massowah,  to  hunt  chiefly  in 
the  Bogos  country. 

Life  in  Cairo  has  been  so  often  described  and  is  now 
so  well  known,  that  it  would  be  but  repetition  to  record 
our  daily  doings  here,  so  I  shall  for  the  present  confine 
myself  to  such  matters  of  detail  as  have  immediate 
reference  to  our  expedition. 

Dec.  14. — We  have  accomplished  one  important 
business  to-day  in  having  been  presented  to  the  Khedive 
by  the  Consul-General,  who  explained  to  him  in  French 
the  purport  of  our  visit.  With  this  the  Khedive  was 
evidently  much  amused,  but  he  was  greatly  astonished 
at  our  undertaking  so  long  a  journey  as  to  the  Soudan 
merely  for  sport  when  there  was  so  much  to  be  ob- 
tained in  our  own  country.  He  has  promised  us  every 
assistance  in  his  power,  so  far  as  granting  us  firmans  to 
the  governors  of  those  districts  under  his  rule  through 
which  we  shall  have  to  pass. 

Afterwards  I  presented  a  letter  of  introduction  to 
Nubar  Pasha  from  Mr.  W.  H.  Russell,  and  though  he  is 
now  out  of  office  he  may  prove  of  great  service  to  us,  for 
he  has  most  kindly  promised  me  letters  both  to  his 


OUR  STAFF. 


cousin  Arekel  Bey,1  Governor  of  Massowah,  and  to  the  LX" 
governors  of  Souakim  and  Kassala,  who  he  states  are  his 
intimate  friends. 

Our  Maltese  dragoman,  named  Emanuel  Vassalo,  has 
been  very  busy  all  day  making  out  lists  of  things  that 
he  thinks  we  shall  require,  but  as  he  has  had  no  experience 
of  such  an  expedition  as  ours  they  will  need  very  careful 
supervision.  He  at  least  enters  very  keenly  into  the 
spirit  of  the  thing,  and,  judging  by  his  testimonials,  we 
ought  to  consider  we  have  found  that  wonder  of  wonders, 
an  honest  dragoman. 

He  has  brought  with  him  from  Malta  a  young  friend 
whom,  according  to  his  wish,  we  have  agreed  to  take  to 
act  as  an  assistant  to  him.  His  name  is  Achille  Perotti, 
but  by  common  consent  he  is  to  be  known  for  the  future 
as  '  Bob.'  He  has  a  thoroughly  good  honest  face,  and, 
what  is  also  of  great  importance,  he  looks  a  strong 
healthy  fellow. 

This  certainly  cannot  be  said  of  another  young 
fellow,  named  Albert  Bensilum,  whom  we  have  engaged 
to-day  as  a  second  dragoman  in  consequence  of  his 
excellent  testimonials  and  of  his  having  spent  one  winter 
in  Kassala,  and  therefore  knowing  something  of  the 
country  we  are  about  to  visit.  Of  very  slight  build  and 
sallow  complexion,  he  does  not  appear  to  be  the  man  to 

1  Arekel  Bey,  with  some  Egyptian  soldiers,  has  been  recently  killed  in 
Abyssinia  by  native  soldiers. 


B  2 


4  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

stand  the  rough  life  we  expect  to  encounter,  but  he 
declares  himself  to  be  thoroughly  strong  and  well,  and 
his  perfect  knowledge  of  English  and  Arabic  makes  him 
a  valuable  addition  to  our  party.  He  looks  like  an  Italian, 
but  we  have  not  as  yet  found  out  his  nationality.  Still 
one  more  addition  has  been  made  to  our  number  to- 
day by  the  engagement  of  a  cook,  recommended  by 
Emanuel,  named  Mohamed.  He  at  least  is  not  likely 
to  suffer  from  the  heat  in  the  Soudan,  for  he  is  a 
swarthy  Nubian,  and  almost  as  black  as  a  coal.  Having 
picked  up  a  few  English  words  in  Nile  expeditions,  he 
would  fain  have  us  believe  he  is  master  of  the  language, 
but  this  is  a  minor  matter  if  his  knowledge  of  his  special 
art  is  a  trifle  less  limited. 

The  additional  stores  we  are  collecting  here  are 
rapidly  assuming  a  rather  too  imposing  appearance, 
owing  to  sundry  sacks  of  rice,  biscuits,  potatoes,  camel 
saddles  (which  have  been  made  for  us),  water  barrels, 
and  leather  bottles ;  besides  numerous  articles  of  food 
in  smaller  quantities  and  sundry  camp  requisites,  that 
Emanuel  considers  indispensable ;  among  these  are  two 
huge  traps,  with  massive  chains,  which,  owing  to  the  great 
strength  required  to  set  them,  promise  to  be  a  source  of 
far  greater  danger  to  ourselves  than  to  any  night  visitor 
to  our  camp. 

2)eCf  1 8. — I  arrived  last  evening  at  Alexandria,  and 
to-day,  after  seeing  our  goods  cleared  at  the  Customs,. 


FINAL  ARRANGEMENTS  AT  SUEZ.  5 

returned  to  Cairo.  Fortunately  for  us  the  Khedive 
telegraphed  to  the  Custom  House  officials  to  pass  them 
without  loss  of  time,  or  we  should  certainly  have  lost 
our  steamer. 

Our  first  disappointment  dates  from  to-day ;  for 
Ker,  who  arrived  at  Alexandria  this  morning,  has 
received  very  urgent  telegrams  from  England,  which 
will  necessitate  his  return  by  to-morrow's  steamer. 

Dec.  22. — All  at  Suez  last  night ;  but  preceded  by 
Coke  by  two  days,  as  he  went  in  advance  with  Mohamed 
to  see  to  our  interests  there ;  for  not  only  have  we  toj 
find  our  own  supplies  on  board  the  steamer,  but  also? 
a  cook  and  kitchen  utensils.  He  experienced  great 
difficulty  in  getting  our  ammunition  put  on  board  the 
steamer,  and  not  without  telegraphing  to  the  Consul- 
General  for  his  assistance,  when  the  matter  was  promptly 
settled.  Besides  our  own  party  and  the  two  friends 
mentioned  as  going  to  Massowah,  there  are  other 
passengers  who  will  join  our  mess  on  board — viz.,  Captain 
Burnaby,  Mr.  J.  Russell,  and  M.  Marcopoli,  who  will 
land  at  Souakim,  en  route  to  Gondokoro,  to  join  Colonel 
Gordon's  expedition  ;  and  also  the  Earl  of  Mayo  and 
Mr.  Flower,  Lwho  intend  landing  at  Massowah  on  a 
distinctly  separate  shooting  expedition  to  that  of 
Ranfurly  and  Arkwright.  We  therefore  number,  with 
our  ten  servants,  twenty-one  in  all,  and  we  have  entered 
into  a  contract  with  a  general  provision  dealer  here  to 


6  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

supply  us  with  provisions  and  live  stock  for  the  voyage, 
for  44/. 

It  is  calculated  that  the  steamer,  named  '  Dessouk/ 
will  arrive  at  Souakim,  a  distance  of  about  750  miles,  in 
four  days,  and  Massowah,  200  miles  farther,  in  less  than 
six  days  from  time  of  departure. 

Mr.  Levick,  the  English  post-master  here,  has  given 
us  very  useful  assistance  in  the  despatch  of  our  goods 
and  through  him  we  learn  that  we  should  have  been 
saved  much  trouble  and  expense  if  we  had  had  them 
consigned  to  an  agent  at  Suez  instead  of  Alexandria, 
where  the  charge  for  landing  and  carriage  to  Suez 
amounted  to  nearly  6o/. 

Suez  has  not  many  attractions  for  a  stranger,  so  we 
have  occupied  a  good  part  of  the  morning  in  a  visit  to  the 
barber,  who  carried  out  our  orders  to  the  letter  according 
to  our  individual  tastes,  some  allowing  the  razor  to  make 
a  clean  sweep  of  their  faces,  whilst  others  preferred  the 
very  closest  application  of  the  scissors  to  their  heads. 
Thus  so  altered  as  to  be  hardly  recognisable  to  one  another, 
and  more  nearly  resembling  a  party  of  convicts,  we 
adjourned  to  the  photographer,  and  if  he  does  us  justice 
it  will  prove  a  valuable  and  interesting  group  to  send 
to  our  friends  on  our  return.  After  luncheon  we  were 
taken  on  board  the  'Dessouk'  by  a  Government  steam 
tug,  as  she  was  lying  about  three  miles  from  Suez  ;  and 
at  4  P.M.  she  got  under  weigh,  a  fresh  breeze  blowing  at 


HOW  WE  FARED  ON  CHRISTMAS-DAY.  7 

the  time  from  the  south-east,  the  sky  overcast  and  the 
day  therefore  cool.  Mohamed  at  Suez  did  his  utmost  to 
get  into  our  good  graces,  and,  fearing  lest  anything  in 
his  charge  might  be  stolen,  would  guard  our  stores  by 
night  and  by  day.  To-day  Albert  has  come  to  the 
front  in  a  critical  moment  during  the  transfer  of  our 
baggage  to  the  '  Dessouk,'  in  consequence  of  Emanuel 
having  drunk  success  to  the  expedition  just  once  too 
often  with  his  friends  at  Suez  to  be  of  any  use  at  the 
time. 

By  universal  consent  we  have  decided  that  a  light 
breakfast  at  8  A.M.,  a  more  substantial  one  at  1 1.30  A.M., 
dinner  at  5  P.M.,  and  supper  at  9  P.M.,  will  be  the  best 
way  to  kill  time  on  board  ship  compatible  with  health  ; 
and  our  cook,  Mohamed,  has  been  appointed  chef  de 
cuisine. 

Dec.  25. — With  the  thermometer  standing  at  84°  in 
the  shade,  it  is  difficult  to  realise  that  this  is  really  Christ- 
mas-day, but  we  have  not  been  without  the  means  of 
bearing  it  in  mind  in  a  social  sense,  thanks  to  a 
present  from  Mr.  Grace,  our  Alexandrian  agent,  of  a 
plum-pudding  of  most  perfect  home  manufacture,  and 
to  another  from  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Company 
of  some  ice  by  which  we  were  able  to  conceal  any  slight 
deficiencies  in  the  quality  of  Cairo  champagne;  nor  have 
we  lacked  the  musical  element,  for  Mayo  has  a  banjo, 
and  is  accompanied  by  an  English  engineer  of  the 


8  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 

steamer  on  the  fiddle.  The  wind,  however,  is  continuing 
to  blow  very  freshly  from  the  south-east,  and  causing 
the  steamer  to  roll  greatly  has  somewhat  damped  our 
spirits.  We  are,  nevertheless,  a  very  jolly  party,  and 
the  '  Dessouk  '  is  very  comfortably  fitted  up,  especially 
one  large  cabin,  which  was  originally  intended  for  the 
ladies  of  the  Hareem. 

Dec.  26. — Yesterday  the  Captain,  an  old  Egyptian, 
told  us  that  we  should  arrive  at  Souakim  this  afternoon 
in  all  probability,  but  in  consequence  of  his  fearing 
during  the  night  that  he  might  run  the  steamer  on  the 
coral  reefs  which  abound  in  this  part  of  the  Red  Sea,  he 
altered  the  course  so  much  to  the  east  that  we  have  lost 
ground  considerably,  and  cannot  now  arrive  before  to- 
morrow. Whilst  the  steamer  was  being  brought  back 
this  morning  to  her  proper  course,  we  had  the  pleasant 
excitement  of  suddenly  finding  that  we  were  running 
right  on  to  a  coral  reef ;  only  two  small  points  of  rock  ap- 
peared above  the  surface,  but  stretching  along  for  a  great 
distance  directly  in  front  of  us  the  unmistakable  line 
of  breakers  denoted  the  impassable  barrier,  with  on  one 
side  of  it  a  sheet  of  perfectly  smooth  water. 

The  excitement  of  the  crew  and  the  rapid  bearing 
round  again  to  the  east,  showed  us  pretty  plainly  that 
this  obstruction  had  neither  been  expected  nor  observed 
much  too  soon  for  the  general  safety.  At  4  P.M.  we  an- 


A  PATENT  HAMMOCK. 


chored  in  a  harbour  named  Sheik  el  Baghout,  where  we 
must  remain  till  daybreak. 

In  the  meantime  we  are  not  allowed  to  go  on  shore, 
owing  to  quarantine  being  in  force  for  some  parts  of  the 
coast.  The  nights  are  so  warm  that  we  have  preferred 
sleeping  on  deck,  and  Ranfurly  has  had  to  set  up  a 
patent  hammock,  with  which  some  of  our  party  have 
also  been  supplied,  and  here  it  certainly  answers  ad- 
mirably. Its  chief  points  of  fixture  are  two  very  strong 
iron  pins  made  like  a  corkscrew,  which  are  meant  to  be 
screwed  into  the  earth,  but  now  have  been  driven  into 
the  deck,  though  the  Captain,  curiously  enough,  did 
raise  some  slight  objection  to  the  proceeding.  These 
screws  are  placed  at  a  short  distance  beyond  the  ham- 
mock, to  which  they  are  fastened  by  ropes,  and  the  ham- 
mock is  thus  raised  about  a  foot  from  the  ground  and 
made  taut  by  fixing  a  forked  stick  about  midway 
beneath  the  connecting  ropes  at  each  end.  They  are 
certainly  pretty,  but  I  doubt  their  being  good  serviceable 
beds  for  travelling  over  varied  soils,  and  they  have  one 
disadvantage  in  being  very  expensive,  each,  if  I  remember  i 
rightly,  costing  over  io/.  M.  Marcopoli  has  proved  him- 
self a  most  agreeable  addition  to  our  present  circle,  and 
it  is  he  to  whom  Sir  Samuel  Baker  refers  so  frequently 
in  '  Ismalia '  as  Marco  Polo.  He  is  a  Greek,  and  has  so 
thoroughly  mastered  Arabic  that  he  not  only  speaks  the 
language,  but  also  reads  it  with  perfect  facility. 


io  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAA1RAN  ARABS. 

Burnaby  is  the  most  industrious  of  our  party,  and 
may  frequently  be  seen  holding  a  conversation  with  one 
of  the  crew  with  the  assistance  of  an  Arabic  vocabulary 
(Sacroug),  and  he  is  making  rapid  progress  in  their 
language.  There  is  a  party  of  French  Roman  Catholic 
missionaries,  including  a  bishop,  on  board,  bound  for 
Massowah,  and  when  not  occupied  with  their  meditations 
they  take  great  interest  in  hearing  all  about  our  future 
respective  plans,  though  they  perhaps  would  agree  with 
the  Khedive  that  we  are  putting  ourselves  to  a  very 
great  amount  of  trouble  merely  for  sport. 

M.  Marcopoli  has  translated  for  our  benefit  our 
various  firmans.  One  from  the  Khedive  to  the 
Governor  of  Souakim  orders  that  every  attention  shall 
be  paid  to  us,  and  that  all  our  ammunition  and  stores 
shall  be  landed  without  examination.  Another,  to 
Munsinger  Pasha,  the  chief  representative  of  the 
Government  in  this  portion  of  the  Egyptian  dominions,, 
whose  head-quarters  are  at  Kassala,  requests  that  all 
necessary  protection  shall  be  given  us  whilst  in  his  dis- 
trict, and  that  our  wants  shall  be  supplied  so  far  as 
possible. 

Dec.  27. — We  arrived  this  morning  in  the  harbour  of 

Souakim,  and  anchored  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 

the  town.     At  this  distance  it  has  a  somewhat  imposing 

appearance,  as  the  chief  buildings,  with  a  few  minarets, 

\are  collected  together  on  a  small  island  only  separated 


ARRIVAL  AT  SO UAKIM.  1 1 


from  the  rest  of  the  town  by  a  narrow  strip  of  water, 
and  slightly  elevated  above  the  mainland,  which  extends 
for  miles  as  a  low  flat  plain,  bounded  in  the  distance  by 
ranges  of  mountains  that  have  been  partially  obscured 
from  our  view  by  a  slight  mist.  _ 

After  seemingly  endless  confusion  and  excitement  V^ 
amongst  the  black-skinned  local  boatmen,  we  succeeded 
at  last  in  getting  our  apparently  enormous  stores  trans- 
ferred to  their  cranky  boats,  and  then,  under  the  guidance 
of  M.  Marcopoli,  we  landed  on  the  island  and  went  to 
the  house  of  the  governor,  and  in  his  absence  were  re- 
ceived by  his  representatives,  to  whom  we  presented  our 
firmans.  He  at  once,  after  promising  us  every  assistance 
in  his  power,  proceeded  to  show  us  a  piece  of  ground  on 
the  mainland  for  the  storage  of  our  goods  until  the 
necessary  complement  of  camels  could  be  obtained,  and 
he  gave  us  every  hope  of  being  able  to  start  to-morrow, 
or  next  day  at  latest.  The  chosen  ground  is  a  small 
square  space  close  to  the  landing  stage,  bounded  on 
three  sides  by  piles  of  iron  tubing,  marked  with  the 
name  of  an  English  firm,  for  telegraph  wires,  and  on  the 
far  side  by  a  mosque,  which  separates  us  from  the  ground 
allotted  to  the  Gondokoro  party.  Their  number  has 
been  increased,  with  their  consent,  by  the  addition  of 
two  Greek  captains,  who  are  on  their  way  to  the  White 
Nile  to  take  charge,  for  the  first  time,  of  some  steamers 
running  between  Khartoum  and  Gondokoro,  and  for  a 


12  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 

payment  of  2O/.  per  month.  M.  Marcopoli  tells  us  that 
two  Englishmen  originally  accepted  the  contract,  and 
came  as  far  as  Suez,  believing  they  were  to  command 
steamers  running  between  Souakim  and  Berber,  but 
upon  hearing  that  this  was  merely  a  desert,  and  that 
they  would  have  to  find  their  way  to  Khartoum  before 
their  work  commenced,  they  refused  to  go  any  farther, 
and  consequently  these  two  Greeks  were  engaged  at  a 
moment's  notice  to  replace  them. 

One  would  imagine  that  this  was  a  questionable 
experiment,  and  judging  by  what  Sir  Samuel  Baker 
says  in  '  Ismalia '  of  the  climate  in  that  part  of  the 
White  Nile,  it  seems  likely  that  these  new  arrivals  will 
not  require  2O/.  per  month  wages  for  long. 

Ranfurly  and  Arkwright  have  landed  on  an  island 
near  the  town  to  try  to  get  some  wildfowl,  but  we  have 
had  our  hands  much  too  full  of  work  to  attempt  any 
sport  to-day.  Having  collected  our  baggage,  we  set  to 
work  in  good  earnest  to  sort  it,  to  open  the  huge  cases 
merely  made  for  the  sea  voyage,  and  to  decide  what 
should  be  left  behind  in  consequence  of  the  loss  of  one- 
third  of  our  number  by  the  return  to  England  of  Ker 
and  his  servant,  whilst  Mohamed  and  his  staff  were 
well  occupied  in  preparing  dinner.  Just  before  sunset  a 
bathing  party  to  a  small  island  close  by  was  formed, 
and  thus,  with  the  sudden  darkness,  our  labours  termi- 
nated for  the  day.  Whilst  at  dinner  the  evening  call  to 


AN  ARAB'S  GEJ\  UINE  DOLLAR.  13 

prayers  from  the  mosque  at  our  side  brought,  perhaps 
for  the  first  time,  to  the  recollection  of  most  of  us  that 
the  necessarily  busy  day  we  had  just  ended  was  really 
Sunday.  After  dinner,  our  friends  from  the  opposite 
side  of  the  mosque  paid  us  a  visit,  and  Marcopoli,  ever 
ready  to  give  us  useful  information,  explained  to  us  how 
to  know  the  only  Maria  Theresa  dollar  which  the  Arabs- 
of  this  country  will  accept.  <~~i 

In  consequence  of  some  alleged  forgeries  perpetrated    ' 
upon  them,  these   dollars,  before  being   accepted,  are 
always  examined  very  closely,  and  on  the  crown  must 
be  counted  seven  stars,  though  they  are  only  just  visible 
to  the  naked  eye,  and   also  nine,  equally  small,  on  a 
brooch  over  the  right  shoulder.     If  in  either  case  more 
or  less  stars  are  found,  the  dollar  will  not  be  taken,  so  in 
the  payment  of  natives  there  appears  to  be  a  prospect 
of  an  expenditure  of  much  time  and  patience.     There  is, 
also  another  point  about  which  they  are  very  particular — 
viz.,  to  have  their  money,  like  Scotch  or  Irish  il.  bank- 
notes, decidedly  dirty.     No  gold  coin  will  pass  here,  and 
only  two  silver  ones,  a  piastre  of  an  old  Egyptian  cur- 
rency of  the  same  value,  but  three  times  the  size  of  the 
modern  coin,  and  very  much  thinner,   and  the  Maria 
Theresa  dollar.     These  dollars  are  a  decided  nuisance 
owing  to  their  great  weight  and  bulk,  but  divided  into   \ 
bags  of  500  we  have  managed  to  stow  them  away  in  our  i 
tin  boxes 


H  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

Sunday,  like  other  days,  must  come  to  an  end,  and 
so  has  our  first  in  this  region  ;  and  now  our  beds  are  ar- 
ranged side  by  side  on  the  open  ground  and  surrounded 
by  our  baggage  with  a  guard  of  three  soldiers. 

Fixing  the  hammocks  by  candle-light  proved  by  no 
means  an  easy  matter,  but  after  numerous  failures  it 
was  accomplished,  and  we  settled  down  for  the  night. 

Dec.  28. — If  we  had  good  cause  to  remember  our 
first  day  on  land,  the  night  was  not  likely  to  be  soonest 
forgotten. 

Hardly  had  the  last  good-night  been  said,  when  a 
sudden  crack  is  heard,  and,  looking  up,  we  find  one  patent 
hammock  has  collapsed,  and  the  victim  of  misplaced 
confidence  stretched  on  the  ground.  A  little  later, 
'  crack '  again,  and  down  has  come  another  ;  these  oc- 
casional interruptions  to  a  night's  rest,  though  producing 
shouts  of  laughter  at  the  discomfiture  of  the  occupant, 
become,  after  sundry  repetitions,  somewhat  monotonous  ; 
so  one  after  another  the  hammocks  are  discarded,  and 
an  opinion  generally  expressed  that  my  simple  folding- 
up  camp  bedstead,  with  cork  mattress,  has  its  advantages. 
For  a  few  moments  quietude  is  restored,  and  then  is 
heard  close  to  us  that  most  charming  of  musical  effects, 
a  solo  on  a  drum,  probably  a  military  tattoo,  which  draws 
from  Coke  the  very  apt  observation  that  the  practice  here 
is  identical  with  that  of  St.  James's  Palace  Guard  with 
regard  to  this  high-class  music.  This  tormentor  of  our 


ENEMIES  OF  THE  NIGHT. 


peace  having  at  last  withdrawn,  we  again  close  our  eyes, 
trusting  that  they  may  soon  remain  so  of  their  own  accord ; 
but  vain  was  the  hope,  for  two  cats  appear  on  the  scene,  and 
with  their  hideous  cries,  enough  almost  to  awake  the  dead, 
scamper  in  and  out  amongst  the  iron  piles  until  driven 
away  by  the  shouts  of  Emanuel,  who,  with  the  soldiers, 
is  keeping  watch  over  our  stores.  Now  surely  there  will 
be  a  little  peace  we  think.  Bah !  donkeys  bray  in  chorus  ; 
children  screech  ;  fish,  that  from  the  splashing  noise  they 
make  one  would  imagine  must  be  the  size  of  sharks, 
playfully  amuse  themselves  by  trying  how  high  they 
can  leap  out  of  the  water ;  and  the  short  intervals  are 
well  filled  up  by  the  most  musical  of  crickets,  if  judged 
by  their  power  of  producing  sound. 

Yet  another  disturber  of  the  would-be  sleeper's  rest 
arrives  unexpectedly,  and  a  no  less  important  one  than 
the  moon,  which  shines  in  our  faces  with  an  intensity 
that  can  only  be  fully  appreciated  in  the  East — and  who 
could  be  expected  to  sleep !  Some  of  our  party,  how- 
ever, are  above  being  affected  by  such,  to  them,  trifles, 
as  one  by  one  they  pass  into  that  state  in  which  sound 
and  light  remain  unnoticed,  and  when  nasal  music  on 
their  own  account  proves  that  their  minds  are  for  the  \ 
time  at  rest.  But  there  is  one  left  to  observe  the  night  ' 
give  place  to  the  day,  and  to  have  full  warning  of  it  by 
the  crowing  of  innumerable  cocks  around  him,  and  such 
is  his  unpleasant  experience  of  a  first  night  in  Upper 


16  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

Nubia.  A  general  stir  is  made  about  6  A.M.;  coffee,  and 
a  bathe  in  the  sea,  sharks  or  no  sharks  ;  breakfast,  and 
then  to  work  again  in  good  earnest. 

The  Gondokoro  division,  having  obtained  their  camels 
(nineteen),  started  on  their  desert  journey  to  Berber  at 
I  P.M.  Each  one  had  purchased  here  a  native  bedstead, 
or  '  angarep/  for  one  and  a  half  dollars,  and  though 
cumbrous  they  are  not  heavy,  and  camels  carry  them 
very  well  merely  placed  on  top  of  their  loads.  They 
simply  consist  of  a  framework  of  wood,  filled  in  with 
crossed  strips  of  goat-skin,  and  supported  on  four  short 
legs  rudely  made  and  badly  fitted.  We  have  had  a  sale 
to-day,  and  it  was  fortunate  for  our  friends,  both  on  shore 
and  on  board,  that  our  stores  were  in  excess  of  our 
present  wants,  for  we  were  able  to  add  some  important 
j\  items  to  their  under-estimated  supplies.  Already  we 
^- — \  have  found  our  pocket-filters  very  valuable,  for  with 
only  two  suspended  in  a  water-skin  since  our  arrival 
they  have  kept  up  a  sufficient  supply  into  a  bucket 
beneath  them  to  satisfy  the  almost  constant  demands  of 
our  visitors  as  well  as  ourselves,  and  we  feel  some  pride 
in  having  been  congratulated  by  such  experienced 
travellers  as  the  Gondokoro  division  upon  the  com- 
pleteness of  our  arrangements.  Our  various  parties 
have  now  said  good-bye  to  one  another,  and  with  sincere 
regret,  for  one  could  not  help  feeling  at  the  time  that 
in  all  human  probability  some  of  us  will  never  meet 
again. 


A   VALUABLE  PRESENT.  17 

Our  camel-men,  headed  by  their  chief,  came  this 
afternoon,  and  having  arranged  our  baggage  so  as  to 
calculate  the  number  of  camels  that  would  be  required, 
we  have  agreed  in  the  presence  of  the  Governor  to  hire 
thirty-two  at  four  and  a  quarter  dollars  per  head  for  the 
entire  journey  to  Kassala,  and  to  pay  for  them  in  advance, 
this  being  the  invariable  custom  at  Souakim,  though  not 
elsewhere.  The  quarter-dollar  is  the  claim  of  the  chief 
of  the  camel-men.  Before  leaving  us,  the  Governor 
made  a  special  request  for  some  good  medicine,  and 
though  it  was  slightly  indefinite,  our  stores  were  equal 
to  the  occasion  of  finding  him  some  that  will  give  him 
every  reason  to  remember  us  whatever  his  complaint 
may  be.  Messrs.  Savory  and  Moore  have  supplied  us 
with  a  specially  made  medicine-chest,  which  contains, 
both  in  quantity  and  variety,  all  that  we  can  well  require 
to  meet  every  emergency.  We  have  felt  the  heat  to-day 
decidedly  oppressive,  reaching  90°  Fah.  in  the  shade,  as 
our  allotted  ground  in  which  we  have  worked  so  busily  is 
very  much  shut  in  from  any  light  breeze  ;  and,  in  order 
to  ensure  a  bette  r  night's  rest,  two  of  ushave  agreed  to 
sleep  in  the  Governor's  house  on  the  island. 


1 8  LIFE   WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 


CHAPTER   II. 

Dec.  29. — It  certainly  was  a  great  luxury  passing 
the  night  on  a  comfortable  couch  in  a  darkened  room, 
excepting  the  proof  afforded  to  us  by  two  Turks,  if 
they  may  be  taken  as  types  of  the  race,  that  the  art  of 
snoring  is  thoroughly  understood  by  them.  At  last  we 
have  commenced  the  desert  journey,  and  have  halted  for 
the  night  about  eight  miles  from  Souakim  on  a  vast 
sandy  plain,  freely  studded  with  stunted  mimosas,  now 
merely  a  mass  of  dry  thorny  branches,  with  here  and 
there  the  skeleton  of  a  camel.  As  we  arrived  here  our 
hearts  were  gladdened  with  the  sight  of  two  or  three 
hundred  gazelles  that  at  once  called  forth  the  rifles,  and 
having  succeeded  in  bagging  four,  which  were  considered 
enough  for  the  larder,  we  returned  home.  There  wras 
great  excitement  at  the  time  amongst  our  camel-men  at 
the  prospect  of  a  feast  on  raw  gazelle,  which  with  them 
is  considered  a  luxury.  But  unfortunately  we  had  not 
remembered  their  religious  scruples  about  eating  flesh 
killed  by  the  heathen,  and  did  not  let  them  give  the 
coup  de  grace  the  consequence  of  which  was  that  some 


COKE'S  CAMEL  SHOWS  OFF  HIS  PACES.  19 

of  their  party  (numbering  eleven)  objected  at  first  to 
eat  it.  Hunger,  however,  must  be  a  desperate  tempter, 
•especially  when  tickled  by  the  sight  of  others  gorging, 
and  therefore  it  was  not  surprising  that  the  religious 
scruples  should  soon  be  forgotten,  and  all  found  squat- 
ting round  a  mangled  corpse  and  thoroughly  enjoying 
the  bloody  feast. 

The  two  tents  we  have  pitched  were  supplied  by 
Messrs.  Edgington,  of  London  Bridge,  and  chosen  by 
Coke,  and  they  seem  particularly  well  adapted  for  our 
work.  Supported  on  a  central  pole  having  four  arms, 
which  when  in  position  project  at  right  angles  at  some 
distance  from  its  summit,  each  tent  is  made  to  cover  a 
twelve-foot  square,  and  only  requires  a  few  pegs  to  be 
driven  in  to  keep  two  sides  fixed,  whilst  the  other  two 
can  be  left  open  to  allow  of  a  free  current  of  air. 

Dec.  30. — Though  all  were  up  by  6A.M.,  it  was  9  A.M. 
before  we  could  get  our  lazy  camel-men  to  complete 
their  work  of  lading.  The  camel-saddles  made  for  us 
at  Cairo  are  very  imposing-looking,  and  even  comfort- 
able, considering  the  creatures  we  have  to  ride ;  for  we 
have  been  obliged  to  hire  for  personal  use  the  ordinary 
baggage  camel,  which  differs  as  much  from  the  better 
class  camel  or  dromedary  as  a  carthorse  does  from  a 
racehorse,  though  it  is  not,  as  many  people  think,  a 
distinct  species.  Coke  has  had  an  unpleasant  experience 
to-day  of  their  rough  action,  for  his  camel,  taking  fright 


C  2 


20  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

at  a  white  umbrella,  bolted  off.     Away  it  galloped  at  an 
astonishing  pace,  and  though  its  rider  showed  very  con- 
siderable daylight  he  managed  to  keep  on  its  back  until 
in  his  efforts  to  turn  the  brute's  head  round,  the  cord 
acting  as  bridle  suddenly  snapped,  and  he  was  at  once 
landed  on  his  back  on  terra  firma,  with  most  fortunately 
no  more  serious  injury  than  a  deep  cut  of  one  thumb. 
The  camel  continued   its  mad  career  across  the  plain 
until  almost  out  of  sight,  when  it  turned  round  and 
ultimately  allowed  itself  to  be  caught.     In  the  mean- 
time all  the  things  slung  on  to  the  saddle  had  been 
jerked     off,     but    were     afterwards     found    uninjured. 
Amongst  them  was  an  eight-bore  smooth-bore  of  mine, 
made  by  Holland,  upon  which   I   had  set   my  heart  to 
astonish  an  elephant  or  any  other  big  game  that  might 
cross  my  path  ;  but  it  was  evidently  made  on  an  evil  day, 
for  very  soon  after  it  had  this  narrow  escape  from  being 
broken   or   lost,  and   whilst   we   were  sitting  down  at 
luncheon,  it  was  taken  off  the  saddle  by  our  very  willing 
but  much  too  officious  young   dragoman  Albert   and 
placed  against  a  tree,  and  then,  forgetting  it  was  there, 
he  backed  a  camel  on  to  it,  and  broke  the  stock  in  half. 
So  ends,  I  fear,  all  my  fond  hopes  of  testing  its  powers, 
though  Vivian  intends  trying  to  mend  it.     With  charges 
of    powder   varying   from    6   to    8    drachms,  and  with 
hardened  spherical  ball,  its   penetration,  tested  at   the 
Silvertown  ranges  up  to  forty  yards,  was  immense  ;  and  to 


ARABS  PROVE  OUR  MASTERS.  21 

prevent  the  recoil  of  so  large  a  charge  of  powder,  Messrs. 
Silver  and  Co.  had  fixed  to  the  stock  one  of  their  patent 
vulcanite  pads,  which  I  was  glad  to  find  answered  its 
purpose  very  well  there.  Something  approaching  to  a 
row  has  been  going  on  between  our  dragomans  and 
Arabs, as  the  latter  object  to  starting  in  the  morning  before 
they  have  said  their  prayers  at  sunrise  ;  but  they  have  at 
last  submitted  to  this  arrangement,  and  we  may  there- 
fore escape  having  to  crawl  along  under  a  broiling  sun 
during  the  heat  of  the  day  simply  for  their  benefit. 

Dec.  31. — Our  early  programme  has  been  carried 
out,  but  the  Arabs  have  scored  one  against  us,  for  after  a 
light  repast  of  biscuit,  and  that  most  useful  of  camp 
supplies,  cocoa  milk,  and  leaving  most  of  our  servants 
behind  to  complete  the  packing,  we  made  a  start  with 
the  understanding  that  we  should  arrive  at  water  about 
9  A.M.,  when  a  temporary  halt  would  have  to  be  made 
to  water  the  camels.  It  certainly  was  a  great  comfort 
to  us  to  be  able  to  arrive  before  the  great  heat  of  the 
•day  in  a  valley  between  two  desert  mountain  ranges, 
and  to  lie  down  quietly  under  their  shade  to  wait  the 
arrival  of  our  party.  Here  we  found  small  holes  in  the 
sand  close  to  the  rock,  into  which  welled  up  a  very 
pleasant-tasting  soft  and  clear  water ;  and  though  we 
could  afford  to  look  upon  it  with  suspicion,  having  our 
water-bottles  filled  with  cold  tea,  our  Arab  guide  and 
camels  had  good  cause  not  to  be  so  particular.  Hour 


22  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

after  hour  passed  without  any  sign  of  our  party  ap- 
proaching, and  at  last  we  became  a  little  anxious  lest, 
as  seemed  probable,  they  had  taken  a  different  route  ; 
but  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon  our  minds  were 
relieved  by  seeing  our  men  driving  the  camels  towards 
us,  freed  from  their  loads ;  and  then  we  learnt  that  we 
had  been  brought  two  hours'  ride  away  from  our  proper 
route  unnecessarily,  and  that  we  must  return.  It  was 
evening  before  we  arrived  at  our  camp  and  almost 
famished,  but  we  had  gained  one  practical  lesson-— viz., 
never  to  leave  our  baggage  camels  behind  us  in  future. 
This  has  consequently  been  almost  a  lost  day,  for  we 
are  not  above  twelve  miles  distant  from  our  last  camp, 
calculating  by  the  usual  2^-mile  rate  per  hour  of  the 
baggage  camel. 

January  I,  1875. — The  commencement  of  the  new 
year  finds  us  still  wending  our  way  slowly  along  the 
dreary  sandy  desert,  with  nothing  for  the  eye  to  rest 
upon  beyond  scattered  mimosas,  tufts  of  dry  grass,  and 
now  and  again  a  gazelle ;  and  though  we  do  not  find 
the  long  swinging  motion  of  the  camel  very  fatiguing,  it 
certainly  is  painfully  monotonous,  and  would  be  very 
conducive  to  sleep  were  it  not  for  our  fear  of  tumbling  off 
our  perch. 

Of  course  we  are  glad  to  pick  up  any  information  of 
the  country  through  which  we  are  passing  from  our 
Arab  companions,  and  on  coming  to  two  little  mounds 


HADENDOWA  ARABS'  SPECIAL  PRIDE.          23 

of  stone,  we  were  informed  that  two  Mussulmans 
were  buried  there,  and  that  God  had  killed  them. 
On  another  occasion,  when  a  gazelle  was  shot  dead, 
one  of  them  exclaimed  that  if  a  man  were  to  die  that 
way  he  would  be  sure  to  go  to  heaven.  These  men  L~ 
belong  to  the  Hadendowa  Arabs,  who  occupy  a  large 
tract  of  country  between  the  coast  and  Kassala.  They 
are  fine-looking  well  set-up  fellows  of  good  stature,  with 
well-formed  heads  and  regular  features,  though  their 
skins  are  nearly  black.  Their  hair  is  their  great  pride, 
and  it  certainly  is  a  marvel  of  artistic  skill.  A  parting 
being  made  round  the  head  on  a  line  with  the  eyes,  and 
the  temples  being  like  the  face  shaven,  the  crown  of  the 
head  is  covered  with  a  thick  mass  of  short  curly  black 
hair,  that  looks  exactly  like  a  mop.  Below  the  parting, 
the  hair  is  allowed  to  grow  to  considerable  length,  and 
is  generally  kept  twisted  into  innumerable  plaits ;  and 
even  then,  owing  to  its  thickness,  forms  a  great  mass ;  but 
when  undone  on  certain  occasions  it  looks  like  a  huge 
chignon,  and  must  certainly  prove  an  immense  protection 
against  the  direct  heat  of  the  sun  on  their  necks.  Though 
so  thick,  their  hair  is  of  such  fine  quality  that  it  feels 
almost  like  silk.  In  this  mass  is  always  kept  their 
representative  of  brush  and  comb,  which  consists  of  a 
thin  long  piece  of  hard  wood  or  bone,  and  it  is  frequently 
in  use  as  a  disturber  of  the  peace  of  the  very  numerous 
occupants  that  are  supposed  to  dwell  in  Arab  heads. 


24  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

Round  their  neck  is  fastened  a  string  of  brown  beads, 
and  round  the  right  arm  above  the  elbow  little  wooden 
or  leathern  boxes  containing  portions  of  the  Koran,  and 
worn  as  charms  to  keep  off  sickness.  A  sheet,  white  or 
of  various  shades  of  brown,  according  to  dirtiness,  wound 
several  times  round  the  loins  and  having  one  end  occa- 
sionally thrown  over  a  shoulder,. and  a  pair  of  sandals, 
complete  their  costume.  Each  carries  a  long  spear  and 
curved  stick,  and  some  also  a  shield  of  rhinoceros  or  other 
hide.  Altogether  their  appearance  is  most  picturesque, 

Jan.  2. — From  Souakim  to  Kassala  there  are  two 
main  routes  well  defined  by  the  great  camel  traffic. 
Our  path  so  far  has  continued  close  to  the  telegraph, 
from  which  even  the  desert  of  Africa  cannot  now  escape  ; 
and  to-day  we  have  been  passing  through  a  wide  valley, 
flanked  on  either  side  by  a  fine  range  of  rugged  moun- 
tains, and  have  arrived  at  water  which,  though  not  fit 
for  us  to  drink,  will  do  for  cooking  as  well  as  for  the 
camels. 

We  took  good  care  to  be  well  supplied  with  means 
for  carrying  water,  and  have  padlocks  on  our  four  large 
barrels  to  prevent  the  Arabs  robbing  us  of  this  precious 
store,  when  our  pig-skins  and  leather  bottles  are  emp- 
tied. We  saw  a  great  number  of  gazelle  to-day,  and 
killed  six. 

Jan.  3. — This  morning  we  did  not  get  off  till  after 
.  8  A.M.,  though  up  as  usual  before  5  A.M.     It  is  most  try- 


THE  RIGHT  MAN  IN  THE  RIGHT  PLACE.        25 

ing  to  the  temper  to  watch  our  nren  arranging  and  putting 
on  their  loads,  and  squabbling  amongst  one  another  as 
to  whose  camel  shall  have  an  addition  of  the  veriest 
trifle.  Emanuel  is  most  industrious  at  this  work,  drag- 
ging off  one  man  here  and  another  there,  speaking  a 
word  of  encouragement  to  one,  and  giving  a  good  slap 
on  the  back  of  another.  Lazy  hounds  as  they  are,  they 
never  really  lose  their  temper,  and  only  laugh  however 
much  Emanuel  may  knock  them  about.  Our  bag  of  six  p 
gazelle  produced  a  great  effect  upon  their  locks  this 
morning,  for  they  appeared  as  white  as  snow,  so  be- 
smeared were  they  with  the  fat,  or  marrow,  which  is 
much  preferred,  and  afterwards  we  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  it  gradually  melt  and  trickle  down  their  backs. 

In  this  kind  of  travelling  the  smallest  novelty  is  re-^ 
freshing,  and  therefore  two  or  three  dome  palms  near 
the  dry  bed  of  a  mountain  stream  attracted  much 
attention,  but  our  great  excitement  to-day  was  passing 
three  caravans  of  camels  laden  with  gum,  oil  seeds,  and 
skins  from  Abyssinia,  the  largest  numbering  over  six 
hundred.  These  camels  were  very  much  bigger  than 
our  own,  and  some  were  almost  black. 

This  being  their  twelfth  day  from  Kassala,  we  hope 
to  arrive  there  in  ten  days,  as  we  travel  at  a  little  greater 
speed,  or,  I  should  rather  say,  not  quite  so  slowly. 

Jan.  4. — Last  night,  for  the  first  time,  we  heard  the 
.wild  cry  of  the  hyaena  mingling  with  that  of  the  jackal, 


26  LIFE   WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

and  this  morning  there  were  very  ominous-looking  clouds 
hanging  over  the  mountains ;  but  no  rain  fell,  and  later 
in  the  day  the  sun  shone  with  its  usual  intensity. 
He  has  already  played  much  havoc  with  our  faces,  and 
few  of  our  friends  would  find  it  easy  to  recognise  us 
now.  We  found  to-day,  lying  close  to  our  path,  a  poor 
dying  camel,  and  eighteen  splendid  vultures  keeping 
watch  over  it;  and  some  of  them,  a  little  hasty,  had 
already  begun  to  pluck  its  eyes  out.  Gumming  saved  it 
a  little  misery  by  putting  a  bullet  into  its  head.  After- 
wards we  came  to  a  thick  shrubbery,  and  then  crossed 
the  dry  bed  of  a  river,  bordered  on  each  side  by  lovely 
green  bushes ;  and  though  we  could  give  them  no  name, 
it  was  indeed  a  treat  to  find  something  so  refreshing  for 
the  eyes  to  rest  upon  for  a  short  time.  We  have  halted 
this  evening  within  half  an  hour's  reach  of  water,  found 
near  the  mountains,  and  we  are  told  that  lions  abound 
there.  Just  before  dinner  a  herd  of  cattle  passed  our 
camp,  and  in  exchange  for  a  few  biscuits  we  procured  a 
jug  of  delicious  milk,  with  which  we  mixed  a  portion  of 
jT~our  day's  allowance  of  soda-water.  Claret  and  soda- 
water  are  luxuries  that  we  have  only  brought  for  the 
desert  journey  and  the  Red  Sea ;  and,  after  our  arrival 
at  Kassala,  whisky  will  be  the  stimulant  of  daily  con- 
sumption, and  there  is  no  fear  of  the  supply  running 
short.  Considering  all  things,  we  live  uncommonly  well, 
and  have  three  good  meals  per  diem,  luncheon  being 


A  MODEL  KITCHEN  RANGE.  27- 

the  feeblest  one,  as  we  only  take  out  in  a  saddle-bag 
such  things  as  slices  of  cold  gazelle,  potted  or  Australian 
meats,  sardines,  figs,  raisins,  and  Lehman's  captain  bis- 
cuits ;  and  it  certainly  is  a  movable  feast ;  for  it  entirely 
depends  upon  finding  near  our  path  a  mimosa  offering 
the  pretence  at  least  of  some  shade.  Mohamed's 
kitchen  range  consists  of  a  narrow  iron  trough  on  short 
legs,  and  having  placed  in  this  a  few  sticks  and  set  them 
alight,  he  is  soon  able  to  produce  a  dinner  that  many  an 
English  cook  might  well  not  be  ashamed  of. 

Jan.  5. — Our  departure  this  morning  was  greatly 
delayed  in  consequence  of  the  camels  having  strayed  to 
some  distance  amongst  the  mountains  during  the  night 
in  search  of  water.  Our  surprise  is  that  they  are  ever 
collected,  for  directly  we  halt  in  the  evening  they  are 
turned  loose  and  are  not  sought  for  until  the  morning. 

We  have  found  the  heat  to-day  particularly  trying,, 
owing  to  the  total  absence  of  cloud  and  to  the  great 
reflection  of  heat  from  the  rocky  ground  we  have  passed 
over.     Every  day  we  see  some  antelope,  but  we  do  not  I 
now  waste  our  cartridges  upon  them  when  not  wanted 
for  the   larder.     At   present   we   have    only   shot   two 
varieties,  one  the  common  gazelle,  and  the  other  the  < 
ariel,  which   it  much  resembles  in    colour  and    horns,, 
though  twice  as  large  in  both  respects,   and  showing 
more  white  behind.     Near  Souakim  we  found  the  ariel 
so  tame  that  we  had  no  difficulty  in  getting  within  easy 


28  LIFE    WITH  THE  HA  AIR  AN  ARABS. 

range  of  them,  but  now  both  begin  to  require  careful 
stalking  from  bush  to  bush  to  get  even  within  150  or  200 
yards  of  them.  We  keep  their  horns  if  they  are  good, 
with  merely  the  front  of  the  skull,  and  this  is  cleansed 
by  being  put  daily  into  the  sand  when  we  halt.  Our 
Arabs  value  the  skins  of  both  very  much,  as  they  are 
very  soft  though  strong,  and  therefore  make  capital 
water-skins. 

The  flesh  of  the  ariel  is  better  for  food  than  that  of 
the  gazelle,  but  even  of  this  one  must  after  a  time  get 
tired,  so  it  was  with  no  small  pleasure  that  to-day,  for  the 

first  time,  eight  sand-grouse  were  bagged  for  the  pot. 

.-•— 

At  3  P.M.  we  arrived  at  a  few  huts,  made  of  the 
leaves  of  the  dome  palm,  which  are  stated  to  be  exactly 
half-way  between  Souakim  and  Kassala.  No  natives 
were  to  be  seen  here,  not  even  a  woman  or  child,  but  we 
found  an  excellent  well,  and  having  replenished  our 
water  supply  we  resumed  our  journey.  The  camel-men 
are  tending  daily  to  become  more  troublesome,  and  at 
4  P.M.,  having  stopped  their  camels,  declared  they  would 
go  no  farther,  and  that  we  might  shoot  them  if  we  liked. 
This  is,  however,  not  our  intended  means  of  punishing 
them,  for  we  think  that  cutting  off  their  supply  of 
gazelle,  which  they  dearly  love,  and  having  one  or  more 
flogged  at  Kassala,  will  probably  prove  quite  as  much  to 
their  taste. 

Jan.  6. — Last  night  the  minimum  temperature  was 


OUR  FIRST  DESERT  VISITOR.  29. 

only    55°,   and    as   65°   has   been   the  lowest    on    any 
previous  night,  it  really  felt  quite  cold.     Coke,  however, 
ignores   a   tent  and  sleeps  in  his  hammock,  when  the 
screws  will  hold,  on  the  open  ground  about  twenty  yards 
from   our  tent,  and   not  even   the   kind  suggestion  of 
Vivian  that  he  might  be  eaten  by  a  lion  will  make  him 
alter  his  present  programme  for  the  night.     A  jackal; 
did  visit  our  camp  last  night,  and  we  found  his  track 
on    a    waterproof     sheet    directly    outside     the    tent. 
Vultures    are    becoming    more   numerous,    and    it    is 
wonderful  to  see  how  rapidly  they  come  into  view,  as 
they  soar  about  in  the  sky  directly  we  shoot  a  gazelle. 
We  left  one  to-day,  only  for  a  few  minutes,  in  the  camel 
track  for   our   followers   to   pick   up,   but  before  their 
arrival    a    huge   vulture   had    cleared   out   its   interior 
through    the   bullet    wound  ;    it  was,   however,   partly 
disappointed  in  its  feast,  for  such  a  delicate  morsel  as 
the  liver  raw  was  not  to  be  lost  in  that  way  by  our 
friends.     One  of  them  is   ill  to-day,  and  rumour  says 
from  eating  too  much  gazelle  ;  but  a  hollow  cough  heard 
at  night  in  the  distance  is  suggestive  of  something  less 
easily  remedied.    We  have  halted  again  near  a  very  good 
well. 

Jan.  8. — Very  late  starting  this  morning,  owing  to 
the  camels  having  strayed  a  long  way  off.  Emanuel 
now  goes  out  daily  in  search  of  them,  for  the  Arabs  are 
getting  lazier  than  ever,  and  are  very  loth  to  rise  from 


30  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

their  morning  repast,  consisting  of  a  bowl  of  dhurra 
made  into  a  mash  with  gazelle  and  some  greasy 
material,  called  by  Mohamed  butter,  and  far  prefer 
sucking  off  their  fingers  at  their  leisure  any  of  the 
remaining  fat. 

We  really  are  quite  helpless  as  regards  both  camels 
and  camel-drivers,  for  if  either  want  to  lie  down  or  go 
on  they  simply  do  so,  whatever  we  may  wish,  We 
passed  to-day  a  piece  of  ground  surrounded  by  dome 

Lalms,  where  we  found  considerable  life  and  animation. 
n  the  centre  was  a  well  about  40  feet  deep,  into  which 
young  Arabs  were  busily  throwing  leather  buckets,  and 
after  hauling  them  up  when  full,  emptying  them  into 
circular  mud  basins,  placed  round  the  well  for  the 
cattle  to  drink  from.  Other  Arabs  were  counting  their 
goats,  some  were  washing  themselves,  whilst  the  younger 
portion  of  the  community  were  beating  off  the  rind  of 
the  dome  nut  (with  which  the  palms  are  now  laden) 
preparatory  to  its  being  baked  for  food.  These  palms 
with  their  characteristic  bifurcating  branches  are  very 
fine  here,  and  as  there  is  a  considerable  amount  of  vege- 
tation in  this  oasis  we  saw  numerous  kinds  of  small  birds. 
These  for  the  present  we  have  left  undisturbed,  but 
before  returning  we  hope  to  collect  some  specimens,  as 
well  as  beetles  and  other  moving  things.  Gazelles  are 
becoming  very  scarce,  and  although  we  sadly  wanted 
one  to-day  for  the  table  it  was  not  forthcoming,  and 


A  PRACTICAL  DAIRYMAN.  31 

made  one  feel  inclined  to  say,  on  seeing  one  scamper  off 
in  the  distance — 

I  never  loved  a  dear  gazelle 
But  it  were  sure  to  die. 

Slightly  altered  from  the  original. 

Jan.  9. — There  was  heavy  dew  last  night  for  the 
first  time,  and  the  thermometer  went  down  to  44°,  and  it 
consequently  felt  extremely  cold  towards  morning.  As 
neither  the  offer  of  money  nor  of  biscuits  would  induce 
the  natives  to  give  us  any  milk,  our  dragoman  Albert 
adopted  the  next  best  means  to  obtain  some  by  catch- 
ing a  goat  and  milking  it,  remarking  that  if  a  native 
objected  he  would  flog  him,  this  being  the  custom  of 
the  country.  No  objection,  however,  was  raised  by  the 
owner,  who  looked  on  with  perfect  indifference,  and  we 
had  to  thank  our  new  dairyman  for  a  refreshing  draught 
of  milk.  Our  vulcanite  water-bottles  covered  with 
flannel  answer  admirably,  for,  filled  before  our  daily 
departure  with  cold  tea  (made  the  previous  night),  they 
keep  it  cold  almost  throughout  the  day,  and  this,  besides 
quenching  the  thirst  better  than  water,  has  the 
-additional  advantage  of  ensuring  the  water  being  boiled, 
a  point  of  no  small  importance  at  the  present  time,  for 
though  we  are  assured  that  the  water  taken  from  the 
wells  we  pass  is  excellent,  its  taste  and  colour  rather 
suggest  the  reverse,  and  what  we  had  for  our  baths  to- 
day was  nearly  black  with  mud.  We  are  very  parti- 


32  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

cular  also  about  filtration,  and  directly  we  arrive  in  camp, 

even   before   pitching  the    tent,  we   have  a   post  with 

hooks  driven  into  the  ground,  and  a  water-bucket  with 

filters  suspended  from  it,  and  by  this  means  we  have  an 

ample  supply  by  dinner  time.     Camel-riding  now  over 

the  burning  plain,  when  not  the  smallest  clouds  come  to 

our  relief,  is  more  trying  than  at  first,  and  the  sun  is 

playing  considerable  havoc  with  the  skin  of  our  faces ; 

but  we  can  at  least  relieve  our  eyes  from  the  intense 

glare  by  smoked  glass  spectacles  with  gauze  frames,  and 

by  white  umbrellas.     There  was  great  excitement  this 

afternoon    amongst   our   camel-men   when   a   wounded 

gazelle  gave  them  the  chance  of  running  forward  and 

despatching  it  by  hacking  at  the  throat  in  a  horrible 

manner  with  their  curved  knives  until  they  had  nearly 

severed   the   head  from  the  body.      This  was  the  first 

opportunity    they    had    been    given    to    satisfy    their 

religious  scruples,  for  our  expanding  bullets  generally 

destroy  life  at  once,  and  their  joy  was  proportionate  ; 

though  it  was  afterwards  somewhat  marred  by  our  laying 

claim  to  the  liver. 

Beautiful  as  the  sunsets  have  been,  that  of  to- 
night seemed  somehow  to  far  surpass  the  others  in 
grandeur.  We  were  crossing  at  the  time  a  vast  sandy 
plain  surrounded  save  to  the  west  by  mountains,  and 
with  no  sign  of  vegetation  upon  it  but  here  and  there 
a  solitary  stunted  mimosa  or  a  dry  tuft  of  grass.  South- 


A  DESERT  SUNSET.  33 

wards  in  the  direction  of  our  route  towered  up  before  us 
range  beyond  range  of  innumerable  peaks  of  mountains, 
some  of  them  so  perfectly  pyramidal  in  form  that  they 
appeared  to  have  been  chiselled  out.  Eastwards  was 
a  nearer  range  upon  which  the  setting  sun  threw  such 
strange  shadows  that  one  moment  from  their  depth  it 
seemed  as  if  these  bare  rocks  were  covered  with  forests  ; 
whilst  at  another  moment,  from  their  varied  shades  of 
colour,  one  could  imagine  that  each  mountain  had  its 
own  special  ore.  Past  them  wended  their  slow  way  our 
long  string  of  baggage-camels,  followed  by  our  riding- 
camels,  the  latter  adding  somewhat  to  this  perfect 
^Eastern  scene  by  the  bright  red  colour  of  their 
trappings ;  and  then  the  sun  went  down  and  gave  place 
to  the  glorious  after-glow,  when  objects  for  a  few 
moments  became  more  distinct,  as  sometimes  in  the  last 
flicker  of  his  life  does  the  intellect  of  the  dying  man 
clear  up,  and  then,  as  in  a  moment — night. 

It  was  very  late  when  we  encamped,  for  our  men 
\vere  afraid  of  halting  near  a  mountain  the  supposed 
haunt  of  wild  beasts  ;  but  we  finally  arrived  at  a  village 
named  Gadama,  according  to  Albert,  who  says  it  con- 
sists of  five  cottages,  four  dogs,  and  some  cows. 

We  are  obliged  to  accept  Albert  as  an  authority, 
because  he  went  this  desert  journey  twice  with  mer- 
chandise four  years  ago. 

Jan.  10. — Our  progress  to-day  was  soon  cut  short 

D 


34  LIFE   WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

by  arriving  at  a  well  containing  some  really  excellent 
water,  and  here  the  desire  for  a  halt  was  unanimous, 
not  only  to  fill  our  casks,  but  also  our  indiarubber 
baths,  and  to  make  the  most  of  so  great  a  treat.  The 
guns  also  had  a  turn  to-day,  in  consequence  of  the 
presence  of  numerous  doves.  These  gave  us  a  pleasant 
novelty  for  dinner,  for  gazelle-eating,  like  camel-riding, 
or  even  desert  sunsets,  can  after  a  time  become  slightly 
monotonous. 

Now  that  the  back  has  become  accustomed  to  camel-r 
riding,  one  finds  a  certain  charm  in  it ;  and,  as  hour 
after  hour  passes,  the  mind  relapses  into  a  half-dreamy 
state  of  reverie,  in  which  the  pleasures  and  sorrows  of 
the  past  year  flit  rapidly  before  it,  mingling  with 
thoughts  of  what  is  in  store  for  us  during  the  next 
few  months. 

Jan.  II. — We  have  in  vain  tried  to  be  on  friendly 
terms  with  our  respective  camels,  and  have  named  them 
according  to  special  characteristics.  Coke  declares  his 
camel  does  everything  in  its  power  to  annoy  him.  Only 
to-day  it  made  a  playful  attempt  to  bolt  agam,  but  was 
fortunately  checked  in  time  to  prevent  a  repetition  of 
the  previous  catastrophe.  At  midday  we  arrived  at 
one  of  the  wells  that  are  now  comparatively  numerous, 
and  though  hundreds  of  goats  and  cows  were  there,  no 
milk  would  be  given  us.  We  gained  a  point  in  receiving 
permission  to  get  some  if  we  could,  and  immediately 


DESERT   WHIRLWINDS  AND  MIRAGE.  35 


started  in  pursuit,  and  having  succeeded  in  catching  two 
goats,  Albert  acted  as  milkman  again  most  success- 
fully. 

On  these  occasions  a  little  wooden  barrel,  with  a 
padlock,  intended  for  carrying  water  for  personal  use, 
proves  a  valuable  companion,  for  it  is  used  now  for_^ 
carryingYwhisky,  than  which  nothing  is  better  to  give  a  >~ 
little  tone  to  new  milk  to  prevent  its  disagreeing  with  the 
weary  traveller.  The  sport  has  been  very  varied  to-day — 
gazelles,  jackals,  hares,  sand-grouse,  plover,  and  doves 
being  amongst  the  killed  and  wounded  ;  and  also  a  tiny 
species  of  antelope,  hardly  bigger  than  a  hare,  and 
probably  not  so  heavy,  named  *  Dik-dik/  which  was  the 
first  we  had  seen,  and  was  killed  with  shot  by  Vivian.  ^ 

Since  our  departure  whirl  winds  of  sand  have  been  more  i 
or  less  seen  every  day,  but  to-day  the  wind  has  been 
more  gusty,  and  the  whirlwinds  more  numerous,  and 
particularly  grand,  travelling  along  at  great  speed,  and 
ascending  to  such  a  height  that  their  points  became 
lost  in  space,  as  if  they  were  en  route  to  make  new 
worlds.  — .^ 

The  mirage  also  was  more  than  usually  observable,      * 
and  so  distinct  were  the  reflections  of  the  distant  rocks 
that  it  seemed  almost  incredible   that   they  were   not 
surrounded   by   water.      Baker   (vide  '  Nile  Tributaries 
of  Abyssinia ')  graphically  records  an  interesting  story 

I)  2 


36  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 


with  regard  to  the  deceptive   character  of  this  mirage, 
which  had  best  be  repeated  in  his  own  words  : — 

'  Many  years  ago,  when  the  Egyptian  troops  first 
conquered  Nubia,  a  regiment  was  destroyed  by  thirst  in 
crossing  this  desert.  The  men,  being  upon  a  limited 
allowance  of  water,  suffered  from  extreme  thirst,  and 
deceived  by  the  appearance  of  a  mirage  that  exactly 
resembled  a  beautiful  lake,  they  insisted  on  being  taken  to 
its  banks  by  the  Arab  guide.  It  was  in  vain  that  the  guide 
assured  them  that  the  lake  was  umeal,  and  he  refused  to 
waste  the  precious  time  by  wandering  from  his  course. 
Words  led  to  blows,  and  he  was  killed  by  the  soldiers, 
whose  lives  depended  upon  his  guidance.  The  whole 
regiment  turned  from  the  track,  and  rushed  towards  the 
welcome  waters.  Thirsty  and  faint,  over  the  burning 
sands  they  hurried  ;  heavier  and  heavier  their  footsteps 
became — hotter  and  hotter  their  breath,  as  deeper  they 
pushed  into  the  desert — farther  and  farther  from  the  lost 
track,  where  the  pilot  lay  in  his  blood  ;  and  still  the 
mocking  spirits  of  the  desert,  the  afreets  of  the  mirage, 
led  them  on,  and  the  lake  glistening  in  the  sunshine 
tempted  them  to  bathe  in  its  cool  waters,  close  to  their 
eyes  but  never  at  their  lips.  At  length  the  delusion 
vanished — the  fatal  lake  had  turned  to  burning  sand  ! 
Raging  thirst  and  horrible  despair!  The  pathless  desert 
and  the  murdered  guide  !  lost !  lost !  all  lost !  Not  a 
man  ever  left  the  desert,  but  they  were  subsequently  dis- 


A    VALUABLE  COMPANION  LOST.  37 


covered,  parched  and  withered  corpses,  by  the  Arabs 
sent  upon  the  search.' 

Jan.  12. — The  only  important  event  of  to-day  has 
been  discarding  Coke's  camel,  and  reducing  it  to  the 
ignominious  position  of  a  baggage  carrier  in  consequence 
of  its  conduct  having  at  last  become  unbearable. 

Jan.  13. — An  eventful  day,  and  one  that  for  me 
began  very  badly,  for  whilst  shooting  in  a  wood  close  to 
our  camp  before  starting  I  lost  my  belt,  containing  my 
watch  and  other  articles  of  value  to  me. 

In  vain  I  retraced  my  footsteps  until  the  last  moment 
I  could  spare  before  joining  my  party,  nowhere  could  I 
find  it ;  but  on  telling  Emanuel  of  my  loss,  he  despatched 
an  Arab  in  search  of  it,  and  expressed  the  greatest  con- 
fidence in  his  success.  However,  he  rejoined  us  two 
hours  later  when  at  luncheon,  having  given  up  the 
search  ;  and  then  an  Arab,  who  had  recently  joined  us, 
volunteered  a  good  hunt,  provided  I  returned  with  him, 
and  that  if  he  found  it  I  would  give  him  two  dollars. 
The  general  opinion  being  in  favour  of  this,  I  agreed, 
hopeless  as  I  thought  it  ;  and  having  snatched  up  what 
remained  of  our  luncheon  in  case  of  any  emergency,  and 
filled  my  water-bottle,  I  mounted  my  camel  and  started 
off  at  a  trot.  On  arriving  at  our  camping  ground  in- 
numerable vultures  were  fighting  over  the  remnants  we 
had  left,  and  gazelle  playfully  skipped  about  within  easy 


38  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

shot  as  if  they  knew  that  I  had  other  occupation  in  hand 
than  their  massacre. 

It  was  very  interesting  to  watch  how  keenly  the  Arab 
hunted  for  my  footprints,  and  when  found  how  carefully 
he  followed  them  up,  and  my  hopes  of  success  rose  propor- 
tionately ;  but  after  a  time  all  traces  were  lost  in  the 
soft  sand,  and  then  after  he  had  made  sundry  fresh  starts 
I  saw  that,  so  far  as  he  was  concerned,  all  chance  was 
over,  for  he  would  persist  in  wandering  farther  and  farther 
away  from  the  proper  direction.     At  this  time  a  burnt 
tree  caught  my  eye  that  I  remembered  to  have  passed, 
and  finding  my  track  there,  I  followed  it  up  until  belt 
and  all  were  in  my  possession.     One  long  shout  and 
my  black  friend   was  with  me,  and  his  delight  at  my 
success  took  so  demonstrative  a  form  that  he  caught  me 
up  in  his  arms,  kissed  my  shoulders  over  and  over  again, 
-and  then,  not  satisfied,  took  off  my  helmet,  kissed  it  all 
over,  and  finally  began  dancing  around   me.     I  really 
believe  his  delight  was  partly  genuine,  though  it  was 
without  doubt  much  increased  by  my  giving  him  the 
two  dollars.     Then,  for  the  first  time,  I  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  trying  the  effects  of  rapid  camel-riding,  for 
the  Arab,  having  mounted  behind  me,  with  thumps  and 
shouts  kept  the  poor  beast  at  a  very  rapid  trot  for  two 
hours,  excepting  an  occasional  halt  necessitated  by  my 
feeling  as  if  all  the  breath  had  been  jolted  out  of  my 
body  ;  and  then,  much  to  my  relief  as  well  as  surprise, 


ARRIVAL  OUTSIDE  THE  WALLS  OF  K ASS  ALA.     39 

we  caught  up  with  our  caravan.  Throughout  yesterday 
we  could  see  in  front  of  us  an  isolated  mountain,  and 
directly  beyond  it  we  were  told  lay  Kassala,  but,  like  a 
'  Will-of-the-wisp,'  it  seemed  as  if  we  never  could  ap- 
proach it.  To-day  again  hour  after  hour  passed  in  the 
same  disappointing  way,  until  the  afternoon,  when  the 
few  minarets  of  Kassala  coming  into  view  denoted  the 
delightful  fact  that  the  chief  part  of  our  desert  journey- 
had  really  drawn  to  a  close. 


40  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 


CHAPTER   III. 

AFTER  finding  a  piece  of  moderately  clean  ground  out- 
side the  town  for  our  camp,  we  were  escorted  by  Albert 
through  a  crowd  of  natives  to  the  palace  of  the  Governor 
of  the  Soudan  country,  and  most  fortunately  found  him 
at  home.  His  name  is  Munsinger  Pasha,  and,  though  a 
Swiss  by  birth,  he  has  made  this  country  his  home  ;  and 
it  was  he  who,  as  British  Consul  at  Massowah,  did  such 
good  service  to  the  English  army  during  the  Abyssinian 
expedition.  He  speaks  English  very  well,  which  is  a 
great  comfort,  as  we  shall  be  able  to  explain  our  wants 
without  the  aid  of  an  interpreter.  He  received  us  in  his 
office,  a  bare-looking  room  with  a  raised  cushioned  seat 
at  one  end  and  a  writing  table  to  represent  the  furni- 
ture ;  and  whilst  he  read  our  firman's  we  amused  ourselves 
watching  the  movements  of  a  little  black  boy  about  five 
years  old,  who  played  about  the  room  quite  regardless, 
of  us,  as  if  he  were  thoroughly  accustomed  to  official 
life ;  but  his  entire  costume  consisted  only  of  a  tar- 
boosh and  earrings,  and  as  he  remained  apparently  un- 
heeded by  the  Governor,  it  occurred  to  us  as  probable 


OUR  RECEPTION  BY  THE   GOVERNOR.          41. 

that  there  might  be  the  closest  relationship  between 
them.  Munsinger  Pasha  at  once  gave  orders  for  our 
goods  to  be  removed  into  a  house,  and  promised  us 
every  assistance  and  an  unlimited  number  of  men  to- 
transport  them  to  our  new  home.  We  then  complained 
to  him  of  the  laziness  of  our  Arab  followers,  and  evidently 
\vith  good  reason,  for  he  said  we  ought  to  have  completed 
•the  journey  in  eleven  or  twelve  days,  instead  of  sixteen  ; 
but  he  added  that  we  were  unwise  in  not  accepting  the 
offer  of  some  soldiers  made  to  us  at  Souakim,  not  so 
much  for  protection,  as  we  had  imagined,  as  to  ensure 
the  good  conduct  of  these  men.  He- says  that  we  can 
get  very  strong  camels  here  at  short  notice,  and  probably 
also  horses,  the  latter,  if  of  the  ordinary  kind,  costing  4/1 
to  6/.;  and  he  has  promised  to  call  upon  us  to-morrow,, 
after  having  made  all  necessary  arrangements. 

The  following  table  is  a  record  of  our  daily  progress 
across  the  desert,  calculated  at  the  usual  rate  of  the 
baggage  camel — viz.,  2\  miles  per  hour,  the  total  distance 
being  thus  represented  as  296  miles.  This,  according  to 
Munsinger  Pasha,  is  16  miles  in  excess  of  the  generally 
accepted  distance — viz.,  280  miles. 


LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 


Date. 

Departure. 

Arrival. 

Distance 
(time  of  halts 
deducted). 

Total. 

December  29,  1874 

A.M. 
II 

P.  M. 

3-30 

8i 

8V 

30 

9 

3-30 

16 

24j 

8 

2 

15 

39^ 

Januiy         i,  1875 

7-30 

6 

26 

651 

2 

8.15 

2.30 

15 

Soi 

3 

8.15 

4-15 

20 

looj 

4 

7-45 

3-45 

20 

I20J 

5 

8.30 

3-45 

18 

138^- 

6 

8-45 

4-45 

20 

158^ 

7 

8.30 

3.30 

17* 

176 

8 

8.45 

5 

20j 

1961 

9 

8.15 

6-45 

222-| 

10 

8.45 

2-45 

15 

237f 

ii 

8.15 

5-45 

24i 

262 

12 

9.15 

4-15 

171 

279^ 

13 

8.30 

3-30 

1  61 

296 

The  town  of  Kassala,  though  the  capital  of  the  Soudan 
country  and  the  great  military  centre  of  this  portion  of 
the  dominions  of  Egypt,  can  be  described  in  a  few  words, 
for  it  almost  entirely  consists  of  low  houses,  made  of 
bricks  baked  by  the  sun,  or  of  dried  mud  for  the  richer 
community,  and  of  dhurra-stalks  or  palm-leaves  for  the 
poorer,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  fortified  wall  made  of 
sun-dried  bricks,  and  outside  this  by  a  moat.  After 
passing  through  the  chief  gate  of  entrance,  which  is 
guarded  by  soldiers,  a  wide  street  crowded  with  Arabs 
buying  and  selling  at  the  minute  stores,  consisting  chiefly 
of  grain  and  calico  fabrics  of  European  manufacture, 
one  soon  arrives  at  an  open  space,  round  which  are 
congregated  the  few  buildings  of  any  importance,  such 
as  the  mosque,  palace,  and  prison,  as  well  as  two  or  three 


VISIT  TO  A   HAPPY  FAMILY.  43 


shops  kept  by  Greeks  for  the  supply  of  goods  to  the  few 
Europeans  who  reside  in  or  visit  this  place  ;  and  here, 
under  the  shade  of  a  clump  of  trees,  two  oxen  may  be 
seen  perpetually  walking  round  in  a  circle  whilst  turning 
a  wheel  with  buckets  attached  to  it,  which  brings  up 
from  a  well  the  chief  supply  of  water  to  the  inhabitants. 
This  water  is  excellent,  and  is  obtained  from  the  Gash, 
a  river  that  flows  from  Abyssinia,  and  when  near  Kassala 
gets  lost  in  the  dry  season  beneath  the  sand,  and  thus 
at  no  great  depth  passes  under  the  town. 

Beyond  the  main  thoroughfare  numerous  narrow 
by-ways  are  found  winding  about  amongst  the  houses, 
so  narrow  that  there  is  barely  room  for  a  camel  to  pass, 
and  so  dusty  that  one  feels  almost  stifled  in  them. 

Whilst  our  house  was  being  put  in  order  we  paid  a  visit 
to  the  establishment  of  agentleman  of  European  celebrity, 
named  Cohen,  where  may  always  be  seen  the  best  speci- 
men of  '  a  happy  family.'  In  the  outer  court  were  drome- 
daries, very  fine  black  ostriches,  and  an  eight-year-old 
elephant ;  passing  into  the  inner  court,  we  were  introduced 
to  four  little  elephants,  about  two  years  old,  so  tame  that 
Mr.  Cohen's  child  of  the  same  age  was  allowed  to  play 
with  them  ;  various  kinds  of  antelope  were  wandering 
about  at  large,  but  the  pet  of  the  family  was  evidently 
'  Sarah,'  a  young  hyaena  that  allowed  herself  to  be  caught 
when  wanted,  and  in  the  meantime  amused  herself  in 
playfully  chasing  a  gazelle  amongst  our  seats,  whilst  the 


44  LIFE   WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

child  found  great  pleasure  in  nursing  a  young  leopard, 
We  were  shown  here  numerous  other  varieties  of  animals, 
from  giraffes  to  monkeys,  some  of  them  having  been 
only  just  brought  in  by  the  Arabs.  Mr.  Cohen  supplies 
the  various  Zoological  Societies  of  Europe  with  the 
animals  found  in  this  country.  Our  house,  though  far  from 
being  palatial,  has  ample  accommodation,  for  there  is 
room  in  the  courtyard  for  our  stores,  and  actually  some- 
thing resembling  a  staircase  leading  to  a  first-floor,  which 
consists  of  an  outer  court  and  four  rooms.  The  walls 
are  made  of  mud  baked  in  the  sun,  and  therefore 
not  very  attractive  in  appearance ;  but  as  a  protection 
from  both  the  sun  and  the  outer  world  it  answers  its 
purpose  admirably,  and  there  is  no  fear  of  our  having 
a  heavy  bill  for  damages,  as  the  furniture  only  consists 
of  a  few  strips  of  matting  and  an  angarep. 

Jan.  14. — Of  all  noisy  places  at  night  Kassala  would 
not  be  far  from  heading  the  list,  for  by  no  human 
ingenuity  could  it  well  be  surpassed  in  this  respect.  Not. 
a  moment's  quiet,  for  innumerable  dogs  keep  up  an 
incessant  barking  to  keep  off  the  hyaenas,  whose  cry  is 
continuously  heard  in  the  outskirts ;  drums  are  being 
beaten,  sometimes  for  a  wedding,  at  others  for  a  death  ; 
women  are  screeching,  and  priests  are  calling  the  faithful 
to  prayers,  or  the  watchers  of  the  night  are  shouting  in 
response  to  one  another ;  whilst  our  old  friends,  the  cocks, 


EXAMINATION  OF  OUR  STORES.  45 


more  cruel  than  ever,  begin  their  crowing  soon  after 
sunset. 

We  have  been  very  busy  to-day  overhauling  our 
stores,  and  deciding  what  are  to  be  left  here  for  the 
return  journey  across  the  desert,  and  also  thoroughly 
cleaning  our  guns  and  rifles  ;  for,  notwithstanding  all 
our  care,  the  sand  has  got  into  them  greatly.  The  black 
leather  cases,  in  which  some  of  them  were  packed,  have 
much  contracted  by  the  heat,  but  beyond  a  slight  trace 
of  rust  here  and  there  on  the  barrels,  from  which  Messrs. 
Rigby  &  Sons'  were  quite  free,  our  various  weapons 
did  not  suffer  from  their  sea  voyages.  The  post  for 
Souakim  having  left  to-day,  we  had  but  little  time  for 
correspondence.  On  Tuesday,  December  2,  1874,  the 
present  Red  Sea  postal  system  was  first  brought  into  ( 
operation.  The  steamers  that  leave  Suez  every  third  ! 
Tuesday  for  Massowah  call  at  Souakim  on  the  return 
journey,  the  following  Monday  or  Tuesday  week,  so  we 
shall  be  able  to  calculate  the  time  of  departure  from 
Souakim  of  the  steamer  by  which  we  decide  upon  to 
return,  provided  the  new  system  continues  to  hold 
good. 

At  7  A.M.  Munsinger  Pasha  called  to  see  if  we  were 
comfortable,  and  told  us  that  horses  would  Be  brought 
for  our  inspection  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  that  two 
of  our  camel-men  had  been  sent  to  prison  ;  and  when  we 
suggested  that  they  should  only  be  frightened,  he 


46  LIFE   WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

promptly  replied  that  the  koorbatch  (whip)  would  be 
more  practical,  and  then  changed  the  subject.  These 
Hadendowa  Arabs  have  the  character  of  being  very 
lazy  and  great  thieves,  so  it  is  no  use  wasting  much 
sympathy  upon  them.  In  the  evening  Munsinger  Pasha 
dined  with  us,  and  we  gave  him  all  the  delicacies  avail- 
able from  our  home  supplies,  as  well  as  a  tiny  antelope 
(Dik-dik),  which  was  roasted  whole  and  stuffed  with  rice 
and  raisins,  and  was  as  tender  as  a  chicken.  Iced 
champagne  was  also  not  forgotten  to  be  ordered,  but 
unfortunately  the  freezing  machine,  though  it  had  proved 
a  great  success  at  Cairo  in  an  experimental  trial,  refused 
to  act  in  consequence  of  its  rather  rough  treatment 
during  the  journey.  However,  we  consoled  ourselves 
with  the  thought  that  champagne,  even  without  ice,  was 
not  to  be  obtained  every  day  in  Kassala. 

He  gave  us  much  interesting  information  on  various 
subjects  connected  with  this  country.  Kassala,  he  says, 
has  now  a  population  of  about  25,000  persons,  excluding 
the  villages  in  its  neighbourhood.  A  large  portion  of  it 
is  very  migratory,  consisting  of  various  tribes  who  stay 
only  for  a  short  time  for  barter.  There  are  a  great 
number  of  men  of  bad  character  here  who  are  sent  in 
banishment  from  Cairo,  and  they  arc  allowed  to  be  at 
large  so  long  as  they  behave  themselves  properly. 
Crime,  excepting  theft,  is  not  common  here,  and  theft  is 
scarcely  regarded  as  a  crime  among  them,  on  the  plea 


GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  SOUDAN.  47 

that  God  or  the  Devil  made  them  commit  it.  The 
prison  has  generally  about  sixty  culprits  in  it,  almost  all 
under  punishment  for  theft ;  a  surprisingly  small  number, 
considering  that  this  is  the  only  prison  for  the  whole  of 
the  country  over  which  he  rules,  consisting  of  a  popula- 
tion calculated  at  2,000,000,  and  that  every  temptation 
to  easy  theft  is  given  by  the  people,  who  leave  their 
houses  (many  of  them  having  neither  doors  nor  windows) 
quite  open  all  day  in  their  absence. 

'  Supposing/  said  Munsinger  Pasha,  *  this  were  your 
custom  in  England,  what  would  be  your  list  of  thieves  ?  * 
Capital  punishment  is  very  rarely  carried  out,  and 
especially  as,  until  the  last  few  months,  this  has  only 
been  sanctioned  by  Mussulman  law  when  the  murderer 
confessed  his  crime.  Now,  however,  this  is  altered,  and 
a  man  suspected  of  murder  is  tried  by  a  military  tribunal, 
and,  whether  found  guilty  or  not  guilty,  the  final  judgment 
rests  with  the  Pasha.  He,  though  from  the  absolute 
clearness  of  the  evidence,  in  some  cases,  might  be  com- 
pelled to  sign  the  death-warrant,  is  very  much  averse  to. 
doing  so,  preferring  to  punish  the  criminal  with  the 
utmost  severity,  short  of  depriving  him  of  life. 

When  capital  punishment  is  carried  out,  it  is  by 
hanging,  not  by  beheading,  according  to  the  strict  custom, 
as  this  is  considered  less  likely  to  be  attended  with  un-r 
necessary  torture. 

In  the  open  space  in  the  centre  of  the  town  are  fixed 


48  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

two  high  poles  with  a  cross-bar,  to  which  men  are  strung" 
up  by  the  thumbs  as  a  punishment  for  any  great  crime, 
and  this  exquisite  torture  is  sometimes  continued  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  minutes.  We  were  therefore  not  sur- 
prised on  hearing  that  this  public  spectacle  acted  as  a 
good  warning  to  would-be  offenders.  It  is  difficult  to 
bring  the  laws  of  civilised  nations  to  bear  otherwise  than 
slowly  upon  the  very  mixed  and  half-savage  tribes  col- 
lected here ;  but  though  Egypt  has  only  acquired  this 
territory  since  1822,  great  improvements  have  been 
introduced,  and  there  is  something  like  order  established. 
Statistics  of  life  and  death  are  quite  impossible,  for  the 
people  are  very  tenacious  about  inquiries  into  family 
life,  fearing  that  it  means  the  extortion  of  taxes.  The 
death-rate  of  the  army  quartered  in  Kassala,  numbering 
1, 800,  averages  sixty  per  annum,  or  33*33  per  1,000, 
intermittent  fever  and  dysentery  being  the  chief  causes 
of  this  high  rate  of  mortality.  As  in  Cairo,  vaccination 
is  adopted,  though  not  with  the  same  success,  owing  to 
the  bad  supply  of  vaccine  ;  but  the  people  have  great 
faith  in  it,  and,  failing  this  protection,  they  adopt  the 
next  best  expedient  in  being  inoculated  from  a  small-pox 
case.  The  laws  of  morality  are  not  very  strict,  for  young 
girls  can  lead  immoral  lives  without  losing  caste  amongst 
their  sex. 

The  system  of  taxation  has  been  much  altered   of 


PRACTICAL  LAWS.  49 


late  years,  and  the  priesthood   and  '  nobles '  who  were 
formerly  exempted  have  now  to  pay  their  share. 

These  '  nobles  '  are  found  amongst  all  tribes,  and  they 
claim  descent  from  a  few  men  who  lived  three  or  four 
centuries  ago,  and  they  are  recognised  as  such  by  their 
people.  They  have  their  laws  of  primogeniture,  the 
eldest  son  inheriting  his  father's  estate,  and  the  youngest 
having  the  house  of  his  mother.  After  the  death  of  the 
father,  the  first-born  son  has  to  provide  for  the  family, 
to  support  his  brothers  until  they  are  old  enough  to  be 
independent  of  him,  and  his  sisters  until  they  marry, 
when  he  has  to  find  dowries  for  them.  So  their  laws, 
if  such  be  a  fair  example  of  the  generality  of  them,  have 
a  good  deal  of  common  sense  to  recommend  them  for 
adoption  otherwise  than  in  Egypt. 

Munsinger  Pasha  has  a  great  idea  that  the  country 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  river  Gash  might  be  brought 
under  cultivation,  and  he  has  now  engineers  surveying 
one  portion,  eighty  miles  by  twenty  in  extent,  with 
regard  to  its  capability  of  being  inundated.  If,  as  he 
believes,  this  can  be  done,  it  will  be  covered  in  a  short 
time  with  crops  of  cotton  and  indigo,  both  of  which  are 
found  to  thrive  here,  2,000  acres  having  been  already 
tested  with  them  most  successfully,  and  specimens  sent 
only  this  autumn  to  Cairo.  To-morrow  he  proposes  to 
take  us  for  a  ride  round  the  town,  and  to  show  us  the 
prison. 

E 


So  LIFE   WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

Our  original  intention  on  leaving  Kassala  was  to  go 
one  or  two  days'  journey  along  the  river  Gash  in  search 
of  elephants,  but  we  have  been  deterred  from  doing  so 
in  consequence  of  the  river  being  now  quite  dry.  After 
the  rains,  the  Gash  flows  for  one  hundred  days,  com- 
mencing slowly  about  the  middle  of  July,  but  when  it 
attains  to  its  full  force,  at  the  rate  of  eight  miles  an  hour. 
After  this  period  it  becomes  perfectly  dry,  excepting 
some  large  pools ;  and  as  these  also  subside  through  the 
sand,  elephants  leave  the  neighbourhood  for  the  more 
permanent  tributaries  of  the  Nile.  We  have  therefore 
decided  upon  continuing  our  journey  southwards  to  the 
country  of  the  Hamran  Arabs,  and  after  halting  at  their 
chief  village  to  look  for  horses,  as  it  is  stated  that  we  can 
buy  them  better  and  cheaper  there,  to  try  what  sport  is 
to  be  had  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  river  named  the 
Settite  ;  and,  failing  there,  to  go  still  farther  south  to  the 
Salaam  river. 

Vivian  and  Gumming  have  invested  largely  to-day  in 
the  personal  ornaments  and  armaments  of  the  natives, 
though  at  first  with  some  difficulty,  as  they  would  not 
give  them  up  until  forced  to  do  so  by  a  soldier.  When, 
however,  it  became  generally  known  that  they  were  paid 
for  in  genuine  good  silver  dollars  there  was  no  lack  of  sup- 
plies, and  a  crowd  soon  collected,  ready  to  sell  everything 
they  had  upon  them.  The  present  is  an  excellent  time 
to  buy  their  silver  trinkets,  for  next  Monday  is  the  Feast 


NATIVE  JEWELRY.  51 


of  Beiram,  when  all  are  expected  to  keep  open  house,, 
and  they  will  sell  their  heirlooms  in  order  to  have  enough 
money  to  buy  supplies  for  this  festive  occasion.  These 
ornaments  are  of  rude  workmanship  as  a  rule,  and  the 
bracelets,  anklets,  nose  and  ear-rings  nearly  all  consist 
of  a  solid  piece  of  silver,  of  various  sizes,  bent  so  as 
nearly  to  complete  a  circle,  and  having  each  end  beaten 
out  after  some  simple  design  ;  and  they  are  sold  weight 
for  weight  against  the  dollars,  the  value  of  this  coin  here 
being  twenty-five  of  their  large  piastres. . 

The  only  stimulant  these  Arabs  drink  is  a  kind  of 
beer  made  from  dhurra,  which  Albert  says  is  very  good, 
but  we  have  not  as  yet  acted  upon  his  recommendation. 
He  is  quite  in  his  element  here,  and  finds  so  much  enter- 
tainment as  well  as  occupation  in  the  trinket  purchases^ 
and  in  looking  up  his  old  friends  amongst  the  Greek 
community,  that  Emanuel  and  Bob  do  not  have  much 
assistance  from  him  in  their  really  hard  work. 

Jan.  15. — All  our  arrangements  for  an  early  start 
to-morrow  are  complete,  and  only  depend  on  the  arrival 
of  the  promised  camels.  Munsinger  Pasha  has  given 
us  two  soldiers  belonging  to  the  Bashi-Bazouks  as  pro- 
tectors, and  we  have  engaged  as  one  of  our  guides  an 
Egyptian  named  Ibrahim,  who  was  with  Arkwright  on  a 
somewhat  similar  expedition  last  year.  In  the  afternoon 
we  went  for  our  promised  ride  with  Munsinger  Pasha, 
who,  dressed  in  a  loose  white  suit,  and  wearing  only  a 

E   2 


52  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 

tarboosh  on  his  head,  was  mounted  on  his  favourite 
donkey,  whilst  two  of  us  had  horses,  and  two  donkeys. 
Four  soldiers  marching  in  front  and  four  behind,  armed 
with  Remington  rifles,  formed  his  guard,  and  so  we  went 
round  the  town. 

Ten  years  ago  there  was  a  mutiny  of  the  whole  army 
here,  numbering  at  the  time  four  thousand  men,  and  for 
two  months  they  held  one  half  of  the  to\vn,  but  they 
were  then  dislodged  by  troops  sent  from  Cairo  and 
Khartoum,  and  all  perished  excepting  four  hundred. 
Some  of  these  were  sent  to  the  White  Nile,  and  others 
are  now  employed  on  the  telegraph  line  across  the 
Desert  to  Souakim.  As  we  passed  amongst  the  straw 
houses  in  the  poorest  districts,  it  was  almost  surprising  to 
see  with  what  very  marked  respect  Munsinger  Pasha  was 
received  by  the  various  tribes,  every  man  standing  up 
and  bowing  low  before  him,  whilst  the  women  shouted  in 
their  own  peculiar  way  from  within  their  houses  in  order 
to  do  him  honour.  He  first  took  us  to  a  large  cotton 
manufactory,  in  which  he  takes  great  interest,  as  he 
thinks  it  will  prove  a  complete  success.  The  machinery 
was  made  in  England,  but  the  chief  engineer  is  a  French- 
man. The  building  is  made  of  bricks,  baked  in  a  kiln 
close  by;  but  many  failures  took  place  before  the  proper 
amount  of  sand  to  mix  with  the  clay  could  be  decided 
upon  to  ensure  a  good  brick.  A  large  acacia-wood 
behind  the  Kassala  mountains  supplies  the  material  for 


A    VERY  MIXED  SOCIETY.  53 

fuel,  and  now  that  the  people  understand  their  work 
bricks  can  be  turned  out  in  any  number  required.  For  a 
time  the  manufactory  will  be  worked  by  the  Govern- 
ment, but  Munsinger  Pasha  hopes  that  it  will  ultimately 
pass  into  private  hands.  Our  next  visit  was  to  the  prison, 
a  low  range  of  buildings  surrounding  a  courtyard,  in 
which,  on  our  approach,  the  prisoners  were  drawn  up  in 
line,  all  of  them  having  heavy  chains  round  their  ankles 
excepting  two,  who  turned  out  to  be  our  victims.  As 
usually  happens,  these  were  the  least  idle  of  our  camel- 
men  ;  and  therefore,  after  a  little  special  pleading  on 
their  behalf,  we  succeeded  in  obtaining  their  release. 
We  walked  down  the  line,  and  the  chief  gaoler  explained 
the  nature  of  each  crime,  and  a  very  curious  list  it  was. 
The  first  two  were  boys,  who  were  convicted  of  selling  a 
little  girl  as  a  slave  ;  then  came  a  man  who  had  murdered 
another,  and  had  confessed  his  guilt,  but  there  having 
been  extenuating  circumstances,  he  has  been  sentenced 
to  imprisonment  for  life.  Next  came  a  horrible-looking 
creature,  who,  besides  having  chains  round  the  ankles, 
had  his  wrists  fixed  in  a  block  of  wood  ;  he  was  known 
as  an  inveterate  thief,  and  had  committed,  it  was  believed, 
many  murders,  though  none  could  be  proved  against  him. 
A  little  farther  on  stood  the  handsomest  man  of  the 
Hadendowa  Arabs  we  have  seen,  who  stole  some  camels 
and  murdered  the  owner,  one  of  another  tribe,  his  excuse 
being  that  this  man  had  done  the  same  to  his  father  ten 


' 


54  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

years  ago.  As  we  left,  there  was  a  general  appeal  to 
Munsinger  Pasha  to  release  them,  all  declaring  that  they 
were  innocent. 

Of  female  prisoners  there  are  none,  for  no  accusations 
of  crime  are  brought  against  them  ;  and  should  one  be 
committed  by  them,  it  is  kept  quiet  and  settled  amongst 
the  male  community  of  the  tribe  to  which  they  may 
belong. 

Selling  slaves,  Munsinger  Pasha  says,  no  doubt  still 
continues  to  a  small  extent  secretly,  but  the  risk  to  the 
slave-dealers  is  now  so  great  that  the  practice  must  in 
time  die  out  of  itself,  for  their  v?lue  has  increased  in 
•proportion  to  the  risk  incurred.  A  few  get  probably 
sent  secretly  to  the  coast,  and  transported  in  small  boats 
to  Jedda,  for  the  price  of  slaves  in  Arabia  is  now  very 
high.  When  slaves  are  captured  by  the  Government, 
the  boys  are  drafted  into  the  army,  and  husbands  are 
generally  found  for  the  girls. 

The  negro  soldiers  behave  themselves  very  well,  but 
they  are  not  nearly  so  well  educated  as  the  Egyptian 
soldiers,  for  all  of  these  can  now  read  and  write.  A 
negro  band  is  generally  stationed  here,  and  it  is  a  curious 
fact  that  whilst  these  men  prefer  the  light  European  airs, 
and  play  them  very  correctly,  the  Egyptians  prefer  their 
own  music. 

Most  of  the  soldiers  of  Munsinger  Pasha's  guard 
fought  in  Mexico  under  Bazaine. 


MUNSINGER  PASHA'S  PROPHECY.  55 

He  believes  that  within  three  years  there  will  be  a 
war  between  Egypt  and  Abyssinia  about  the  Bogos 
country,  which  partly  divides  them,  for  the  Abyssinians 
are  very  jealous  of  Egypt  obtaining  power  in  any  portion 
of  this  disputed  territory,  and  they  are  now  only  waiting  i 
until  they  are  better  prepared  to  wrest  it  from  her. 
Mr.  Cohen  paid  us  a  visit  this  evening,  and  expressed  a 
great  wish  to  join  us  if  we  could  only  delay  our  departure 
one  day,  as  he  is  about  to  visit  the  same  country  to  buy 
animals,  and  he  would  have  us  believe  that  his  knowledge 
of  the  country  would  be  of  much  service  to  us. 

In  this  respect  he  is  without  doubt  right,  but  on  the 
whole  we  prefer  his  room  to  his  company,  for  the 
Governor  tells  us  that  there  is  a  very  good  feeling 
amongst  the  various  tribes  we  shall  meet  for  the  English  ; 
and  though  Mr.  Cohen  may  be  well  known  as  a  purchaser 
of  their  animals,  we  cannot  tell  whether  he  may  not  be 
better  known  than  respected.  Owing  apparently  to  the 
absence  of  competitors,  he  has  the  entire  command  of 
the  market,  and  as  he  can  make  his  own  terms,  his  profits 
ought  to  be  large  ;  but  the  risks  must  be  very  great,  for 
even  since  our  arrival  two  of  the  young  elephants  we 
saw  have  died  through  injuries  received  from  the  native 
hunters  either  to  the  ribs  or  liver.  Three  fine  giraffes  were 
brought  to  him  to-day,  and  bought,  according  to  Albert, 
for  twenty  dollars  each.  As  an  extra  servant,  we  have 
engaged  a  slave  whom  Mr.  Cohen  bought  for  twenty 


56  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

dollars  and  liberated,  and  then  retained  at  wages  of  four 
dollars  a  month.  He  does  not  appear  now  to  care  for  his 
bargain,  and  has  granted  us  the  great  privilege  of  allowing 
us  to  take  him  to  England  //"we  care  to  do  so.  He  is  a 
nice-looking  intelligent  young  negro  named  Abdullah, 
and  in  this  country  he  may  prove  a  very  useful  addition 
to 'our  gradually  increasing  establishment. 

Though  all  were  astir  at  5  A.M.  to  ensure  an  early 
departure,  it  was  1.30  P.M.  before  it  was  accomplished, 
owing  to  the  difficulty  of  loading  our  camels  in  the 
narrow  lane  in  which  our  palace  is  situated,  though  we 
have  been  able  to  reduce  their  number  to  twenty- three 
in  consequence  of  our  diminished  stores  and  the  greater 
size  of  the  animals.  The  change  in  them  has  also  given 
us  one  great  advantage  in  addition,  for,  unlike  the  others, 
they  are  free  from  horrid  sores  on  the  back  and  hips. 
At  the  last  moment  Mr.  Cohen  called  to  tell  us  that  he 
thought  he  could  leave  after  all  this  evening,  and  catch 
us  up  ;  we  hope,  however,  he  observed  that  the  announce- 
.ment  received  no  cordial  response,  as  it  will  save  future 
complications.  Munsinger  Pasha  also  came  to  bid  us 
farewell,  adding  that  he  would  not  wish  us  good  luck,  as 
this  to  sportsmen  was  apt  to  bring  the  reverse.  He 
brought  us  a  letter  to  the  Sheik  of  the  Hamran  village, 
.asking  him  to  look  after  our  interests,  and  gave  us  some 
friendly  words  of  advice  with  regard  to  using  great 
-  caution  in  shooting  big  game,  especially  the  rhinoceros, 


HIS  PARTING    WORDS   OF  ADVICE.  57 

an  animal  that  he  considered  most  dangerous  ;  and  added 
that,  if  we  found  ourselves  in  any  difficulty  with  the 
natives,  we  were  to  communicate  with  him  at  once. 

Go  where  we  may,  we  can  never  expect  to  meet 
again  a  man  who  will  take  such  a  sincere  interest  in  our 
welfare  as  Munsinger  Pasha  has  done  ;  his  frank  open 
manner  has  quite  won  our  hearts,  and  one  cannot  be 
thrown  in  his  society  for  even  the  short  time  we  have 
been,  without  feeling  confident  that  he  is  thoroughly  in 
earnest  in  the  difficult  task  he  has  in  hand  in  his  official 
life,  and  wishing,  for  the  future  welfare  of  Egypt,  that  the 
Khedive  could  number  many  such  men  amongst  his  high 
officers  of  State.1 

1  Munsinger  Pasha  has  been  recently  waylaid  and  killed  when  on  a     p 
tour  of  inspection. 


58  LIFE   WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE  Kassala  Mountain,  as  it  is  called,  looks  particularly 
grand  when  approached  from  the  town.  It  comprises, 
really,  several  of  varied  height.  The  centre  one  is  the 
highest,  consisting  of  granite,  and  has  the  form  of  a 
huge  smooth  dome.  At  first  our  direction  was  eastward 
to  the  foot  of  this  range,  and  in  passing  through  this 
portion  of  the  country  we  not  only  were  able  to  notice 
the  results,  in  cultivation,  of  the  industry  of  the  natives, 
but  also  of  the  hyaenas  and  vultures,  for  as  scavengers 
they  leave  nothing  to  be  desired  of  them  in  saving  the 
people  from  illness. 

When  animals  die  here  from  disease,  the  Arabs 
merely  take  them  to  an  open  space  and  leave  them  un- 
buried,  and  the  countless  skeletons  now  there  tell  of  the 
great  havoc  that  a  recent  epidemic  has  produced 
amongst  them.  We  arrived  after  sunset  at  a  village 
named  Hel-el-Shereef,  where  we  must  stay  till  morning, 
as  this  is  our  only  chance  of  getting  water  until  our 
arrival  at  the  Hamran  village.  So  far  the  country  south 
of  Kassala  appears  to  be  freely  wooded,  where  not 


.       OUR  RELATIONS  'AT  HOME:  59, 

cultivated  with  dhurra,  cotton,  indigo,  tobacco,  onions,, 
and  probably  other  crops  that  we  did  not  notice.  Dome 
palms  and/asclepias  are  very  numerous,  the  latter  being,  (r— 
a  tree  that  exudes,  according  to  Sir  Samuel  Baker,  a 
milky  juice,  poisonous  to  all  animals  but  goats,  and  it 
certainly  is  surprising  to  see  the  quantity  that  will  now 
exude  from  a  broken  branch  or  leaf.  It  is  now  in 
blossom,  and  has  a  pale  purple  but  not  pretty  flower, 
and  there  are  also  suspended  from  it  numerous  huge 
thin  green  capsules,  some  of  them  as  large  as  a  cocoa- 
nut,  and  inside  these  there  is  a  mass  of  seeds  packed 
closely  together,  and  having  long  silky  filaments  at  one 
end.  The  fibre  of  the  tree  is  valued  by  the  natives  for 
making  fine  and  strong  ropes.  Passing  by  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  as  we  turned  southwards  we  saw  a  family  of 
dog-faced  baboons,  playing  about  amongst  the  loose 
rocks  close  to  us,  and  taking  much  less  heed  of  us  than 
we  naturally  did  of  them.  So  far  as  we  are  concerned 
this  species  of  animal  will  not  suffer  from  our  invasion 
of  their  territory,  for  we  have  no  intention  of  adding 
them  to  our  game  list.  A  little  later  we  saw  in  every 
direction  hundreds  of  guinea-fowl,  and  they  kindly  » 
allowed  us  to  thin  their  numbers  to  the  extent  we  re-_J 
quired,  without  much  labour  in  stalking. 

On  arriving  at  '  Hel-el-Shereef '  we  were  received 
by  the  Sheik,  and  several  angareps  were  at  once  brought 
from  the  houses  for  our  use.  They  certainly  make  very 


60  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

comfortable  bedsteads,  but  they  have  the  great  dis- 
advantage of  being  easily  broken  when  packed  on 
camels,  and  Vivian  has  already  had  to  buy  three  for 
personal  use. 

Jan.  17.— The  entertainment  last  night  was  varied 
by  a  watchman  howling  the  whole  time  when  saying  his 
prayers,  we  are  told  ;  and  by  another  playing  some 
lugubrious  air  on  a  reed.  A  new  system  has  been 
adopted  with  our  camels,  for  they  were  kept  all  night 
within  our  inclosure,  and  only  allowed  to  feed  after  day- 
light, consequently  our  departure  was  delayed  till  aftcr 
midday. 

The  Sheik  brought  us  some  milk  as  a  present,  but 
he  would  not  smoke  a  pipe  we  have  brought  for  state 
occasions1,  as  it  is  a  day  of  fasting  previous  to  the  great 
Feast  of  Beiram  to-morrow.  He  asked,  however,  for  some 
sugar  to  sweeten  water,  as  a  drink  for  his  sick  child. 
Albert  and  Bob  came  back  from  a  ramble  in  the  woods  in 
a  state  of  great  excitement,  declaring  that  they  had  seen  a 
snake  as  thick  as  two  fists  and  fifteen  feet  long,  and  that 
they  were  so  frightened  that  they  ran  away  as  fast  as  their 
legs  would  carry  them.  Having  now  the  benefit  of  the 
moon  to  light  us  on  our  way  we  continued  our  journey 
till  nearly  midnight,  and  then  encamped  near  some  Arabs, 
who  our  soldiers  say  belong  to  a  tribe  that  keeps  up  se- 
cretly the  slave  trade.  For  some  days  we  have  seen  that 
a  storm  was  brewing  between  our  two  dragomans,  owing 


A    DOMESTIC  DISTURBANCE.  6t 


to  paltry  jealousies  as  to  relative  rank,  though  we  tried  to* 
guard  against  this  before  leaving  Cairo  by  distinctly 
placing  Albert  under  Emanuel  whilst  we  are  together,  a 
position  rather  galling  to  him,  as  he  considers  himself 
very  superior  to  Emanuel  in  the  social  scale.  To-night 
the  bubble  burst,  and  after  a  great  many  angry  words 
had  passed  between  them  threatening  to  end  in  blows, 
a  little  law  was  judiciously  administered  and  peace 
established  between  them.  The  row  originated  in 
Albert  accusing  Emanuel  of  trying  to  starve  him  by- 
feeding  him  only  upon  rice  which  he  could  not  eat, 
whilst  Emanuel  declared  that  both  he  and  Bob  ate 
everything  that  came  from  our  table,  and  therefore 
could  not  require  much  in  'the  kitchen.'  Their  re- 
spective temperaments  are  now  well  shown,  for  whilst 
Emanuel  has  quite  recovered  his  temper,  Albert  looks 
very  crestfallen,  having  had  a  good  cry  to  relieve  his 
feelings.  Emanuel  has  a  staunch  ally  in  Mbhamed,  who 
in  the  midst  of  the  row  appealed  to  us  to  know  if  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  take  any  orders  from  Albert.  Bobr 
on  the  other  hand,  though  Emanuel's  ally  by  right, 
seems  evidently  inclined  to  take  Albert's  part,  as  they 
are  constantly  together  attending  upon  us. 

Jan.  1 8. — Our  longest  day  on  camels  so  far,  for 
leaving  our  encampment  at  9.30  A.M.  we  did  not  halt 
for  the  night  until  9  P.M.  The  country  through  which 
we  have  passed  has  been  most  monotonous,  consisting 


-62  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

chiefly  of  one  flat  plain  covered  with  a  short  dry  grass 
without  even  a  stunted  mimosa  to  break  the  sea-like 
expanse.  The  soil  is  now  no  longer  sand,  but  a  fine  dark 
earth  that  only  awaits  the  husbandman  to  render  it  of 
incalculable  value  to  Egypt.  Several  ariel  were  seen,  but 
no  amount  of  careful  stalking  would  enable  us  to  get 
within  300  yards  of  them  ;  and  as  the  guinea-fowl  have 
been  equally  wary,  we  stand  a  chance  of  running  short 
of  our  fresh  meat  supply.  Albert  '  very  feeble  '  to-day, 
but  we  hope  it  is  only  due  to  his  digestion  having  been 
upset  by  yesterday's  ebullition  of  temper. 

Jan.  19. — Off  again  before  9  A.M.,  and,  after  passing 
through  a  mimosa-wood  in  which  guinea-fowl  were  found 
'in  hundreds  and  bagged  in  proportion  to  our  wants,  we 
-came  again  upon  an  immense  plain,  but  with  this  great 
difference,  that  it  was  in  parts  cultivated  with  dhurra,  now 
in  full  ear,  and  here  and  there  a  solitary  Arab  could  be  seen 
plucking  the  heads  off.  Several  new  kinds  of  trees,  and 
birds  of  beautiful  and  varied  plumage,  were  also  noticed. 
In  the  afternoon  we  entered  an  immense  forest  of  bare 
.stunted  trees  of  various  kinds,  but  having  as  the  one 
general  characteristic  the  most  villanous  thorns  that  the 
ingenuity  of  Nature  could  well  devise  ;  and  though  our 
clothes  are  of  stout  material,  they  occasionally  gave  us 
some  practical  experience  of  their  fish-hook  propensi- 
ties. Here  in  every  direction  could  be  seen  innumerable 
birds'-nests  suspended  as  by  a  fine  cord  from  the  tips 


ARRIVAL  AT  THE  HAMRAN   VILLAGE.          63 

of  the  branches,  and  looking  like  little  baskets  swinging 
to  and  fro  with  the  slightest  breeze.  Our  daily  pro- 
gramme has  been  to  depart  with  the  baggage  camels, 
halt  for  luncheon  for  an  hour  or  two,  keeping  Albert  to 
attend  to  our  wants  and  act  as  interpreter,  and  later  in 
the  day  to  catch  up  with  the  others,  who  continue  the 
journey  without  interruption.  We  passed  them  this 
afternoon,  and  with  one  soldier  acting  as  our  guide  we 
arrived  at  the  chief  Hamran  village  about  7.30  P.M.,  and 
were  received  by  the  Sheik  and  several  of  his  followers, 
and  taken  to  a  piece  of  ground  outside  the  village  to 
encamp  upon,  where  we  found  a  straw  mansion  for  the 
use  of  strangers.  Angareps  were  brought  and  the  custom- 
ary talk  commenced,  unaccompanied,  however,  on  this  oc- 
casion by  the  social  pipe,  for  the  Sheik  *  don't  smoke.* 
He  offered  to  kill  a  sheep  and  give  us  food,  but  we  ex- 
plained to  him  that  the  rest  of  our  party  would  soon 
arrive  with  all  we  required,  and  in  the  meantime  accepted 
an  invitation  to  pay  a  visit  to  a  dead  horse  close  by,  on 
the  chance  of  a  shot  at  a  hyaena.  Watching  for  hyaenas 
by  moonlight  when  very  tired  and  hungry  is  not  a  very 
pleasant  amusement,  especially  if  you  are  near  your 
bait,  so  we  soon  gave  it  up  ;  and  on  our  return  heard  to 
our  dismay  that  our  party  had  encamped  some  way 
from  us,  not  knowing  where  we  were.  Our  first  idea 
was  to  rejoin  them ;  but  it  had  to  be  given  up,  for  the 
Sheik  said,  '  No,  you  have  come  here,  and  are  my  guests, 


64  LIFE   WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

and  must  not  leave  again ;'  and,  wishing  not  to  annoy  him, 
we  agreed  to  send  for  some  food  and  tell  them  to  come 
on  in  the  morning.  Two  more  long  hours  had  to  be 
spent  before  the  much  desired  supply  arrived. 

The  Sheik  paid  us  occasional  visits,  and  found  great 
amusement  in  looking  at  the  moon  through  our  little 
whisky-barrel  (now  empty)  with  glass  ends,  and  after- 
wards through  a  telescope,  whilst  his  followers  were  quite 
content  with  the  whisky-barrel  effect,  which  no  doubt 
was  greatly  aided  by  sundry  fly-specks  on  the  outside 
of  the  glass,  and  gave  great  scope  for  the  fertile  imagi- 
nation of  the  Arab. 

Jan.  20. — At  3  A.M.  Emanuel  arrived,  and  stated  that 
he  had  halted  at  another  village,  as  he  was  told  by  its 
Sheik  that  it  was  the  chief  one.  We  find  that  there  are 
numerous  Hamran  villages,  but  whichever  may  be  the 
largest,  we  have  now  no  doubt  that  our  Sheik  is  the  chief 
of  the  Hamran  Arabs.  His  name  is  Aghil,  and  he  is  the 
son  of  the  late  Sheik  Owatt,  and  this  village,  named 
Gwayha,  is  the  one  in  which  he  lives  during  the  dry 
season.  The  first  business  of  the  day  was  to  bathe  in 
the  Bahr  Settite,  that  flows  at  about  half  a  mile  distance 
past  the  village,  as  we  were  told  there  was  a  shallow 
place  free  from  crocodiles  after  the  sun  had  well  risen. 

As  the  sight  of  land  to  the  sailor,  so  was  the  pleasure 
to  us,  after  three  weeks  of  desert-travelling  without  the 
sight  of  water  excepting  an  occasional  well,  to  look  upon 


A    GOOD  PRACTICAL  LESSON.  65 

this  fine  river  flowing  silently  but  rapidly  between  two 
high  banks  covered  with  verdure  ;  and  then  we  had  the 
additional  satisfaction  of  being  able  to  realise  that  the 
sport  for  which  we  had  come  so  far  was  almost  within 
our  grasp.  At  this  time  of  year  the  river  is  very  low, 
and  where  we  bathed  about  one  hundred  yards  in  width, 
and  used  as  a  regular  ford. 

Paying  this  place  a  second  visit  in  the  afternoon,  and 
walking  afterwards  a  short  distance  along  the  bank,  we 
caught  sight  of  our  first  crocodile  basking  himself  in 
the  sun  ;  but  he  glided  at  once  into  the  river,  not  feeling 
disposed  apparently  to  allow  us  to  test  the  accuracy 
and  penetrating  powers  of  our  rifles  upon  him.  Sheik 
Aghill  breakfasted  with  us,  and  having  carefully  watched 
us  use  our  knives  and  forks,  essayed  to  do  the  same. 
Unfortunately,  by  turning  the  edge  of  the  knife  the  wrong 
way,  he  only  succeeded  in  cutting  his  own  finger ;  but, 
having  had  this  very  practical  lesson,  he  soon  became 
quite  an  expert.  He  is  a  well-made  man,  about  five 
feet  ten  inches  in  height,  has  a  dark  brown  skin,  very 
regular  features,  and  in  appearance  and  manner  looks 
quite  the  gentleman  amongst  his  followers,  though  only 
differing  from  them  in  costume  in  the  extra  whiteness  of 
the  robe  in  which  they  are  entirely  enveloped,  and  in 
wearing  a  tarboosh.  After  breakfast,  Munsinger  Pasha's 
letter  was  opened  with  a  great  display  of  importance, 
looked  at,  nodded  at,  turned  upside  down,  and  then,  with 

F 


66  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

an  expression  of  satisfaction,  placed  in  the  bosom.  These 
performances  ought  to  have  been  very  gratifying  to  us, 
but  their  effect  was  a  little  spoilt  on  our  learning  later 
in  the  day  that  there  was  not  an  individual  in  the  village, 
the  Sheik  included,  who  could  read  or  write  Arabic. 
The  next  performance  was  the  purchase  of  horses,  or 
rather  ponies,  and  about  twenty  were  brought  for  our 
inspection,  and  each  put  through  his  paces  in  turn  with 
an  excited  Arab  on  his  back.  Our  choice  having  fallen 
on  one,  the  saddle  was  taken  off  for  further  inspection, 
and  then  were  exposed  to  view  two  such  horrible  sores 
that  it  would  have  been  kind  to  shoot  the  poor  creature 
without  loss  of  time.  Hardly  any  of  them  were  free 
from  sores,  but  we  managed  to  pick  out  five  tolerably 
sound,  and  averaging  about  5/.  IDS.  apiece. 

Twenty  camels  had  then  to  be  engaged,  and  here  arose 
a  difficulty,  for  the  Sheik  demanded  twelve  dollars  per 
month  for  each,  whereas  our  Kassala  men  had  previously 
offered  to  come  for  four  dollars.  The  Sheik,  however,  is 
all-powerful  here,  and  after  seeing  him  they  would  come 
to  no  terms  without  his  approval,  and  finally  we  reduced 
his  demand  to  eight  dollars.  Baker,  in  his  '  Nile  Tribu- 
taries of  Abyssinia,'  mentions  that  the  people  at  the 
time  of  his  visit  to  them  were  glad  to  engage  themselves 
with  their  camels  at  one  and  a  half  dollars  per  month  ; 
and  when  we  told  the  Sheik  this,  he  replied,  '  Yes,  that 
was  twelve  years  ago,  in  my  father's  time,  when  Euro- 


A    VERY  INTELLIGENT  SHEIK.  67 

peans  had  scarcely  ever  been  seen  in  this  country ;  but 
now  a  few  come  almost  every  year,  and  things  are 
dearer.'  This,  translated  by  ourselves,  means  that,  with 
an  uncommonly  keen  eye  to  the  main  chance,  he  gets  a 
higher  percentage  of  the  earnings  of  his  people.  The 
camel  question  being  settled,  that  of  hunters  had  to  be 
discussed.  We  thought  that  men  on  foot  who  knew  the 
country  were  all  that  we  should  require  ;  but  to  this 
the  Sheik  was  much  opposed,  and  advised  us  to  engage 
some  of  their  mounted  sword-hunters,  as  he  said,  and 
with  good  reason,  that  if  we  were  to  chase  giraffe  or 
wounded  animals  men  on  foot  would  not  be  able  to 
follow  us,  and  would  therefore  be  of  no  practical  use  ; 
and  though  we  felt  sure  that  he  was  guided  in  his  opinion 
far  more  by  the  extra  dollars  he  could  thus  extract  from 
us  than  by  thoughts  of  our  welfare,  we  could  not  but 
agree  with  his  line  of  argument,  and  after  considerable 
-discussion  reduced  his  terms  from  thirty  dollars  per 
month  for  a  man  and  horse  to  twenty,  and  then  engaged 
four  at  that  rate.  Still  he  was  not  satisfied,  and  tried  very 
hard  to  induce  us  to  take  a  fifth,  and  offered  a  bribe  to 
Emanuel  privately  if  he  would  use  his  influence  with  us. 
This  was  an  interesting  bit  of  news  to  us,  when  coupled 
with  the  fact  that  Albert  had  heard  this  hunter  a  few 
minutes  before  telling  the  Sheik  he  would  give  him  half 
his  wages  if  he  succeeded  in  getting  him  engaged,  for  it 
forms  a  very  good  guide  of  the  heavy  claims  the  Sheik 

F   2 


68  LIFE   WITH  THE  H AMR  AN  ARABS. 

makes  upon  his  people.  He  says  that  all  the  villages 
along  the  Settite,  besides  others,  belong  to  him,  but  that 
only  a  few  of  them,  this  included,  are  under  the  protec- 
tion of  Egypt  and  pay  any  taxes  to  her,  and  that  none 
of  them  supply  soldiers  to  the  Egyptian  army.  The 
neighbouring  tribes  of  Baze  and  Magurda  (?)  are  under  no 
authority,  are  very  bad  people  ;  and  if  it  pleases  God 
that  they  should  fight  with  them,  they  do  so.  He  evi- 
dently finds  our  mode  of  living  a  pleasant  change,  for 
he  was  very  ready  to  accept  our  invitation  to  dinner,  and 
presented  us  with  a  sheep.  Amongst  our  small  luxuries 
is  a  camp  armchair,  which  he  takes  good  care  to  let  us 
see  he  considers  himself  especially  entitled  to  occupy,, 
whilst  sundry  stools,  slightly  the  worse  for  their  rough 
life,  are  quite  good  enough  for  us. 

After  dinner  we  brought  out  several  nice  presents,, 
hoping  he  would  admire  them  and  express  a  wish  to 
have  them  ;  but  in  vain,  for  he  would  only  turn  them 
over  listlessly,  and  one  after  another  lay  them  aside,  with- 
out scarcely  making  any  comment,  good,  bad,  or  indiffe- 
rent. This  was  really  provoking,  and  especially  when 
not  even  an  Adams's  breech-loading  revolver  that  we 
fired  off  six  times  in  rapid  succession  would  produce  the 
slightest  expression  of  admiration  or  surprise.  At  last 
we  found  out  the  cause  of  this  indifference  by  his  telling 
Albert  he  wanted  to  see  our  rifles,  and  that  if  he  found 
one  he  particularly  admired  he  felt  sure  we  would  let 


A   MODEST  REQUEST.  69 

him  have  it,  for  he  would  give  us  half  this  village  if  we 
asked  him  for  it.  As,  however,  we  neither  wished  to  test 
his  magnanimity  so  far,  nor  had  any  intention  of  granting 
so  mild  a  request,  we  tried  to  make  a  compromise  by 
offering  to  send  him  a  gun  from  England  ;  but  to  no 
effect,  for  he  was  quite  wide-awake  enough  to  know  that 
if  we  fulfilled  our  part  of  the  compact,  it  would  never 
get  beyond  Cairo. 

Finding  then  that  he  must  draw  in  his  horns,  he 
changed  his  tactics,  and  gladly  accepted  a  collapsing 
drinking-cup  that  looked  very  like  silver,  and  a  pocket- 
knife  ;  and  the  discarded  revolver,  now  eagerly  coveted, 
was,  as  a  punishment,  only  promised  after  our  return 
here. 


70  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 


CHAPTER   V. 

Jan.  21. — A  day  simply  dawdled  away,  for  beyond 
paying  the  half-month's  wages  in  advance  there  was 
nothing  left  to  be  arranged  ;  but  this  was  evidently  no 
trifling  matter,  for  the  Sheik,  after  collecting  a  small 
crowd  under  an  adjoining  tree,  devoted  so  many  hours  to 
the  distribution  of  the  dollars,  that  we  began  to  think 
he  had  found  our  living  so  attractive  that  he  would  not 
let  us  be  off  at  all  to-day. 

Gwayha  is  a  most  uninteresting-looking  place,  con- 
sisting of  the  usual  straw-made  huts  crowded  together, 
and  though  the  men  are  if  anything  even  a  finer-looking 
race  than  the  Ha4endowa  Arabs,  with  the  same  hair 
and  costume,  the  women,  judging  from  the  few  we  saw, 
whatever  their  attractions  may  be  have  certainly  not 
beauty  as  one  of  them ;  but  a  large  ring  in  the  nostril  is 
probably  considered  to  cover  any  little  defect,  and  in 
this  respect  they  must  have  at  least  the  sympathy  of 
Western  nations,  though  these  limit  barbaric  customs  to 
wearing  rings  in  the  ears. 

At  5  P.M.  the  departure  from  Gwayha  was  actually 
effected  ;  but,  much  to  our  dismay,  the  Sheik  decided 


SHEIK  AC  HILL  LEARNS   OUR  NAMES.         71 

upon  accompanying  us  to  a  village,  where  he  said  we 
must  halt  for  the  night,  as  the  Arabs  will  not  travel 
at  night  from  fear  of  wild  beasts. 

It  was  a  great  luxury  to  be  mounted  on  our  little 
horses ;  and  lucky  for  us  that  we  had  bought  an  extra 
one,  for,  either  by  accident  or  design,  one  of  them  became 
dead  lame  very  soon,  and  had  to  be  sent  back — with  the 
understanding,  however,  that  it  should  be  replaced  by 
another  without  extra  charge.  Our  route  to-day  has 
been  along  the  north  bank  of  the  Settite  for  about 
two  miles  and  a  half,  and  then  turning  to  the  left  we 
passed  through  a  small  village,  and  shortly  arrived  at 
another,  name  Zahani,  where  we  have  encamped.  As  we 
quite  expected,  the  Sheik  has  again  been  our  guest  at 
dinner.  Afterwards  he  told  us  that  he  should  very  much 
like  to  come  to  England  with  us,  and  would  not  be  put 
off  by  being  told  that  the  cold  would  kill  him,  for  he 
said  he  had  plenty  of  warm  clothes,  as  well  as  kind 
friends  there,  and  with  great  readiness  mentioned  the 
names  of  Baker,  Arkwright,  and  Durant.  It  was  very 
amusing  to  hear  Albert  giving  him  lessons  in  the  pro- 
nunciation of  our  names,  and  he  appeared  most  anxious 
to  learn  them  also  by  heart.  '  Lord  Coke '  and  '  Mr. 
Myers '  gave  him  no  trouble  to  pronounce ;  '  Captain 
Vivian  '  was  only  accomplished  after  a  hard  struggle ;  but 
*  Sir  William  Gordon  Cumming  '  was  more  than  even  his 
great  mind  could  grasp,  so  he  contented  himself  with  a 


72  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

careful  inspection  of  the  individual  with  such  an  imposing 
name.  He  begged  us  to  be  very  kind  to  his  people 
whom  he  had  given  us,  as  they  were  his  children  ;  and 
never  to  use  the  koorbatch,  or  they  would  run  away,  and 
he  would  be  unable  to  send  us  any  more. 

In  the  evening  some  hunters  arrived  who  had  been 
out    elephant-shooting    in    the   neighbourhood    to-day. 
They  had  seen  several  and  had  killed  one,  and  it  was 
really  almost  annoying  to  find  these  Arabs  so  well  armed. 
One   man  had  a  very  heavy  muzzle-loading  four-bore 
rifle  with  the  name  of  Williams  and  Co.  upon  it,  which 
he  said  cost  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  dollars,  and 
almost   always   killed  an  elephant  first  shot  at  about 
twenty-five  yards  distance.     The  charge  is  ten  drachms 
of  their  bad  powder,  and  it  is  fired  from  a  rest  consisting 
of   a  forked  stick.     The  other  rifles  they  had  were  of 
very  inferior  quality,  and  were  only  used  on  an  emergency 
to  shoot   at  a  wounded   animal.     It  appears,  however, 
that  these  firearms  are  almost  the  only  ones  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Hamran  Arabs,  and  are  looked  upon  with 
much  wonder ;  and  one  cannot  help  hoping  they  may 
remain  so,  for  it  would  be  a  pity  if  the  career  of  the 
renowned   Hamran  sword-hunter   had   to  yield   to  the 
advance   of  civilisation   in   this    respect.       Sir   Samuel 
Baker  thus  describes   their  exploits : l   '  Provided  with 
horses,  the  party  should  not  exceed  four.     They  start 

1    Vide  '  Nile  Tributaries  of  Abyssinia.' 


THE  LIFE  OF  THE  HAM  RAN  SWORD-HUNTER.  73 

before  daybreak,  and  ride  slowly  throughout  the  country 
in  search  of  elephants,  generally  keeping  along  the  course 
of  a  river  until  they  come  upon  the  tracks  where  a  herd 
or  a  single  elephant  may  have  drunk  during  the  night. 
When  once  upon  the  tracks,  they  follow  fast  towards  the 
retreating  game.  The  elephants  may  be  twenty  miles 
distant ;.  but  it  matters  little  to  the  aggageers.  At  length 
they  discover  them,  and  the  hunt  begins.  The  first  step 
is  to  single  out  the  bull  with  the  largest  tusks  ;  this  is 
the  commencement  of  the  fight.  After  a  short  hunt, 
the  elephant  turns  upon  his  pursuers,  who  scatter  and  fly 
from  his  headlong  charge  until  he  gives  up  the  pursuit ; 
he  at  length  turns  to  bay  when  again  pressed  by  the 
hunters.  It  is  the  duty  of  one  man  in  particular  to  ride 
up  close  to  the  head  of  the  elephant,  and  thus  to  absorb 
its  attention  upon  himself.  This  ensures  a  desperate 
charge.  The  greatest  coolness  and  dexterity  are  then 
required  by  the  hunter,  who,  now  the  Jmnted,  must  so 
adapt  the  speed  of  his  horse  to  the  pace  of  the  elephant 
that  the  enraged  beast  gains  in  the  race  until  it  almost 
reaches  the  tail  of  the  horse.  In  this  manner  the  race 
continues.  In  the  meantime  two  hunters  gallop  up 
behind  the  elephant  unseen  by  the  animal,  whose  atten- 
tion is  completely  directed  to  the  horse  almost  within 
his  grasp.  With  extreme  agility,  when  close  to  the 
heels  of  the  elephant,  one  of  the  hunters,  while  at  full 
speed,  springs  to  the  ground  with  his  drawn  sword  as  his 


74  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

companion  seizes  the  bridle,  and  with  one  dexterous  two- 
handed  blow  he  severs  the  back  sinew.  He  immediately 
jumps  out  of  the  way  and  remounts  his  horse  ;  but,  if  the 
blow  is  successful,  the  elephant  becomes  disabled  by  the 
first  pressure  of  its  foot  upon  the  ground  ;  the  enormous 
weight  of  the  animal  dislocates  the  joint,  and  it  is  ren- 
dered helpless.  The  hunter  who  has  hitherto,  led  the 
elephant  turns  immediately,  and,  riding  to  within  a  few 
feet  of  the  trunk,  he  induces  the  animal  to  attempt 
another  charge.  This,  clumsily  made,  affords  an  easy 
opportunity  for  the  aggageers  behind  to  slash  the  sinew 
of  the  remaining  leg,  and  the  immense  brute  is  reduced 
to  a  standstill,  and  it  dies  of  loss  of  blood  in  a  short 
time,  thus  positively  killed  by  one  man  with  two  strokes  of 
the  sword  !  This  extraordinary  hunting  is  attended  with 
superlative  danger,  and  the  hunters  frequently  fall  victims 
to  their  intrepidity.' 

The  book  from  which  this  is  quoted  is  invaluable  to 
us  as  a  general  guide,  although  our  route  has  not  been 
quite  the  same  ;  and  so  careful  has  the  author  been  in  all 
his  minor  details,  that  it  is  difficult  to  find  much  new 
material  for  insertion  in  this  diary.  The  pictures  are  an 
endless  source  of  amusement  to  all  the  natives,  from  the 
Sheik  downwards,  and  it  is  quite  absurd  to  watch  the 
slow  way  in  which  they  turn  over  leaf  upon  leaf,  lest  by 
any  chance  one  should  be  missed. 

Our  four  hunters   are   named  Hassan,  Essafi,  Mo- 


OUR  FOUR  HUNTERS.  75 

hammed,  and  Ibrahim,  and  we  have  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  they  have  some  '  blue  blood  '  in  their  veins.. 
Hassan  is  the  son  of  a  notorious  sword-hunter  who  was 
killed  seven  years  ago  by  an  elephant,  and  Essafi  is  the 
son  of  an  old  Sheik,  and  he  is  now  the  chief  of  a  party 
of  aggageers. 

Jan.  22. — Another  horse  was  brought  this  morning, 
but  not  without  our  knowing  friend  the  Sheik  succeeding 
in  getting  six  more  dollars  out  of  us  for  the  exchange. 
He  came  at  breakfast-time,  and  was  considerably  sold 
about  the  parting  meal,  for,  our  tents  being  struck,  he 
did  not  like  to  be  seen  by  his  people  eating  with  us.  At 
the  last  moment,  however,  he  scored  one  against  us  by 
declaring  that  Hassan  was  on  the  point  of  having  a 
fever,  and  must  be  replaced  by  another  hunter  he  brought 
us,  named  Said,  an  extraordinary-looking  woolly-haired 
negro,  who,  though  strongly  recommended,  does  not  look 
much  up  to  his  work.  Rumour  says  that  Sheik  Aghill 
has  kept  back  Hassan  as  he  wants  him  to  do  a  little 
elephant-hunting  on  his  account.  Our  progress  has- 
been  very  curtailed  to-day,  as  we  were  obliged  to  encamp 
at  midday  on  an  open  piece  of  ground  named  Gadamur, 
upon  which  once  stood  a  village,  as  the  country  is  so  un- 
dulating and  thickly  wooded  that  there  are  only  a  few 
places  available,  and  we  have  therefore  to  be  entirely 
guided  by  our  chief  hunter,  Essafi,  he  having  been  placed 
by  the  Sheik  in  authority  over  the  others. 


76  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

This  is  an  important  day  in  our  calendar,  for  we  have 
had  the  first  ocular  demonstration  of  the  fact  that  we 
have  actually  arrived  in  the  country  of  some  of  those 
animals  against  which  we  have  come  specially  to  wage 
war.  After  leaving  the  Settite,  where  we  saw  numerous 
crocodiles  in  the  distance  silently  gliding  into  the  water 
on  our  approach,  we  at  once  were  pointed  out  innume- 
rable tracks  of  elephants,  besides  other  unmistakable 
evidences  that  they  frequented  the  neighbourhood.  Now, 
although  we  could  not  claim  as  the  chief  cause  of  our 
expedition  to  shoot  elephants  and  lions  the  disinterested 
motives  suggested  facetiously  before  leaving  England, 
that  it  was  to  protect  the  natives  from  their  natural 
enemies,  this  was  without  doubt  a  most  refreshing  sight 
in  a  purely  sportsman's  point  of  view.  Farther  on  we 
saw  a  large  troop  of  dog-faced  baboons  keeping  at 
some  distance  ahead  of  us,  with  thick  dark  manes,  and 
much  bigger  than  our  Kassala  friends.  Our  horses 
showed  a  most  positive  objection  to  approaching  them, 
though  our  hunters  told  us  they  were  as  common  as 
the  pebbles.  After  luncheon  we  went  to  the  river  to 
look  for  a  hippopotamus  (an  animal  that  for  the  future 
shall  have  the  more  convenient  term  of  hippo  applied  to 
it).  To  get  to  their  pool  we  had  to  wade  across  the 
river  three  times,  and  in  one  place  the  stream  was  so 
strong  as  well  as  deep,  that  it  very  nearly  carried  us  off 
our  legs,  and  reached  up  to  or  beyond  our  hips.  Pro- 


THE  FIRST  NIGHT-WATCH.  77 

bably  our  protectors  think  it  is  safer  to  risk  this  than  to 
walk  into  the  jaws  of  a  crocodile  in  still  water.  Our 
search  was  so  far  successful  that  we  saw  five  hippos  ; 
but  as  they  only  put  up  their  noses  now  and  again  for 
a  moment  to  breathe,  it  was  impossible  to  get  a  good 
shot  at  them.  A  crocodile  was  more  accommodating, 
for,  swimming  along  the  surface  of  the  water,  he  exposed 
himself  sufficiently  to  allow  a  bullet  to  penetrate  his 
thick  hide,  and  then,  after  two  violent  convulsions,  in 
which  he  threw  himself  half  out  of  the  water,  he  sank. 
The  men  say  he  must  be  dead,  and  that  his  carcass 
will  float  to-morrow.  The  programme  for  to-night  is  to 
wait  '  at  home '  quietly,  as  our  camp  lies  between  two 
main  elephant-paths  to  the  river,  and  if  they  are  heard 
trumpeting  on  either  side  of  us,  we  are  then  to  sally 
forth.  Coke,  however,  prefers  to  take  advantage  of  the 
full  moon,  and  watch  by  the  river. 

Jan.  23, — Coke  returned  at  midnight,  having  had  no 
success  beyond  hearing  an  elephant,  and  seeing  a  hippo 
at  the  river-side  that  he  thought  was  an  elephant  in  the 
darkness  until,  after  waiting  in  ambush  for  a  few 
moments  expecting  it  to  approach  him  on  its  return,  he 
saw  it  disappear  into  the  river. 

By  drawing  lots,  our  hunters  have  been  disposed  of 
thus  :  Said  to  Coke,  Ibrahim  to  Cumming,  Mohamed  to 
Vivian,  and  Essafi  to  myself;  and  to-day,  each  of  us 
having  gone  off  at  sunrise  in  a  different  direction  with 


78  LIPE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

our  respective  protectors,  returned  about  sunset,  and 
over  a  capital  dinner  narrated  our  experiences.  Coke, 
scorning  a  crocodile  and  finding  no  elephant,  did  not  fire 
a  shot.  Gumming  killed  an  ariel,  and  fired  at  a  hippo 
and  a  crocodile,  both  of  which  he  believes  he  wounded 
mortally,  so  the  river  will  be  searched  to-morrow.  Re- 
tracing my  footsteps  of  yesterday,  no  dead  crocodile 
could  Essafi  find,  and  the  hippos  being  even  less  obliging 
than  yesterday,  I  had  to  give  vent  to  my  feelings  by  a  shot 
at  a  splendid  grey  crocodile  that  was  basking  in  the  sun 
on  the  opposite  bank,  at  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
distance.  This  only  wounded  him  ;  but  before  he  could 
struggle  into  the  river,  another  bullet  in  the  head  turned 
him  over  on  his  back,  and  then,  after  two  or  three  slow 
movements  of  the  legs,  he  remained  motionless.  Owing 
to  the  depth  of  the  river  here  we  could  not  examine  our 
prize  at  the  time,  and  therefore  turned  our  steps  home- 
wards for  assistance.  On  our  way,  Essafi  was  so  excited 
with  the  marvellous  power  of  my  rifle,  that  he  wanted  me 
to  fire  at  every  monkey  that  crossed  our  path ;  until  at 
last,  seeing  a  splendid  old  gentleman  perched  on  a  high 
bank  about  one  hundred  yards  off  calmly  surveying  us, 
lie  became  so  anxious  for-  me  to  fire,  that  I  thought  it 
as  well  to  so  far  please  him,  and,  having  taken  a  steady 
aim,  I  put  an  end  to  its  existence.  Unfortunately  the 
bullet  had  completely  smashed  the  skull,  and  therefore  I 
liad  not  even  the  poor  satisfaction  of  keeping  this  in 


VIVIAN  AMONG    THE  ELEPHANTS.  79 

remembrance  of,  perhaps,  what  some  people  would  call 
a  cold-blooded  murder.  On  our  return  to  camp,  Essafi's 
report  of  the  death  of  an  immense  crocodile  caused  great 
excitement  amongst  the  camel-men  ;  and  as  Essafi  said 
it  was  far  too  big  to  be  brought  home  whole,  a  party 
started  off  on  camels  to  skin  and  cut  it  up.  When 
they  arrived  at  the  place  they  found  that  the  crocodile 
had  turned  over  again,  and  as  one  man  went  close  up  to 
him,  he  slipped  into  the  water  and  was  lost.  The  ex- 
perience therefore  of  yesterday  and  to-day  is,  that  the 
express  rifles  with  expanding  bullets  do  not  answer  for 
crocodile-shooting. 

On  Vivian  fell  the  honours  of  the  day.  Having  de- 
cided upon  a  long  day's  elephant-hunt,  he  provided  him- 
self with  a  good  supply  of  water  ;  and  the  horses  being 
fed  and  watered,  he  and  his  hunter  took  a  line  of  country 
directly  away  from  the  river  in  search  of  fresh  tracks. 
The  search  was  soon  successful,  and,  after  following  them 
up  for  about  an  hour,  Mohamed  made  signs  that  he 
could  hear  elephants  ahead.  The  two  horses  were  then 
tied  to  a  tree,  and  stalking  commenced  as  quietly  as 
possible,  though  under  considerable  difficulties,  owing  to 
the  overhanging  branches  of  the  mimosas  with  their 
hooked  thorns,  which,  without  '  elephants  ahead '  as  a 
stimulus,  have  much  too  great  a  power  of  penetration  to 
make  walking  amongst  them  an  agreeable  occupation. 


8o  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

Soon  again  the  elephants  were  heard,  and  this  time  the 
body  of  one  could  be  discerned  in  the  close  covert  they 
had  entered  about  forty  yards  off.  At  the  same  moment 
Vivian  and  his  man  were  also  seen,  but  a  hardened  ball 
from  a  No.  10  smooth-bore  of  Messrs  Moore  and  Gray, 
hitting  the  only  one  of  the  herd  visible  in  the  right 
high,  stopped  him  in  his  attempt  to  follow  his  friends, 
as,  crashing  through  the  trees,  they  made  a  general  stam- 
pede. A  second  bullet  in  the  shoulder  made  him  turn 
round,  when,  seeing  the  enemy,  he  assumed  the  offensive 
and  came  on  boldly  with  trunk  high  in  air,  until  within 
fifteen  yards  of  them.  Now  a  third  bullet,  penetrating 
the  front  of  his  chest,  made  him  come  to  a  halt,  and  then, 
after  swaying  his  huge  frame  to  and  fro  for  a  few  seconds, 
he  fell  heavily  to  the  ground.  Upon  this  they  crept 
behind  him,  and,  finding  that  he  was  still  breathing,  re- 
mained quiet  until  respiration  ceased  ;  then  creeping  a 
little  nearer,  the  eyelids  could  be  seen  to  move  occasion- 
ally ;  but  soon  all  was  over,  and  Vivian  had  become  the 
proud  possessor  of  our  first  elephant.  Great  rejoicings 
in  camp  on  hearing  the  good  news,  and  it  certainly  was 
a  singular  piece  of  luck  to  shoot  a  full-grown  tusker  the 
first  day,  and  promises  well  for  the  future. 

Jan.  24. — Last  night  Essafi  took  me  near  to  an 
elephant-path,  hoping  that  some  might  pass  on  their  way 
from  the  river  ;  but  after  waiting  quietly  for  an  hour  or 
more,  he  shook  his  head,  said  '  mafeesh  '  (nothing),  and 


AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING  BY  MOONLIGHT.  81 


having  examined  the  path,  showed  me  that,  as  there 
were  no  fresh  tracks,  no  elephants  could  have  passed  that 
way  to  drink  earlier  in  the  evening.  Sitting  quietly 
under  the  shadow  of  a  tree  whilst  the  moon  is  shining 
with  intense  brilliancy,  and  listening  eagerly  to  every 
sound  of  crackling  bushes  in  the  hope  each  time  that  it 
may  prove  to  be  an  elephant  approaching  in  the  distance, 
is  in  itself  a  source  of  no  small  excitement  to  an  inex- 
perienced hunter,  though  time  after  time  it  turns  out  to 
have  been  caused  by  an  antelope,  jackal,  or  other  small 
animal  that  the  surrounding  trees  had  concealed  from 
view.  But  the  hunter's  command  must  be  for  the  present 
our  law ;  so,  on  a  sign  from  Essafi,  I  turned  my  steps 
homeward. 

If  this  watching  by  moonlight  is  a  very  wakeful  oc- 
cupation, returning  is  just  the  reverse ;  and  so  in  a  dreamy 
way  I  followed  Essafi  until,  emerging  from  a  ravine,  he 
suddenly  stopped  short,  and,  seizing  me  by  the  arm, 
whispered  '  feel '  in  my  ear.  For  a  moment  I  could  see 
nothing,  but  upon  looking  across  the  open  ground  in 
front  of  us,  I  caught  sight  of  a  huge  mass  coming  out 
of  the  opposite  ravine,  about  which  there  could  be  no 
mistake  ;  and  what  was  equally  certain  was  the  fact  of 
its  being  in  our  path,  and  coming  directly  towards  us. 
In  a  moment  we  were  off  the  path,  and  crouching  in 
some  long  grass  under  the  shade  of  a  tree  to  wait  for 
its  approach  ;  whilst  Essafi,  trembling  all  over  with  ex- 

G 


82  LIFE   WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

citement,  would  clutch  at  my  arm  and  tiy  to  make  me 
fire  at  it.     Guided,  however,  by  the  experience  of  Baker 
and  other  African  sportsmen,  who  have  found  that  it  is 
practically  impossible  to  kill  an  African  elephant  by  a 
forehead  shot,  I  was  determined  not  to  lose  such  a  chance 
in  this  way,  as  it  was  quite  certain  that,  by  remaining 
quiet,  the  elephant  must   pass  within  about  five  yards 
of  us.     Essafi's  patience   could    not  stand  so  severe  a 
trial,  and,  becoming  more  excited  as  the  elephant  slowly 
but  surely  advanced,  he  made  him  observe  us,  and  in- 
stantly turn  round ;  but  at  the  same  time,  having  the 
full  power  of  the  moon  upon  him,  he  gave  me  a  splendid 
broadside  shot  with  my  eight-bore.     A  crash,  a  cloud  of 
dust,  and,  on  this  clearing  away,  a  dark  passage  into  the 
ravine,  were  for  the  moment  the  result;  and  one  might 
have  felt  inclined  to  believe  that  it  had  been  but  a  dream, 
save  for  the  sound  after  a  few  minutes  in  the.  distance  of 
a,  retreating  elephant      Essafi  then  made  signs  to  me 
that  there  were  two,  mine  being  left  behind,  and  as  it 
would  have  been  clearly  most  dangerous  to  approach  it 
in  the  dark  ravine,  I  accepted  his  suggestion  of '  bookra ' 
(to-morrow),  and  continued  our  course  homewards. 

When  the  sun  had  risen  we  returned  to  the  spot  on 
foot,  accompanied  by  Vivian ;  and  though  Essafi  was 
positive  he  would  be  dead,  no  elephant,  alas !  could  be 
found. 

Following  up  his  track,  however,  occasional  pools  of 


TRACKING  A    WOUNDED  ELEPHANT.          83 

blood  proved  that  he  had  been  severely  wounded,  and  we 
became  full  of  hope  that  in  one  of  the  ravines  we  should 
come  suddenly  upon  him.  Still  on  and  on  we  went, 
Essafi  now  and  again  almost  losing  his  track  amongst 
the  many  others  of  earlier  date,  and  then  proving  his 
correct  eye  by  finding  the  gradually  diminishing  patches 
•of  blood,  until  these  patches  passed  into  drops,  the  faults 
became  more  frequent,  and  at  last,  stopping  short,  he 
shook  his  head,  and  with  a  woe-begone  face  had  once 
again  to  say  '  mafeesh ' — the  fatal  word  that  told  me  the 
hunt  was  over,  and  that  I  had  lost  my  first  and  pos- 
sibly last  chance  of  bagging  an  elephant,  for  the  career 
•of  my  eight-bore  is  now  literally  hanging  on.  a  thread. 
I  omitted  to  mention  that,  when  wre  were  at  Kassala,  a 
Oreek  mechanic  joined  the  broken  ends  of  the  stock  so 
cleverly,  that  it  was  made  as  strong  as,  if  not  stronger, 
than  it  was  originally ;  but  a  cloud  still  hung  over  it,  for, 
a  day  or  two  after  leaving  Kassala,  Gumming  took  it 
to  try  its  killing-powers  on  guinea-fowl  with  a  charge  of 
shot,  and  his  horse  shying  as  he  mounted,  his  foot 
slipped,  and  away  went  the  gun.  The  fall  cracked  the 
stock  right  through  the  old  place,  but  one  of  our  soldiers 
managed  to  bind  it  together  so  firmly  with  twine,  that 
it  has  been  given  another  lease  of  life.  Nothing  has 
been  seen  of  Cumming's  hippo  or  crocodile,  and  no  one 
has  bagged  any  game  to-day.  Cold  as  we  felt  last  night, 
we  were  greatly  surprised  to  find  the  minimum  thermo- 

G   2 


84  LIFE    WITH   THE  H AMR  AN  ARABS. 


meter  registering  only  33°  Fah.,  and  should  have  doubted 
its  accuracy  had  it  not  been  proved  by  the  maximum  at 
daybreak,  when  both  stood  at  34°.  Comparing  this 
with  the  maximum  heat  of  to-day — viz.,  81°  in  the  shade, 
and  115°  in  the  sun — the  variation  in  the  twenty-four 
hours  is  very  great. 

Three  native  hunters  paid  us  a  visit  this  evening,  each 
mounted  on  a  camel,  and  having  an  almost  naked  black 
boy  perched  up  behind  him  carrying  his  rifle.  They  were 
on  their  way  to  Zahani  in  a  very  despondent  state  of 
mind,  not  having  killed  an  elephant  after  three  days* 
hunting.  The  chief  told  us  that  this  was  the  best  season 
for  finding  elephants  in  this  neighbourhood,  for  a  little 
later  they  migrate  to  Abyssinia,  and  that  as  we  advance 
in  our  present  direction  we  shall  lose  them,  but  in  their 
stead  find  rhinoceros  and  lions  ;  and  if  we  go,  as  we  pur- 
pose doing  ultimately,  to  the  Salaam  river,  we  shall  find 
lions  as  plentiful  as  sheep.  Their  rifles  were  very  in- 
ferior  to  those  we  had  seen.  Ours  were  examined  with 
great  interest,  and  the  breech-loading  action  quite  asto- 
nished them. 

Emanuel,  with  most  of  our  available  men  and  camels, 
left  camp  before  sunrise  for  the  place  where  the  dead  ele- 
phant lay,  and  spent  the  whole  day  there  cutting  it  up  and 
packing  as  much  of  it  upon  the  camels  as  the  time  would 
allow.  The  Arabs  left  in  camp  have  also  been  very 
busy  making  huge  fires,  as  there  is  to  be  a  grand  feast 


PREPARATION  FOR  A    GREAT  FEAST.  85 

to-night,  for,  much  as  they  love  raw  gazelle,  the  flesh  of 
the  elephant  reigns  supreme  to  their  dainty  palates.  The 
return  to-night  was  hailed  with  great  rejoicing,  and  now 
the  camp  is  one  scene  of  bustle  and  excitement,  all  sorts 
of  preparations  being  made  for  the  feast  and  for  the 
future  preservation  of  the  precious  food  ;  and  as  we  sit 
in  our  tent,  groups  of  figures  can  be  seen  squatting  round 
the  fires  that  blaze  on  all  sides  of  us. 

Jan.  25. — No  sport  again  to-day.  Vivian  and  Gum- 
ming came  unexpectedly  upon  a  very  fine  lion,  lying 
half  asleep  near  a  dead  cow  on  open  ground.  He  saw 
them,  however,  quite  soon  enough  to  let  them  only  have  a 
running  shot  as  he  bolted  away,  and  thus  managed  to 
escape. 

The  '  game  list '  has  had  a  small  addition  made  to  it 
by  my  shooting  with  a  revolver  a  civet  cat  as  it  crouched 
in  a  hollow  under  the  roots  of  a  tree  that  had  been  torn 
up  by  an  elephant.  There  are  very  extensive  mimosa- 
woods  near  our  camp,  and  many  of  the  trees  have  lumps 
of  gum  exuding  from  them,  generally  of  amber  colour 
and  semi-liquid  inside.  One  species  exudes  a  white  gum, 
beautifully  transparent  where  liquid,  and  having  a  much 
finer  flavour  than  the  other.  Elephants  evidently  find 
it  an  amusing  pastime  twisting  their  trunks  round  these 
trees,  and  either  uprooting  them  or  breaking  them  down, 
for  in  every  direction  can  be  seen  such  innumerable 
evidences  of  their  terrific  strength.  This  part  of  the 


country  is  now  so  hunted  by  natives,  that  the  elephants 
have  been  driven  to  coverts  so  far  away  from  the  river 
that  our  only  chance  of  finding  them  by  day  would  be  to 
spend  two  days  in  tracking  them.  Coke,  when  bathing 
to-day,  put  his  foot  on  a  small  crocodile,  but  failed  ta 
catch  it  ;  otherwise  he  might  have  been  brought  home 
and  allowed  to  disport  himself  in  the  Serpentine,  as  a 
little  pleasant  excitement  for  morning  bathers.  Return- 
ing to  camp  this  evening,  all  the  cut  brushwood  that 
surrounds  it  as  a  protection  from  wild  beasts  seemed 
to  have  burst  into  leaf  in  our  absence  ;  but  on  closer 
inspection  the  leaves  turned  out  to  be  long  strips  of' 
elephant's  flesh  with  which  the  Arabs  had  covered  the 
branches,  to  dry  them  in  the  sun,  and  they  were  still  • 
busily  at  work  hammering  out  the  cut  strips  with  a  piece 
of  wood,  over  the  elephant's  thigh-bones  or  on  smooth 
stones.  Mohamed  the  cook,  and  others  of  our  more 
personal  staff,  have  lost  no  time  in  taking  advantage  of 
the  arrival  of  the  civet  cat,  'and  have  so  smeared  them- 
selves over  with  the  secretion  from  its  musk-gland  that 
they  have  given  us  good  cause  to  groan  over  the  intro- 
duction of  so  potent  an  animal  into  our  otherwise 
contented  family. 


A   NATIVE  FRUIT  TREE.  87 


CHAPTER   VI. 

Jan.  26. — Again  no  sport  ;  but  we  had  the  small 
satisfaction  of  finding  a  dead  crocodile  lying  in  shallow 
water,  that  had  been  shot  two  or  three  days  ago.  It 
measured  ten  feet,  and  was  considered  of  only  medium 
size.  After  hauling  it  on  the  bank,  a  piece  of  the  skin 
was  carefully  cut  out  for  a  shield,  and  the  rest  left  for 
those,  whether  man,  bird,  or  beast,  who  like  crocodile  well 
kept. 

Whilst  we  were  hunting,  our  camp  was  transferred  to 
new  ground  a  few  miles  further  along  the  Settite.  It  is 
an  extremely  pretty  spot,  named  Imberaga,  and  we  are 
established  on  a  sand-bank  in  the  bed  of  some  dried-up 
tributary  of  the  Settite,  and  about  two  hundred  yards 
from  it.  On  each  side  are  low  hills  thickly  wooded  with 
mimosas  and  the  (  nabbuk,'  a  tree  equally  thorny,  that 
bears  a  fruit  about  the  size  of  a  cherry,  with  which  it  is 
now  loaded.  When  ripe,  as  at  present,  it  has  a  very 
pleasant  slightly  acid  flavour,  and  is  much  liked  by  the 
Arabs  and  monkeys,  who  pick  it  up  generally  after  it  has 
fallen  to  the  ground.  Its  colour  is  then  light  brown  or 


88  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

yellow,  with  wrinkled  surface  and  dry  like  a  biscuit,  with 
one  large  stone  in  it ;  and  the  only  fault  then  to  be  found 
with  it  is,  that  there  is  too  much  stone  and  too  little 
biscuit. 

Vivian  has  made  an  important  addition  to  our  at 
present  very  meagre  collection  of  the  insect  world,  by 
finding  a  creature,  in  shape,  colour,  and  almost  in  vitality, 
exactly  like  a  piece  of  straw  with  giant  legs,  and  having 
a  body  about  four  inches  long.  There  is  very  little 
prospect  of  our  making  a  good  entomological  collection, 
for  after  returning  from  shooting  we  are  only  too  glad 
to  rest  quietly ;  and  if  there  are  any  good  specimens  to 
be  found,  they  certainly  have  an  unhappy  knack  of  keep- 
ing well  out  of  sight,  and  would  require  much  time  to  be 
specially  devoted  to  them. 

Jan.  27. — Again  we  have  to  thank  Vivian  for  the 
excitement  of  the  day,  and  for  keeping  our  people  in 
their  present  state  of  high  spirits  ;  for,  besides  shooting 
a  '  ratel '  that  he  made  bolt  from  its  hole  by  a  lighted 
whisp  of  straw,  and  then  knocked  over  with  a  ball  from 
his  big  '  smooth-bore,'  he  has  also  killed  the  first  buffalo. 

His  hunter  Mohamed,  after  a  quiet  stalk,  found  him 
alone  and  asleep,  and  then,  calling  up  Vivian,  they 
managed  to  creep  within  sixty  yards  of  him.  At  this 
moment  he  awoke  from  his  morning  nap  and  stood  up, 
and,  surprised  to  see  visitors,  steadfastly  surveyed  them. 
Again  the  ten-bore  did  its  duty,  and  sending  a  bullet 


THE  SUCCESSFUL  SPORTSMAN'S  RETURN.      89 

into  his  chest,  he  became  powerless  to  move,  though  two 
more  had  to  penetrate  his  thick  hide  before  he  was  laid 
low.  On  Vivian's  return  to  camp  there  were  great  re- 
joicings and  shaking  of  hands,  and  one  man  with  drawn 
sword  rushed  out,  and  with  frantic  gestures  danced  wildly 
before  him.  Everybody  shakes  hands  in  this  country  ; 
if  you  meet  a  caravan,  the  whole  party  must  go 
through  this  performance  with  you  if  you  halt  for  a 
moment  amongst  them,  otherwise  '  Salaam  aleikum  *  is 
never  omitted.  The  manner  of  the  Arabs  whom  we 
have  so  far  met  in  our  rambles  has  been  most  friendly, 
and  as  if  they  considered  us  as  their  equals — no  more,  no 
less.  Our  little  camp  looks  especially  compact  to-night. 
Near  one  end  of  the  sand-bank  are  three  large  fires  that 
light  up  the  valley  splendidly ;  round  them  men  are 
lying  asleep,  so  coiled  up  in  their  one  sheet  that  they 
look  like  dirty  sacks,  whilst  others  are  squatting  about 
them  eating  elephant,  an  amusement  that  occupies  most 
of  their  spare  time  ;  forming  a  crescent  beyond  them  is 
an  impassable  barrier  of  camels  packed  closely  together, 
with  legs  tucked  under  them  and  heads  fixed  as  high 
in  air  as  they  can  stretch  their  long  necks,  and  all  facing 
inwards.  Beyond  them  our  horses  are  tethered,  and 
lastly  come  our  two  tents.  These  tents  answer  admirably 
for  a  dry  climate  ;  but,  not  having  the  support  of  ropes, 
an  extra  gust  of  wind  gives  us  occasionally  a  little  alarm 
for  their  safety,  and  one  did  collapse  last  night  from 


90  LIFE   WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

this  cause,  much  to  the  astonishment  of  those  sleeping 
under  it. 

Jan.  28. — Moved  our  camp  three  hours'  distance  east- 
ward along  the  Settite,  to  a  high  bank  on  the  opposite 
(south)  side,  known  by  the  name  of '  El  Effaara.'  As  usual, 
we  went  off  in  different  directions,  with  the  intention  of  re- 
turning by  dinner-time,  an  hour  fixed  by  the  setting  sun  ; 
but  to-night  there  was  a  vacant  place,  for  Vivian  had  not 
arrived.  As  time  passed  on,  we  began  to  fear  that  Mo- 
hamed  had  lost  his  way  in  the  darkness,  for  it  was  said 
that  he  did  not  know  just  this  part  of  the  country  well. 
Bonfires  were  therefore  lit  on  the  highest  points  of  the 
hills  near  us,  and  guns  discharged  at  intervals.  At  nine 
o'clock  they  were  still  absent,  but  a  shot  then  echoing 
amongst  the  hills  in  the  distance,  followed  later  by  others 
nearer,  told  us  that  Mohamed  was  persevering  in  the 
present  almost  total  darkness  to  find  his  way,  and  that, 
guided  by  our  beacons,  they  were  gradually  approaching 
us.  At  last  a  shout  from  a  well-known  voice  from  the 
opposite  bank  of  '  Emanuel,  make  me  some  lemonade/ 
set  our  minds  at  rest,  and  immediately  there  was  a  rush 
to  the  river-side  with  torches,  whilst  some  Arabs  crossed 
over  to  light  them  better  over  the  slippery  way.  Directly 
after  leaving  camp  this  morning,  Essafi  came  upon  a 
fresh  buffalo  track,  and  following  it  up  for  an  hour,  we 
arrived  at  a  dense  mimosa  wood,  where  numerous  similar 
tracks  could  be  seen,  perfectly  fresh ;  and  it  was  there- 


SURROUNDED  BY  BUFFALOES.  91 

fore  evident  we  were  close  upon  a  herd.  Shortly  after- 
wards, Coke  and  Said  arrived  from  an  opposite  point  on 
the  same  hunt.  It  fell,  however,  to  my  lot  to  have  the 
first  shot,  for  Essafi  pointed  out  a  buffalo  through  an 
almost  impenetrable  bush,  standing  about  forty  yards 
from  us.  Hopeless  as  it  was,  I  fired,  for  Essafi's  excite-; 
ment  would  not  admit  of  any  hope  of  creeping  nearer^ 
and  the  only  result  was  that  the  ball  probably  glanced 
off  a  branch  close  to  me,  whilst  I  startled  a  large  herd,: 
which  for  a  moment  we  caught  sight  of  tearing  across 
an  open  strip  of  land.  We  then  started  in  pursuit ;  but,  > 
finding  that  the  others  were  well  ahead  of  us,  we  returned; 
to  the  wood  to  get  our  horses,  which  we  had  tied  up  to 
some  trees  on  the  outskirts.  On  entering  it  we  heard  a 
shot  ahead,  and  in  a  minute  it  was  succeeded  by  a  rapidly 
increasing  noise  in  the  brushwood.  It  then  became  evi- 
dent that  Coke  had  succeeded  in  turning  the  buffaloes,, 
and  tliat  they  were  bearing  down  directly  upon  us.  A' 
few  more  moments  and  the  noise  became  tremendous, 
though  nothing  could  be  seen  until  they  were  within 
twenty  yards  of  us.  As  they  crashed  past  us  in  their 
headlong  career,  and  a  very  few  yards  off,  they  were 
treated  to  a  right  and  left  from  my  eight-bore,  but,  much 
to  my  disappointment,  without  apparently  stopping  any 
of  them.  Essafi,  however,  looked  about  him  carefully, 
and  soon  found  one  standing  about  fifteen  yards  off. 
It  had  faced  round,  and  was  looking  at  us  as  if  preparing 


92  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

for  a  charge,  when  another  ball  nipped  these  thoughts 
in  the  bud.  Still,  though  bleeding  profusely  from  the 
nose  and  mouth,  it  stood  its  ground,  until,  with  another 
shot,  it  fell  dead.  More  rejoicings  on  our  return,  and  I 
had  the  honour  of  some  wild  dancing,  sword  exercise, 
and  shaking  of  hands.  All  this  at  first  is  amusing  enough, 
but  if  it  is  to  be  repeated  whenever  a  big  animal  is  shot, 
there  seems  to  be  every  prospect  of  its  soon  becoming 
monotonous. 

Jan.  29. — Gumming  has  added  two  new  animals  to 
our  list  of  killed — one  a  fine  specimen  of  antelope,  named 
the  tetel.  It  is  larger  than  a  red  deer,  and  of  a  some- 
what darker  colour.  Its  special  characteristic  is  a  long 
ungainly-looking  head,  that  looks  far  more  suitable  to  a 
horse  than  an  antelope,  and  not  altogether  unlike  one. 
The  horns  are  also  ugly,  short,  and  annulated,  projecting 
at  first  outwards,  and  then  curving  upwards  and  inwards. 
Though  not  therefore  altogether  a  handsome  species  of 
antelope,  it  has  three  good  points — a  skin  valuable  to 
the  natives  for  carrying  water,  flesh  excellent  as  food,  and 
plenty  of  it,  His  other  addition  was  a  pig,  but  a  poor 
lean  specimen,  with  very  small  tusks.  Judging  from 
those  we  have  yet  seen  here,  it  seems  almost  absurd  to 
call  them  wild  boar,  for  tamer  creatures  could  scarcely 
be  found.  On  first  seeing  us,  their  idea  generally  is  to 
run  up  gently  towards  us  to  inspect  the  strange  appa- 
rition in  their  wild  haunts.  Ibrahim's  career  has  sud- 


A   DELICACY  FROM  THE  FOREST.  93 

denly  come  to  an  end,  Gumming  having  found  out  that 
he  is  totally  ignorant  of  the  country ;  and  Emanuel  has 
gone  back  to  the  Hamran  village  with  him  to-day,  with 
orders  to  bring  another  hunter  to  replace  him. 

Another  new  arrival  to-day  in  camp — viz.,  a  very  fine 
antelope  that  Vivian  shot  yesterday,  but  could  not  then 
bring  home.  Mohamed  called  it  a  maariff,  which,  ac- 
cording to  Baker,  is  the  largest  and  most  rare  of  all 
antelopes  ;  but  his  description  of  it  does  not  quite  tally 
with  the  appearance  of  this  one,  so  mine  shall  be  deferred 
for  the  present. 

Coke  shot  his  first  buffalo  to-day  near  the  camp, 
after  an  unsuccessful  hunt  along  the  Royan,  a  river  that 
flows  into  the  Settite  a  few  hundred  yards  beyond  our 
ground.  This  river,  we  are  much  disappointed  to  find, 
is  now  dry  on  the  surface,  excepting  here  and  there  some 
stagnant-looking  pools ;  but  there  is  water  still  flowing 
at  a  little  depth  below  the  surface-sand,  so  we  have  a 
slight  chance  of  finding  animals  in  its  neighbourhood. 

Elephant's  foot  for  dinner  has  been  a  great  success ; 
it  was  boiled  for  twenty-four  hours  consecutively,  and 
then  very  much  resembled  calf's  foot,  both  in  taste  and 
appearance,  excepting  perhaps  in  size  and  shape,  and  it 
was  appreciated  accordingly.  Our  table  is  now  very 
well  supplied  with  dainties  from  the  forest,  and  with  the 
enormous  quantity  of  meat  at  his  disposal,  our  cook, 
Mohamed,  produces  soup  of  an  excellence  and  strength, 


94  LIFE    WITH  THE  H AMR  AN  ARABS. 


so  far  as  nourishment  is  concerned,  that  would  put  the 
most  old-fashioned  English  cook  to  the  blush. 

Our  men  are  having  a  grand  entertainment  to-night, 
and  we  for  a  short  time  joined  the  circle  of  spectators. 
It  consisted  chiefly  in  showing  off  their  various  modes  of 
fighting  with  the  sword,  spear,  and  shield  ;  whilst  one 
man  performed  the  most  doleful  music,  consisting  of  a 
constant  repetition  of  three  notes  on  a  stringed  instru- 
ment named  *  rababa,'  and  evidently  belonging  to  the 
guitar  tribe. 

It  was  astonishing  to  see  the  great  rapidity  of  move- 
ment and  power  of  spring  of  these  Arabs — one  moment 
bounding  forward  at  the  imaginary  enemy  like  an  ante- 
lope, and  the  next  crouching  behind  their  shield  so  as 
to  be  completely  concealed  by  it,  whilst,  by  peering 
through  a  notch  in  the  margin,  they  could  follow  the 
movements  of  the  enemy.  Each  of  our  hunters  was  called 
out  in  turn,  and  they,  in  addition  to  what  we  had  wit- 
nessed, went  through  the  performance  of  protecting  their 
respective  masters.  This  was  very  amusing  to  look  at 
whilst  others  were  being  protected,  but  when  the  sword 
was  frantically  waved  over  your  own  head  in  the  torch- 
light, the  pleasure  was  somewhat  marred  by  the  feeling 
that,  with  one  little  slip,  it  might  be  in  a  condition  to  be 
transferred  to  a  plate.  An  apology  was  made  by  the 
chief  of  the  camel-men  for  no  more  complete  exhibition 
of  these  warlike  exercises,  and  we  were  quite  willing  to 


THE  ECCENTRICITIES  OF  <  UNCLE  SAM:        9; 

accept  his  explanation  that  they  were  apt  to  get  excited 
and  fight  in  earnest,  and  that  they  would  not  like  to  do 
this  in  so  dim  a  light 

Coke's  buffalo  fell  an  easy  victim  to  his  ten-bore 
smooth-bore,  for  he  was  able  to  stalk  within  seven  yards 
of  it  whilst  it  was  feeding  in  the  high  grass.  Said  is 
very  different  to  the  other  hunters,  and  was  originally 
brought  as  a  slave  from  the  Blue  Nile.  He  is  quite 
black,  and,  with  his  short  woolly  hair  and  nigger  features, 
he  is  so  like  '  Uncle  Sam,'  that  we  have  christened  him 
accordingly.  He  has  several  little  special  ways  of  his 
own  which  afford  his  master  considerable  amusement  in 
their  daily  wanderings  together.  To-day,  Uncle  Sam 
stopped  at  the  tomb  of  a  Sheik,  prayed  for  some  time, 
and  having  pulled  out  some  hair  from  his  horse's  tail, 
put  them  on  a  stick  over  the  tomb,  and  then  continued 
the  hunt.  This  performance,  interpreted  by  Albert,  was 
a  special  prayer  and  offering  to  this  Sheik  to  give  him 
good  luck,  as  he  had  been  several  hours  without  showing 
his  master  any  game ;  and  as  the  buffalo  was  shot  soon 
afterwards,  Uncle  Sam  was  no  doubt  quite  satisfied  with 
the  efficacy  of  his  prayers  to  the  dead  Sheik.  Vivian 
tried  his  luck  fishing  this  morning,  and  in  a  short  time 
hooked  five  turtle  ;  but,  his  tackle  not  being  exactly  fitted 
for  this  kind  of  sport,  he  lost  four.  The  fifth  was  safely 
landed,  however,  and  turned  over  on  his  back  to  wait  for 
further  orders  ;  but  in  the  meantime,  whilst  Mohamed 


96  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

was  ruminating  over  a  cup  of  coffee  how  best  to  cook 
him,  he  managed  to  right  himself  and  to  disappear  into 
the  river. 

Jan.  30. — The  prayer  to  the  dead  Sheik  still  holds 
good,  for  Coke  and  Uncle  Sam  succeeded  in  stalking 
close  to  some  antelope,  named  goteer  by  our  men,  and 
succeeded  in  bagging  two.  One  has  such  a  magnificent 
pair  of  spiral  horns,  that  it  has  made  the  rest  of  us  feel  very 
keen  to  get  a  similar  specimen  for  our  individual  collec- 
tions. The  other  was  a  doe,  and  without  horns.  This 
antelope  is  found  in  Southern  Africa  also,  where  it  is 
named  koodoo,  and  their  horns  are  even  finer  than  are 
found  here.  It  is  very  handsome,  standing  about  thirteen 
hands  high,  and  has  a  mouse-grey  coloured  hide  and  three 
white  stripes  crossing  the  body  vertically.  According 
to  Baker,  it  is  also  called  the  nellut.  To-day  a 
maariff  has  been  added  to  the  game  list  by  myself. 
The  first  shot  with  an  express  at  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  distance  struck  the  shoulder,  and  he  went  off ; 
but  Essafi,  seeing  that  he  was  lame,  jumped  on  his  horse 
and  started  off  in  mad  pursuit,  and  ultimately  succeeded 
in  turning  him,  but  in  a  direction  far  away  from  me. 
Essafi  then  returned  for  me,  and  very  soon  we  were  upon 
his  track,  with  the  satisfactory  addition  of  occasional 
patches  of  blood.  For  more  than  an  hour  we  followed 
him  in  this  way  over  hill  and  dale,  sometimes  catching  a 
glimpse  of  him  disappearing  over  the  crest  of  one  hill  as 


THE  MAARIFF  AND  MEH&DEHET.  97 


we  arrived  at  the  summit  of  another,  when  the  distance 
would  be  diminished  by  a  gallop,  until,  wearied  out,  we 
at  last  found  the  poor  beast  lying  down  in  the  bottom,  of 
a  valley  to  rest,  though  not  to  escape  from  the  keen  eye 
of  Essafi  ;  and  then,  creeping  within  twenty  yards  of  him, 
a  ball  from  my  eight-bore  went  right  through  his  body, 
and  so  brought  to  a  close  this  exciting  hunt.  When 
Vivian  and  myself  compared  notes  about  our  respective 
maariffs,  we  found  a  distinct  difference  in  the  slope  of 
the  horns,  a  difficulty  which  Mohamed  (his  hunter)  tried 
to  explain  away  by  saying  that  maariffs'  horns  sloped 
both  ways.  This,  however,  was  not  good  enough  for 
even  our  limited  knowledge  of  the  various  species,  so 
Essafi  was  consulted,  and  he  at  once  said  that  Vivian's 
antelope  was  a  mehedehet ;  and  upon  a  more  careful  ex- 
amination of  Baker's  illustrations,  it  was  very  clear  that 
such  was  the  case.  Both  have  annulated  horns,  but  those 
of  the  mehedehet  curve  outwards  as  well  as  backwards,  and 
then  forwards  ;  and  in  this  specimen  are  twenty-six  inches 
long  and  seventeen  and  a  half  between  the  tips  ;  whereas 
the  horns  of  the  maariff  curve  gradually  backwards,  and 
with  a  very  slight  inclination  outwards — so  slight  in 
this  specimen,  that  though  twenty-six  and  a  half  inches 
long,  they  are  only  eight  inches  apart  at  the  tips,  the 
widest  point ;  then  also,  whilst  in  the  one  the  concavity 
is  forwards,  in  the  other  it  faces  backwards,  and  he 

H 


9S  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

markings  in  the  two  animals  are  quite  distinct.  The 
maariffis  the  largest  of  all  the  antelopes  of  Central  Africa, 
and  having  been  apparently  first  observed  by  Baker,  it 
has  been  classified  by  Herr  von  Henglin  as  the  Hippo- 
tragus  BakeriL  '  The  colour  is  mouse-grey,  with  a  black 
stripe  across  the  shoulders,  and  black  and  white  lines 
across  the  nose  and  cheeks.  The  height  at  the  shoulders 
should  exceed  fourteen  hands,  and  the  neck  is  orna- 
mented with  a  thick  and  stiff  black  mane.  The  shoulders 
are  peculiarly  massive,  and  are  extremely  high  at  the 
withers.  Both  the  male  and  female  are  provided  with 
horns  ;  those  of  the  former  are  exceedingly  thick,  and  the 
points  frequently  extend  so  far  as  to  reach  the  shoulders. 
It  invariably  inhabits  open  plains,  upon  which  it  can  see 
an  enemy  at  a  great  distance ;  thus  it  is  the  most  difficult 
of  all  animals  to  stalk '  (Baker).  The  mehedehet  is  not 
so  large  nor  nearly  so  powerful  an  animal  as  the  last 
named.  It  is  darker  and  has  a  more  shaggy  hide,  and  is 
free  from  such  special  markings  about  the  head  ;  and  the 
female  is  without  horns. 

Emanuel  returned  this  evening  from  the  Hamran 
village  with  a  new  hunter  for  Gumming,  named  Hamet, 
and  he  has  brought  us  the  dread  news  that  Sheik  Aghill 
will  pay  us  a  visit  to-morrow.  At  baggage-camel  rate 
the  journey  lasted  9^  hours,  so  we  may  calculate  the 
distance  at  about  24  miles.  Crossing  the  river  on  one 
occasion  they  found  a  dead  hippo,  the  property  of  Coke 


UNWELCOME  GUESTS.  99 

or  Gumming,  but  it  had  been  dead  too  many  days  to  be 
•of  any  use  even  to  an  Arab. 

Jan.  3 1. — Nothing  special  has  occurred  to-day.  The 
Sheik  has  not  arrived,  but  two  even  more  unwelcome 
guests  found  their  way  into  our  tent. 

These,  however,  were  more  easily  disposed  of,  for  one 
can  kill  a  scorpion. 


H  2 


ioo  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

February  I. — We  have  changed  our  encampment  to- 
day to  a  place  named  Emhaggar,  on  the  south  bank  of 
the  Settite,  about  twelve  miles  from  El  Effaara  by  camel- 
track.  A  prettier  spot  for  a  camp  could  not  well  be 
imagined,  though  the  available  space  is  perhaps  too- 
limited. 

It  is  completely  surrounded  by  trees  with  over- 
hanging branches  now  in  full  leaf,  and  the  river  flows  at 
our  feet,  though  so]  quietly  that  it  has  more  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  pool,  in  which  on  our  arrival  numerous 
hippos  were  seen  to  disport  themselves.  Thousands  of 
small  birds  of  very  varied  plumage  are  singing  in  the 
trees,  and  on  the  margin  of  the  water  are  here  and  there 
to  be  found  Egyptain  geese  and  Marabou  storks.  The 
opposite  bank  presents  one  mass  of  green  from  the  over- 
hanging branches  of  some  nabbuks  in  full  leaf  drooping 
to  the  water's  edge.  Our  arrival,  followed  by  a  few  un- 
successful .shots  at  the  hippos,  made  them  very  cautious 
about  showing  their  noses  above  water  ;  and  as  snap- 
shootinor  at  them  under  these  circumstances  would 


GOOD  SPORT   WITH  A   BUFFALO.  lor 


rapidly  reduce  our  ammunition,  we  have  decided  upon 
postponing  for  the  present  this  sport,  if  such  it  can  be 
called.     Under  a  very  wide  spreading  tree  our  staff  have 
taken  up  their  quarters,  and  a  part  of  it  is  converted  into 
a  larder,  and  all  seem  highly  pleased  at  having  at  last 
found  such  a  shady  retreat.     The  rule  laid  down  by 
travellers  never  to  pitch  a  tent  or  sleep  under  trees  lest 
you  may   be   attacked    by   animals  at   night,    or  have 
snakes    drop    upon    you    from    the    branches,  is   here 
utterly  disregarded.     As  to  snakes,  we  shall  soon  begin 
to  think  that  Africa  has  taken  a  hint  from  Ireland,  for 
not  one  have  we  seen  or  heard  of  excepting  the  demon 
of  excited   imaginations  reported  by  Albert  and  Bob. 
Gumming  bagged  two  buffaloes  to-day,  and  one  of  them 
gave  him  great  sport.     The  first  shot  having  only  broken 
a  leg,  he  was  able  to  bolt  off  across  some  open  country 
for  nearly  half  a  mile,  with  Gumming  after  him  on  horse- 
back ;   when  the  distance  was  reduced  to  twenty-five 
yards  the  buffalo  pulled  up  and  faced  round,  and  for  a 
moment  stood  his  ground  before  charging.     Instantly 
Gumming    dismounted    (the    horse    taking    advantage 
of  the  opportunity  to  decamp),  and  when  the  buffalo 
was  only  ten  yards  from  him  a  ball  from  his  twelve- 
bore  rifle  brought  him  to  the  ground.     Amongst  several 
antelope  killed  by  us  to-day,  I  was  fortunate  in  get- 
ting a  mehedehet  with  a  superb  head  ;  but  from  hence- 
forth the  antelope  will  have  a  rest  from  our  persecution, 


102  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

for  of  the  common  kinds  we  have  all  the  specimens  we 
require,  and  for  the  future  shall  only  shoot  them  for 
food;  and  then,  what  is  far  more  to  the  point,  our 
thoughts  have  taken  a  higher  flight  by  the  sight  of 
numerous  tracks  of  rhinoceros,  as  well  as  by  the  report 
that  we  have  arrived  in.  the  home  also  of  the  lion, 
giraffe,  and  ostrich. 

We  are  becoming  most  learned  in  the  study  of 
tracks  under  the  tuition  of  such  masters  of  it  as  these 
Hamran  Arabs,  and  hunting  for  the  various  animals  in 
this  way,  even  when  attended  with  failure,  is  in  itself  a 
source  of  immense  interest  in  the  day's  ride.  There  are 
no  longer  any  fresh  tracks  of  elephants,  but  on  the  high 
flat  land  away  from  the  river,  now  so  baked  into  a  dry 
crust  that  it  is  split  up  by  endless  wide  fissures,  in- 
numerable deep  circular  holes  give  evidence  of  how 
much  it  is  frequented  by  them  during  or  soon  after 
the  rainy  reason,  when  the  land  is  saturated  with 
moisture. 

Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  easily  distinguished  from 
one  another,  but  those  of  the  camel  and  giraffe  are  very 
similar.  The  soil  is  generally  very  favourable  to  tracking,, 
consisting  of  a  light  sandy  earth  in  which  the  impress 
of  the  hoof  comes  out  very  distinctly,  but  on  the  high 
dry  ground  no  mark  is  left:  The  rhinoceros  track  will 
interest  us  most  for  the  present,  for  though  the  track  of 
the  lion  is  by  no  means  uncommon,  we  do  not  intend  to 


A   NIGHT  ALARM.  103 


pay  the  nominal  monarch  of  the  forest  any  attention 
until  a  new  moon  will  give  us  a  chance  of  watching  for 
him  in  his  nocturnal  rambles. 

Feb.  2. — A  sudden  outcry  about  midnight  from  those 
who  slept  under  the  big  tree,  and  shouts  from  Emanuel 
of  '  Sair  !  sair  !  bring  gun,  bring  gun/  made  us  jump  out 
of  our  beds,  seize  our  weapons,  and  rush  to  the  spot. 
Here  all  was  darkness,  for  even  the  fires  had  been  allowed 
to  go  out ;  but  in  the  general  confusion  Emanuel  could 
be  heard  declaring  that  a  big  animal  had  passed  close 
to  his  head  and  was  behind  the  tree,  and  begged  of  us 
to  shoot  it.  The  dying  embers  of  the  fires  were  soon 
blown  into  a  flame,  and  then  the  big  animal  was  looked 
for,  but  of  course  not  found  ;  and  one  began  to  believe 
that  Emanuel  had  had  a  nightmare,  until  sundry 
haunches  of  '  venison '  suspended  from  ropes  in  the 
*  larder '  were  seen  to  swing  to  and  fro,  and  thus  gave 
evidence  of  something  having  passed  beneath  them. 

Looking  at  the  assembled  party,  Bob  was  nowhere 
to  be  found,  but  when  called  for  a  faint  voice  from  high 
up  a  tree  answered,  '  Yes,  sir.'  How  he  managed  to  climb 
to  his  perch  in  the  dark  he  could  not  understand,  but 
he  gave  the  practical  reason  for  doing  so  that  he  thought 
he  could  see  Emanuel  eaten  by  a  lion  safely  from  there. 
Albert's  poor  nerves  were  so  shaken  that  the  only  relief 
he  could  find  was  by  having  two  good  fits  of  crying. 
No  sleep  after  this  event,  for  the  whole  camp  became 


104  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

astir  to  make  a  big  fire  and  laugh  over  the  fright  they 
had  had,  and  for  which  there  really  was  good  cause  ;  for 
when  daylight  appeared  the  tracks  of  a  lion  were  seen 
about  a  foot  from  Emanuel's  pillow.  Hanging  up  a 
quantity  of  meat  under  a  tree  and  sleeping  with  your 
head  close  to  it,  is  about  as  simple  a  method  of  putting 
it  into  a  self-made  trap  as  could  well  be  devised  ;  and 
with  his  present  experience  it  is  not  likely  he  will  try 
the  experiment  again,  though  probably  nothing  of  the 
kind  would  have  happened  had  not  our  sleepy  Arabs 
allowed  the  fires  to  burn  out.  But  if  we  saw  no  real 
lion,  we  received  a  visit  to-day  from  his  representative 
amongst  elephant-hunters  ;  for,  mounted  on  a  most 
spirited  little  Arab,  no  less  a  personage  than  Jali  arrived 
in  camp.  He  is  quite  looked  upon  as  the  chief  of  the 
present  race  of  Hamran  sword -hunters,  and  his  appear- 
ance quite  justifies  this,  though  living  on  elephant  flesh 
has  made  him  so  fat  and  large  round  the  waist  that  his 
agility  must  be  slightly  impaired.  It  did  not  seem  so, 
however,  as  he  sprang  lightly  from  his  horse,  and  in  a 
most  cordial  way  shook  hands  with  us,  quite  as  if  we 
were  old  and  long-parted  friends. 

He  soon  let  us  know  who  he  was,  and  of  his  intimate 
acquaintance  with  Howagee  Baker  ;  and  to  prevent  there 
being  any  doubt  of  his  identity,  showed  us  his  left  leg, 
\vhich  was  shortened  by  fracture  of  the  thigh-bone  in  an 
elephant  hunt  when  in  his  service.  He  is  a  short  but 


THE  CHIEF  OF  THE  HAMRAN  SWORD-HUNTERS.  105 


very  powerfully-built  man,  with  a  fine-shaped  head,  now 
nearly  bald,  with  good  features  and  most  jovial  counte- 
nance, as  if  he  had  known  but  few  of  the  cares  of  life 
in  his  wild  exciting  career,  and  he  has  a  skin  of  a  far 
lighter  shade  of  brown  than  the  usual  colour  of  these 
Arabs. 

He  is  on  his  way  to  Abyssinia,  so  he  says,  as  chief 
of  a  party  of  hunters  numbering  twenty-six,  all  mounted 
on  horses,  to  kill  elephants  and  catch  young  ones  for  Sheik 
Aghill.  In  two  days  they  will  be  in  the  Base  country, 
where  they  expect  some  fighting,  and  in  seven  days 
they  will  reach  the  present  great  home  of  the  elephant. 
Baker  gives  a  very  spirited  account  of  this  man's  skill  as 
a  hunter,  and  when  he  had  to  send  him  to  his  village  in 
consequence  of  his  misfortune,  he  considered  that  he  had 
lost  his  best  man.  Jali  speaks  of  his  master  also  in  the 
warmest  terms,  and  has  very  far  from  forgotten  the 
kindness  he  received  from  him  after  the  accident  oc- 
curred. 

Vivian  did  a  good  stroke  of  business  with  him  by  an 
exchange  of  horses,  adding  ten  dollars,  his  own  having  a 
very  sore  back.  Jali  had  evidently  not  forgotten  some 
of  his  English  master's  comforts,  for  he  came  quietly  to 
me  and  whispered  'Cognac,'  and  then  found  in  our 
whisky  an  excellent  substitute.  On  his  return  he  will 
try  to  seek  us  out  again,  for  we  shall  not  in  all  probability 
have  moved  far  from  our  present  ground. 


106  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

Encamped  close  to  us  are  some  Arabs,  who  are  chiefly 
ostrich-hunting.  They  have  caught  twelve,  and  one 
is  a  very  fine  black  bird.  Albert  and  Emanuel  tried  to 
purchase  the  feathers  for  twenty  dollars,  but  thirty  were 
demanded,  an  amount  they  could  not  raise,  nor  that  we 
wished  to  give,  not  knowing  at  present  whether  our  sup- 
ply of  dollars  will  more  than  meet  our  necessities.  It  was 
a  pity  we  could  not  so  far  help  them,  for  Albert  declares 
the  feathers  would  realise  more  than  100  dollars  in 
Cairo.  One  of  the  Arabs'  ostriches  escaped  yesterday,  so 
they  have  begged  us  if  we  shoot  one  with  a  rope  round 
his  leg,  to  give  it  up  to  them.  So  far  as  our  present 
experience  goes,  there  is  not  much  chance  of  our  shoot- 
ing one  without  a  rope  round  the  leg,  for  the  only  one 
yet  seen  was  by  Coke  400  yards  off,  and  nearer  it  would 
not  allow  him  to  approach. 

Creeping  under  a  bank  to-day  for  some  distance,  I 
managed  to  get  a  long  shot  at  a  hippo  standing  near 
the  river's  edge  ;  but  with  no  apparent  result,  for  it  suc- 
ceeded in  disappearing  under  water,  and  much  to  my 
annoyance  the  report  caused  about  forty  or  fifty  more, 
which  must  have  been  grazing  quietly  within  a  few 
hundred  yards  of  me,  to  rush  headlong  over  the  shingle 
into  the  river. 

Following  them  up  I  gave  one  a  parting  shot 
as  he  took  his  first  breath,  arid  certainly  hit  him  in 
the  head  very  severely ;  but  after  sundry  tremendous 


THE  GUINEA-FOWL  A  SOURCE  OF  ANNOYANCE.  107 


splashings  he  disappeared,  and  time  alone  can  prove 
whether  he  is  killed.  Vivian  was  on  the  track  of  a 
lion  for  several  hours  to-day,  but  never  caught  sight  of 
him  ;  and  Coke  had  similar  ill-luck  with  a  rhinoceros. 
It  is  no  easy  matter  to  track  quietly  in  these  mimosa- 
woods,  though  there  are  many  well-defined  paths  to  the 
river  made  by  animals,  and  generally  adhered  to  by 
them ;  for  the  thorny  branches  that  continuously  block 
your  way  are  now  so  dry  that  they  break  off  with  a 
snap  on  being  moved  ;  whilst  the  long  grass,  equally  dry, 
requires  most  careful  walking  upon.  But  there  are  two 
ways  of  doing  everything,  and  certainly  watching  a 
hunter  wend  his  way  noiselessly  amongst  them,  and 
with  his  koorbatch  gently  push  the  overhanging 
branches  -on  one  side  as  if  they  were  on  hinges,  soon 
makes  one  more  expert  at  it ;  but  there  is  a  difficulty 
that  even  he  cannot  grapple  with — viz.,  the  guinea-fowL 
On  certain  ground  they  literally  abound  in  thousands, 
and  there  is  then  no  escaping  from  them,  for  they  run 
or  fly  at  a  respectful  distance  in  front  of  you,  making 
their  hideous  noise,  and  frightening  away  every  animal  in 
their  neighbourhood. 

Feb.  3. -^-Vivian  brought  home  to-day  the  finest 
koodoo  head  of  our  collection.  The  horns  measure  29^ 
inches  from  base  to  tip,  and  8  inches  round  the  base. 
They  have  three  spiral  twists,  and  their  tips  are  41 
inches  apart.  It  was  killed  too  far  from  the  carnp  to  be 


«o8  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

sent  for  to-day,  so  instead  of  covering  it  up  with  straw 
and  sticks,  as  we  usually  treat  our  dead  animals  to  keep 
off  hungry  birds  or  beasts,  until  the  arrival  of  some  of 
our  Arabs  with  camels,  his  hunter  skinned  it  and  cut 
off  the  head.  Before  they  had  gone  fifty  yards  from 
the  remaining  carcass  it  was  so  completely  covered  with 
huge  vultures  (more  than  a  hundred),  some  of  them 
standing  on  the  backs  of  others,  that  it  seemed  as  if  it 
had  been  suddenly  converted  into  a  living  mass. 

Coke  has  had  a  shot  at  a  rhinoceros  with  his  ten-bore 
at  twenty-five  yards'  distance,  but  it  succeeded,  though 
severely  wounded,  in  making  good  its  escape.  Uncle 
Sam  tracked  it  afterwards  for  more  than  a  mile,  and 
now  and  again  they  found  small  pools  of  blood  where 
the  animal  had  rested  for  a  time ;  but  they  could  not 
get  within  shot  of  it  again,  and  finally  gave  up  the  hunt 
for  the  day,  as  Uncle  Sam  was  very  thirsty  and  wanted 
to  return  to  the  river  for  water.  He  is  quite  confident 
they  will  find  it  to-morrow,  and  probably  dead. 
Upon  myself  fell  the  fortunes  of  the  day,  and  singularly 
enough  so  ;  for  when  I  told  Essafi  last  evening  that  I 
should  remain  at  home  to-day,  he  begged  me  not  to  do 
so,  as  he  was  sure  it  would  be  his  lucky  day. 

After  a  long  ride  to  near  the  foot  of  one  of  the 
numerous  low  ranges  of  hills  that  almost  surround 
us,  we  found  the  fresh  tracks  of  rhinoceros,  and  upon 
arriving  at  a  wood  we  dismounted,  and,  leading  our 


ESS  API  ON  THE  TRACK  OF  RHINOCEROS.     109 


horses,  carefully  followed  them  up  for  some  distance,  when 
Essafi  pulled  up,  gave  me  his  horse  to  hold,  and  went 
off  by  himself.     Stealthily  he  crept  along,  stooping  his 
head  very  low  so  as  to  be  able  to  get  the  best  view 
under  the  low  branches  ;  and  scarcely  had  he  gone  fifty 
yards,  when  he  turned  round  and  rejoined  me,  and  then 
with  an  expression  of  intense  excitement  whispered  in 
my   ear  the  joyful  word    '  kharteet.'      The    next  step 
was  to  tie  up  our  horses,  and  then  to  follow  his  original 
path.     Soon  I  could  distinguish,  lying  under  the  trees 
about  thirty  yards  from  us,  two  mounds  which,  had  it 
not  been  for  Essafi,  I  should  never  have  supposed  were 
my    long-sought     friends.     Essafi's   breathing    became 
here  very  hurried,  and  much  too  noisy  to  be  agreeable, 
and  at  the  same  time  he  began  making  gestures  for  me 
to  fire  ;  but  having  lost  an  elephant,  I  was  determined  to 
profit  by  my  experience,  so  crept  on,  Essafi  remaining  be- 
hind, until  within  fifteen  or  twenty  yards  of  them,  when 
I   could  just  make   out   that  one  was  lying  with  his 
legs  towards  me,  and  the  direction  in   which  his  head 
Avould   be.     Whilst   choosing  the   best   spot  to  aim  at 
something  moved  ;  it  was  only  a  little  wag  of  the  ear, 
but  it  announced  that  the  sleeper  had  awoke,  and  in- 
stantly a  ball  from  my  eight-bore  penetrated  his  thick 
hide  under  the  right  shoulder.     The  only  effect  for  the 
moment   was    to   make    both   animals   spring   to  their 
feet  and  to  start  off,  one  to  the  right,  the  other  to  the 


no  LIFE    WITH  THE  H AMR  AN  ARABS. 

left,  in  the  direction  they  were  lying.  The  wounded 
one,  however,  hardly  went  a  yard  before  he  faced  round 
upon  me,  and  with  head  high  in  air  looked  like  meaning 
mischief;  but  another  ball  entering  the  front  of  his 
chest  cut  short  his  career,  and  he  fell  heavily  to  the 
ground  uttering  a  faint  cry,  and  was  dead  before  Essafi 
reached  him. 

The  eight-bore  therefore,  on  this  occasion,  with 
a  charge  of  seven  drachms  of  powder,  most  certainly 
did  its  duty.  The  addition  also  of  Messrs.  Silver's 
vulcanite  pad  proved  of  decided  value  in  diminishing- 
the  recoil,  a  point  of  no  small  importance  when  firing  in 
a  very  cramped  position,  and  when  the  second  barrel  has 
rapidly  to  follow.  So  far  this  pad  has  not  been  the 
least  affected  by  the  heat,  as  I  was  assured  by  the 
patentees,  and  their  advice  has  been  carefully  attended 
to  not  to  allow  greasy  things  to  touch  it.  Essafi's 
delight  over  the  death  of  the  rhinoceros  was  great,  but 
so  anxious  was  he  to  hurry  me  home  that  I  had  n6 
time  to  examine  my  prize  carefully  or  take  his  measure- 
ments. We  galloped  most  of  the  way  back  so  as  to 
t>e  in  time  for  the  camel-men  to  return  there  with 
Essafi  to-day,  but  before  doing  this  he  could  not  resist 
applying  for  the  stipulated  backsheesh  of  two  dollars. 
We  have  agreed  to  give  the  following  rate  of  backsheesh 
to  our  hunters  for  the  first  we  kill  of  certain  animals — 
viz,,  elephant,  two  dollars  ;  lion,  two  dollars  ;  rhino- 


OUR  PROTECTORS.  in 


ceros,  two  dollars ;  hippopotamus,  one  dollar ;  giraffe, 
one  dollar  ;  ostrich,  one  dollar.  So  this  makes  them 
very  keen  to  show  us  new  species,  for,  if  they  had  their 
own  choice,  the  hippos,  rhinoceros,  and  buffaloes,  where 
there  are  no  elephants,  would  be  most  to  their  taste. 

.We  had  only  just  returned  when  Essafi  ran  up  in 
great  excitement,  followed  by  all  the  camel-men,  to  tell 
me  that  my  hippo  of  yesterday  was  dead.  .  Albert 
then  added  that  some  Arabs  from  the  next  camp  had 
seen  one  come  out  of  the  water  as  if  to  die,  and  as 
they  knew  that  one  of  us  had  been  shooting  near 
there  they  came  to  report  it,  fearing  to  take  possession 
of  it.  Two  men  were  therefore  sent  off  to  search  the 
place,  and  soon  returned  with  the  report  that  it  was 
dead.  The  men  now  begged  that  a  dragoman  and  a 
soldier  should  accompany  them  to  the  scene  of  future 
operations,  to  prevent  there  being  a  fight  between  the 
other  Arabs  and  themselves  over  the  flesh  ;  and  the 
request  having  been  granted,  Albert  and  our  young 
soldier  departed  with  them.  We  have  been  very 
fortunate  in  our  two  representatives  of  Egyptian 
authority.  One  is  a  very  fine-looking  young  soldier, 
a  negro,  named  Abdullah,  of  whom  our  Arab  friends 
have  a  most  wholesome  dread.  Munsinger  Pasha  let 
him  have  a  picked  dromedary,  on  which  he  careers 
over  the  country  in  grand  style,  looking  uncommonly 
proud  of  himself  and  his  fleet  charger.  He  is  dressed  in 


112  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 


a  white  uniform,  which  he  keeps  scrupulously  clean,  and 
wears  a  tarboosh.  His  rifle  is  always  slung  on  the 
back  of  the  camel-saddle  when  he  is  mounted,  and 
round  his  waist  he  wears  a  belt  having  sundry  articles 
fastened  to  it,  besides  a  silver-mounted  revolver  and 
big  knife.  The  other  soldier  is  a  veteran,  who  has 
long  since  seen  his  best  days,  named  Hadji  Basheer. 
He  has  brought  his  own  donkey  with  him,  or  he 
would  have  been  reduced  to  accept  the  position  of 
being  perched  on  top  of,  one  of  our  baggage-camels. 
In  his  way  he  is,  however,  very  useful,  for  there  are 
many  little  things  in  camp  for  which  his  talents  can 
be  turned  to  account,  and  the  clever  way  in  which  he 
bound  up  my  unfortunate  smooth-bore  proved  that  they 
were  of  no  mean  order.  When  the  hippopotamus 
party  arrived,  they  found  a  large  assemblage  of  Arabs 
collected  round  the  body,  all  anxious  to  get  some  of 
the  dainty  food,  though  afraid  to  commence  operations 
without  our  sanction. 

It  was  a  very  fine  cow,  and  the  ball  had  entered  the 
head  through  the  right  eye.  This  ought  to  have  been 
enough  torture  for  the  poor  brute,  but  it  was  not  allowed 
to  die  quietly,  for  it  was  driven  out  of  its  natural  home 
by  a  crocodile  that  had  already  succeeded  in  gnawing  off 
one  foot.  Joy  reigned  supreme  amongst  the  outsiders  on 
hearing  that  all  should  share  equally  with  our  own  men, 
and  they  set  to  work  in  good  earnest  to  assist  in  the 


A   DISTURBANCE  OVER   THE  SPOIL.        113 

flaying  and  cutting  up.  Albert  stood  by  an  observant 
watcher  of  the  exciting  scene,  and,  catching  sight  of  a 
two -inch  hippo,  he  laid  claim  to  it,  and  afterwards 
brought  it  home  in  great  triumph  as  an  addition  to  our 
museum  curiosities.  It  is  now  safely  deposited  in  a 
bottle  of  spirits,  one  of  a  set  we  had  fitted  carefully  into 
a  box  for  such  purpose  before  leaving  England. 

One  would  almost  imagine  that  there  was  not  another 
rhinoceros  in  the  country,  so  great  has  been  the  row 
this  evening  in  camp  about  the  division  of  the  hide — 
all  wanting  one  of  the  eight  pieces  into  which  it  had 
been  divided  for  shields,  the  young  soldier  not  being 
behindhand  in  putting  in  his  claim — and  it  became 
necessary  to  administer  a  little  law  on  this  matter.  We 
have  settled  that,  after  we  have  taken  what  we  may 
require  for  specimens  or  for  occasional  presents  to  our 
own  staff  and  to  the  two  soldiers,  each  of  our  hunters  will 
have  in  turn  their  choice  of  the  remainder,  according  to 
which  of  us  has  killed  the  animal ;  and  that  our  camel-men 
are  to  consider  they  have  no  claim  whatever  to  the 
hides,  for  they  have  every  reason  to  be  well  content  with 
the  enormous  quantities  of  meat  they  are  daily  pre- 
serving for  their  families  in  the  way  already  mentioned. 
Though  we  have  ordered  this  drying  process  to  be 
carried  on  well  away  from  the  camp,  we  have  often  much 
•cause  to  object  to  it,  for  frequently  a  faint  odour  pervades 
the  camp,  especially  the  first  part  of  the  night,  when  the 

I 


114  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

temperature  is  80°  or  higher,  and  there  is  scarcely 
a  breath  of  wind.  The  sun  rapidly  dries  the  long  strips 
into  chips,  and  when  a  large  quantity  of  them  is  accu- 
mulated, they  are  packed  in  bundles  and  sent  on  camels 
to  the  villages  ;  so,  long  after  we  have  left  the  country, 
the  natives  will  have  good  reason  to  remember  us,  if 
the  rate  of  exportation  continues  as  at  present.  There 
is  no  doubt  it  adds  immensely  to  the  pleasure  of  our 
sport  to  know  that  not  a  scrap  of  the  animals  we  shoot 
is  unnecessarily  wasted,  and  indeed  that  all ,  is  turned  to 
valuable  account. 

Judging  by  the  minimum  thermometer  register,  it 
might  be  supposed  that  our  nights  are  very  cool ;  but 
they  are  much  the  reverse  until  towards  daybreak,  when 
the  temperature  falls  to  the  low  point  daily  recorded, 
and  it  then  remains  pleasantly  cool  until  the  sun  has 
well  risen. 

Eighty  degrees  Fahrenheit,  rendered  doubly  oppres- 
sive by  the  perfect  stillness  of  the  air,  on  going  to  bed, 
and  being  disturbed  in  one's  slumbers  by  a  reduction 
of  temperature  to  50°  Fahr.,  mean,  in  other  words,  lying 
down  in  a  Turkish  bath  and  waking  up  in  an  ice-house, 
and  make  it  a  point  of  no  small  difficulty  how  to  calculate 
best  for  the  night's  repose.  The  recent  nocturnal  ramble 
of  the  lion  has  also  complicated  matters,  for  now  such 
huge  fires  are  blazing  close  to  us  that  an  ox  might  be 
roasted  before  them,  and  indeed  our  horses  appear  to 


SUPERSTITIO'S  ABOUT  RHINOCEROS  HORN.     115. 

stand  some  chance  of  being  so.  Gumming  has  unfor- 
tunately sprained  his  shoulder  by  the  great  recoil  of  his 
twelve-bore  rifle,  when  firing  a  hardened  ball,  and  it  is  so 
swollen  that  he  will  probably  be  crippled  for  some  days. 

Feb.  4. — This  has  been  a  very  busy  day  for  the  Arabs, 
owing  to  the  quantity  of  meat  brought  into  the  camp 
yesterday.  A  few  have  devoted  their  time  to  cutting  up 
the  hide  of  the  hippo  into  long  strips,  to  be  ultimately 
converted  into  whips  (koorbatches),  whilst  others  have 
prepared  the  segments  of  the  rhinoceros'  hide  previous 
to  being  sent  to  the  village  for  conversion  into  the  much 
coveted  shields,  or  have  cut  up  the  remnant  into  sandals. 

Excepting  the  pleasure  of  killing  such  big  game,  the 
Arabs  have  in  fact  all  the  advantage,  for  there  is  nothing 
of  these  animals  worth  bringing  home  as  trophies  beyond 
a  specimen  shield,  the  teeth  of  the  hippo,  and  the  horns 
of  the  rhinoceros.  Ugly  as  these  last-named  are,  there 
will  be  some  satisfaction  in  keeping  them,  as  they  have 
at  least  an  imaginary  value  in  this  country,  and  might 
consequently  prove  very  useful  in  the  future  as  presents. 
In  Cairo  they  realise  from  six  to  ten  pounds  each,  ac- 
cording to  their  size. 

Their  value  is  due  to  an  Arab  superstition  of  their 
complete  power  to  nullify  the  injurious  effects  of  any 
poison  drunk  out  of  them  when  converted  into  cups ;  so 
when  an  Arab  is  the  fortunate  possessor  of  one,  he  has 
no  fear  of  drinking  anything  a  stranger  may  give  him. 

I   2 


Ii6  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

Its  supposed  miraculous  powers  do  not,  however,  end 
here,  for  if  a  man  has  been  poisoned,  a  draught  of  water 
from  one  of  these  cups,  with  a  little  of  the  horn  scraped 
into  it,  is  considered  almost  equally  efficacious.  The 
rhinoceros  of  this  part  of  Africa  is  a  nearly  black  smooth - 
skinned  animal,  double  horned,  though  bearing  no  com- 
parison in  this  respect  to  one  of  its  prototypes  in  Southern 
Africa  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  much  larger 
animal,  and,  according  to  report,  infinitely  more  savage. 
Gumming  and  myself  remained  in  camp,  purporting  to 
have  a  quiet  day  ;  but  the  Fates  willed  it  otherwise,  for 
whilst  at  our  unusually  late  breakfast  there  was  a  sud- 
den call  to  arms,  every  Arab  rushing  off  frantically  for 
his  sword  or  spear,  whilst  Emanuel,  Albert,  and  Bob 
shouted  to  us  to  bring  our  rifles.  For  a  moment  we  thought 
that  we  were  attacked  by  the  Base*,  but  the  cry  from 
Albert  of  '  a  lion  !  a  lion  ! '  as  we  ran  up  to  the  place  where 
they  were  assembling  settled  that  point.  Here  we  found 
everyone  laughing  excepting  one  unfortunate  Arab,  who 
with  far  more  expression  of  stolid  indifference  than 
of  pain  depicted  in  his  face,  held  up  to  our  view  a  horribly 
mangled  hand  ;  and  then  we  were  told  that  he  thought 
he  would  like  to  see  how  our  large  spring  trap  worked, 
which  we  keep  set  at  night,  by  touching  it  with  a  stick, 
and  he  certainly  did  have  a  practical  lesson  that  he  is 
not  likely  to  forget  soon.  His  yells  were  the  cause  of 
the  sudden  alarm  amongst  his  friends,  who  thought  he 


RESULT   OF  PLAYING   WITH  EDGE-TOOLS.     117 

had  been  seized  by  a  lion  ;  and  though  we  should  have 
considered  the  jaws  of  either  highly  objectionable,  they 
seemed  to  think  very  little  of  the  mechanical  ones,  and 
after  witnessing  the  performance  of  plastering  and  ban- 
daging, they  quietly  resumed  their  occupations.  The 
trap  caught  his  hand  right  across  the  centre,  and  though 
the  flesh  on  both  sides  is  much  lacerated,  there  is  no 
evidence  of  any  bones  being  crushed,  which  is  aston- 
ishing, for  from  the  great  strength  of  this  trap,  requiring 
two  men  to  set  it,  one  would  have  expected  that  the 
hand  would  have  been  completely  severed  by  it. 

Nothing  important  killed  to-day.  Coke  tracked  his 
wounded  rhinoceros  for  several  miles,  and  at  last  caught 
sight  of  him  amongst  some  thick  bushes.  For  a  moment 
it  turned  as  if  to  charge,  but  again  went  on  its  way  un- 
checked by  another  ball  from  the  ten-bore,  which  Coke 
does  not  think  penetrated  his  thick  hide.  Vivian  saw  a 
lion,  but  could  not  get  a  shot  at  it. 

Feb.  5. — An  unlucky  day  for  Vivian  and  Coke,  for 
both  were  on  separate  rhinoceros  tracks  converging  to  the 
same  wood,  and,  by  singular  ill-luck,  as  Coke  had  a  close 
shot  at  his  animal  Vivian  was  drawing  so  near  to  his 
own  that  the  report  made  it  start  off  and  only  gave  him 
a  hurried  shot,  and  neither  were  successful.  Shooting 
in  these  closely- packed  mimosa-woods,  though  the 
branches  are  dry  and  leafless,  is  very  unsatisfactory,  as 
the  probabilities  are  great  that  a  ball  will  be  stopped  or 


118  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 


turned,  however  short  the  distance  may  be  from  an 
animal,  and  our  chances  of  bagging  these  rhinoceros  do 
not  therefore  seem  great,  unless  we  can  catch  them  taking 
their  morning  nap.  After  a  long  morning's  tracking,  Essafi 
unexpectedly  came  upon  some  giraffes  feeding  about 
two  hundred  yards  from  us  ;  but  the  moment's  delay  in 
exchanging  my  smooth-bore  for  the  express  he  carried 
was  quite  long  enough  to  enable  them  to  be  out  of  sight 
and  far  away,  and  to  leave  me  to  make  the  best  of  the 
reflection  that  I  had  at  last  seen  giraffes  in  their  own 
home,  minus  the  pleasure  of  leaving  a  card  upon  them. 
The  Arab's  mutilated  hand  is  much  swollen,  and  the 
poor  fellow  was  in  great  suffering  all  night ;  but  I  am 
glad  to  find  that  this  is  not  due  to  any  application  of 
gunpowder  to  the  wound,  as  I  quite  expected — another 
man  having  recently  treated  a  wound  of  the  leg  in  this 
fashion,  and,  it  need  scarcely  be  added,  without  materi- 
ally aiding  the  healing  process.  The  finest  goteer  head 
of  our  present  collection  was  added  by  me  this  after- 
noon, measuring  thirty-six  and  a  half  inches  from  base 
to  tip  of  horn. 

We  are  now  in  the  full  swing  of  experience  of  the 
industrious  habits  of  the  white  ant,  and  a  very  disagree- 
able experience  it  is,  for  the  earth  is  literally  alive  with 
them.  Excepting  metal,  whatever  rests  on  the  ground 
for  a  few  hours  is  certain  to  have  an  army  of  them 
doing  their  best  to  devour  it,  and  they  evidently  hold  to 


VORACIOUS  COMPANIONS. 


1*9 


the  opinion  that  there  is  nothing  like  leather.  Fortu- 
nately most  of  our  boxes  are  made  of  tin,  and  are  there- 
fore, so  far  as  the  ants  are  concerned,  indestructible ;  but 
they  have  had  a  severe  trial  of  strength  in  the  frequent 
loading  and  unloading  of  the  camels,  and  sundry  bulgings 
and  indentations  tell  their  own  tale  of  gradual  destruc- 
tion. We  had  very  strong  tin  boxes  made  for  us  in 
England,  nearly  square  in  shape,  with  convex  lids  ;  but 
at  Cairo  we  had  others  made — low,  oblong,  and  with  flat 
tops — by  Russell's  advice,  as  he  thought  ours  would  be 
very  awkward  loads  for  the  camels. 

Would  that  ants  were  our  only  plagues,  for  if  they 
did  eat  up  all  our  clothes  we  could  go  about  as  natives 
without  much  discomfort,  and  certainly  with  some  ad- 
vantage, so  long  as  we  remained  in  the  country  ;  but 
there  is  a  far  worse  enemy  in  our  present  locality,  a 
subtle  one  that  strikes  you  in  the  dark,  and,  confident  in 
his  powers  of  baffling  your  efforts  to  arrest  him,  how- 
ever strenuous  they  may  be,  adds  insult  to  injury  by 
trumpeting  his  approach.  This  monster  of  the  night, 
after  all,  is  only  a  mosquito  ;  but  he  is  a  very  fine  species, 
and  does  his  work  so  well  that  he  must  be  felt  to  be  fully 
appreciated.  Fortunately  his  visits  are  limited  to  a  por- 
tion only  of  the  twenty-four  hours,  but  the  gap  is  not 
altogether  badly  filled  up  by  one  that  should  rather  be 
termed  an  old  friend  than  an  enemy,  so  natural  is  it  to 
see  him.  Go  where  one  may,  so  long  as  the  sun  shines 


120  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 

—  in  the  desert  or  out  of  the  desert,  in  England  or  in 
Africa — he  is  the  same  in  size  and  appearance  and  in 
his  playful  habit  of  annoyance,  when,  tired,  one  seeks 
some  cool  shade  to  be  at  peace  for  a  little  time,  were  it. 
not  for  a  fly. 


ABDULLAH  RETURNS  TO  HIS  MASTER.       121 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Feb.  6. — Having  decided  upon  sending  to  Kassala  to- 
morrow for  any  letters  that  may  have  arrived  there,  as 
well  as  for  a  few  useful  supplies,  such  as  lemons,  eggs, 
and  honey,  shooting  has  had  to  give  place  to  corre- 
spondence, as  it  will  probably  be  our  last  chance  of  com- 
municating with  friends  at  home,  and  proving  to  them 
how  groundless  so  far  have  been  the  predictions  poured 
into  our  ears  before  starting  of  the  risk  we  were  about 
to  encounter  to  life  or  health  through  native  tribes, 
animals,  or  disease.  It  is  also  a  chance  not  to  be  lost  to- 
send  back  Mr.  Cohen's  faithful  servant  (slave  ?)  to  his 
master,  for  a  more  idle,  useless  being  than  he  has  proved 
could  not  be  imagined,  dividing  his  time  solely  between 
eating  and  sleeping.  Mr.  Pickwick's  fat  boy  would  have 
been  a  treasure  compared  with  him,  for  between  these 
two  laborious  exercises  he  was  known  occasionally  to 
smile  and  to  be  a  little  'wide  awake,'  whereas  Abdullah 
always  looks  sulky  when  by  chance  he  is  awake.  He 
proved  himself,  however,  quite  equal  to  looking  after  his 
own  interest,  when  paid  his  month's  wages  of  four  dollars, 


122  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

by  asking  for  baksheesh,  but  was  instantly  hustled  off  by 
Emanuel.  He  may  think  himself  fortunate  that  his 
friends  are  not  cannibals,  for  he  is  now  in  prime  condi- 
tion for  killing.  Emanuel  thoroughly  understands  how 
to  deal  with  our  Arab  party,  and  is  just  firm  enough 
with  them  without  using  the  koorbatch  to  make  them 
really  fear  him  and  obey  his  orders,  though  they  know 
they  have  in  us  a  court  of  appeal.  They  muster  strongly, 
for  besides  there  being  one  man  to  each  camel  there  are 
one  or  two  volunteers,  only  too  pleased  to  be  allowed 
to  join  the  circle  and  pick  up  what  they  can  of  the  good 
things  going. 

I  shot  a  very  fine  bull  buffalo  in  the  morning,  after  a 
most  exciting  chase  on  horseback.  The  first  ball  struck 
him  in  the  shoulder  and  brought  him  to  bay  under  a  big 
mimosa,  where  he  was  finally  despatched  after  a  hard 
struggle  for  life.  Though  it  was  the  finest  head  yet 
brought  into  camp,  Vivian  shot  another  in  the  after- 
noon which  again  surpassed  it.  They  certainly  are  noble- 
looking  animals  with  smooth  black  skins  and  well-deve- 
loped hind-quarters,  and  the  hide,  especially  about  the 
neck,  is  of  immense  thickness.  Their  horns  meet  across 
the  forehead,  and  are  so  wide  at  base  that  they  almost 
entirely  cover  it ;  and  then,  after  projecting  directly  out- 
wards, rapidly  diminish  in  size  as  they  curve  inwards 
again,  and  come  to  a  point.  Filet  de  buffle  is  one  of 
our  favourite  dishes  for  dinner,  but  Mohamed  turns 


BRINGING  HOME  A    LIVELY  COMPANION.      123 

him  to  account  in  many  other  excellent  ways,  the  tongue 
being  a  special  breakfast  luxury  ;  and  even  a  marrow- 
bone is  not  forgotten.  A  chase  after  a  buffalo  bull-calf 
to-day  afforded  some  of  our  men  besides  myself  great 
sport,  and  he  was  ultimately  caught  and  brought  back 
after  a  fashion  in  triumph  to  camp,  though  not  before  he 
had  had  a  little  fun  on  his  own  account.  After  a  rope 
had  been  fastened  round  his  neck  he  positively  refused 
to  be  led  or  pushed  from  behind,  so  the  dragging  process 
had  to  be  adopted,  and  for  a  few  moments  successfully ; 
but  suddenly  changing  his  tactics  he  made  a  charge,  and, 
catching  one  of  the  Arabs  exactly  in  the  right  place, 
sent  him  flying.  This  proceeding  brought  them  to  a 
mutual  understanding  ;  so  as  long  as  the  rope  remained 
taut  the  men  pulled,  but  the  instant  it  slackened  they 
.ran  for  their  lives  with  the  calf  close  on  their  heels  ;  and 
so  they  progressed  merrily  on  their  way  together  until, 
the  journey  over,  a  frightful  gash  across  the  throat  put 
an  end  at  once  to  his  part  of  the  sport.  We  are  now 
only  waiting  for  the  new  moon  to  devote  part  of  the 
night  to  watching  for  lions.  That  they  abound  here  we 
have  ample  evidence,  for  not  only  can  we  hear  them 
roaring  at  night  round  our  camp,  but  we  also  see  almost 
daily  remnants  of  the  large  antelope  and  buffaloes  which 
have  been  killed  by  them  ;  and  if  any  animals  we  shoot 
<are  so  far  from  camp  that  they  cannot  be  sent  for  the 
same  day,  there  are  always  very  distinct  evidences  on 


124  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

the  following  one  of  the  visit  of  a  lion  in  the  interval. 
Last  night  we  heard  one  roaming  about  close  to  the 
camp  ;  and,  as  a  pleasing  variety  in  nocturnal  visitors,  we 
saw  by  the  light  of  the  fire  a  large  snake  glide  under  a 
bushy  tree  about  two  yards  from  one  of  our  tents,  and 
after  putting  his  head  out  for  a  moment  to  have  a  good 
look  at  us,  he  retired  for  the  night,  and  we  left  him  in 
undisturbed  possession  of  his  establishment. 

Feb.  7. — Hamet  being  laid  up  with  a  sore  foot,  I 
let  Gumming  try  his  luck  with  Essafi,  and  with  a  most 
satisfactory  result,  for  through  his  guidance  he  had  a  shot 
at  a  rhinoceros,  a  buffalo,  and  a  maariff,  and  killed  the 
two  last  named  ;  and  he  also  saw  other  species  of  ante- 
lope within  shot,  but  was  forbidden  to  take  notice  of  them. 
Vivian,  though  not  killing  anything,  very  nearly  succeeded 
in  dislocating  Mohamed's  shoulder  by  hauling  him  vio- 
lently up  a  bank.  Probably  he  partly  did  so,  for  the  arm 
became  useless  until  a  little  additional  hauling  after- 
wards made  something  *  go  in  with  a  snap.'  Coke  finds 
tracking  rhinoceros  not  very  interesting,  so  for  the  pre- 
sent he  intends  confining  his  attention  to  the  antelope,  as 
he  is  anxious  to  get  a  good  collection  of  their  heads,  and 
to-day  he  bagged  some  fine  ariel. 

The  young  soldier  started  for  Kassala  this  morning, 
and  calculates  that  he  will  be  able  to  return  here  on  the 
ninth  day.  It  will  be  an  important  event  for  us,  owing  to 


THE  SMOOTH-BORE  DOES  ITS  DUTY.          125 


the  expected  accumulation  of  the  letters  and  newspapers 
of  two  mails. 

Feb.  8. — Vivian  has  had  quite  an  exciting  day,  for, 
starting  out  before  sunrise  in  search  of  rhinoceros,  he  soon 
found  the  track  of  one,  and  almost  immediately  came 
within  sight  of  him.  He  was  then  facing  him,  and  not 
more  than  twenty-five  yards  off,  and  by  holding  up  his 
head,  and  thus  leaving  his  chest  exposed,  gave  Vivian  a 
good  shot  with  his  ten-bore.  He  then  turned  sharply 
round  and  went  off  at  full  speed,  though  severely 
wounded,  for  he  was  tracked  partly  by  his  blood  for  four 
or  five  hours,  but  he  succeeded  in  escaping  from  his 
pursuers,  much  to  their  mutual  disgust.  However,  for- 
tune was  to  favour  them,  for  returning  home  another 
fresh  rhinoceros  track  was  found,  and  soon  afterwards, 
when  still  on  horseback,  they  saw  one  feeding  in  open 
ground  about  thirty  yards  off.  Vivian  instantly  dis- 
mounted, and,  after  approaching  afew  yards  nearer,  dis- 
charged the  two  barrels  of  his  big  gun  at  the  right  side. 
There  was  no  running  away  this  time,  for  after  giving  one 
loud  whiff  he  charged  straight  down  upon  them.  Fortu- 
nately a  bushy  tree  was  at  hand,  behind  which  Vivian 
sprang,  and  the  rhinoceros  passed  on,  but  only  to  go 
about  two  hundred  yards,  for  then,  after  faltering  for  a 
moment,  he  fell  heavily  to  the  ground  and  was  dead 
before  they  reached  him.  He  measured  over  six  feet 
at  the  shoulder,  and  the  first  horn  sixteen  inches.  The 


126  LIFE    WITH  THE  H AMR  AN  ARABS. 

two  bullets  entered  directly  behind  the  right  shoulder, 
and  within  four  inches  of  one  another.  Vivian  also  saw 
two  leopards,  but  could  not  get  a  shot  at  them. 

Cumming  has  found  unpleasant  enemies  in  some 
bees  that  regularly  set  upon  him  and  stung  him  about 
the  eyes,  but  beyond  temporary  pain  they  have  done  no 
harm.  He  is  very  pleased  with  the  proof  he  has  had 
to-day  of  the  killing  powers  of  his  twelve-bore  rifle  by 
Grant,  charged  with  five  drachms  of  powder  and  steel- 
tipped  bullets ;  for  of  two  buffaloes  he  killed  one  fell 
dead  from  a  shot  in  the  neck,  and  the  other  from  two  in 
the  front  of  the  chest.  Hamet  played  him  a  practical 
joke  by  telling  him  that  one  was  a  rhinoceros,  and  he 
only  found  out  the  mistake  after  carefully  stalking  it  for 
some  time.  Now  that  we  have  all  shot  buffaloes  and 
know  that  they  can  always  be  found  when  wanted,  they 
cease  to  give  us  any  special  interest,  and  we  would  rather 
avoid  them  in  consequence  of  their  interfering  with 
other  sport ;  but  this  cannot  always  be  done,  for  our 
men  will  always  try  to  show  us  some,  as  they  set  such  a 
value  on  their  flesh  and  hides. 

Coke  has  also  had  a  practical  joke  played  upon  -him, 
but  of  a  very  different  kind.  Having  apparently  struck 
down  dead  with  his  express  rifle  a  very  fine  tetel,  he 
was  so  pleased  with  it  that  he  stood  over  it  for  some 
minutes  taking  measurements  and  examining  the  wound, 
whilst  Said  was  busily  employed  sharpening  his  knife  on 


UNCLE  SAM'S  INVITATION  IS  REFUSED.      127 

a  stone  previous  to  commencing  his  work  of  skinning, 
&c.  The  tetel,  however,  suddenly  awaking  to  the  fact 
of  the  unpleasant  society  he  had  fallen  into,  jumped  up 
and  went  off  on  three  legs  at  a  highly  creditable  pace. 
Mounted  on  their  horses,  they  soon  came  within  sight  of 
him  again,  and  after  a  short  chase  he  had  to  succumb  to 
his  fate. 

Whether  Said  has  an  idea  that  chased  tetel  is  like 
coursed  hare  is  not  known,  or  whether  the  run  gave  a 
special  stimulus  to  his  appetite,  but  at  any  rate  he  de- 
cided upon  dining  ;  so  the  skinning  process  having  been 
completed,  he  opened  the  body  and  carefully  removed  the' 
liver.  This  he  cut  up  into  small  pieces,  which  looked  so 
good  that  Coke  almost  felt  inclined  to  taste  it ;  but  the 
dish  was  not  yet  prepared,  for  it  was  minus  sauce,  and  on 
this  point  at  least  their  tastes  so  decidedly  differed  that 
poor  Said  had  to  dine  alone — a  simple  repast  of  pieces 
of  raw  liver  with  the  gall  squeezed  over  them,  besides  other 
additions  which  need  not  be  mentioned.  Our  hunters 
afford  us  much  amusement,  and  each  has  his  own  little- 
peculiarities,  but  superstition  reigns  supreme  with  them 
all,  excepting  perhaps  Essafi — unless  he  keeps  them  more 
to  himself.  The  others  have  great  faith  as  a  source  of 
luck  in  picking  up  a  bit  of  the  droppings  of  any  animal 
they  may  be  in  search  of,  and  after  mixing  it  with  an 
equal  portion  of  tobacco  and  charcoal,  they  fold  up  the 
mass  carefully  in  a  corner  of  their  garment,  not,  however, 


J2S  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

without  first  offering  a  little  of  it  to  their  masters. 
Still,  though  our  natural  habits  widely  differ  from  those 
of  our  men,  we  are  on  excellent  terms  with  them,  es- 
pecially at  our  luncheon.  This  also  is  a  frugal  repast, 
•consisting  of  biscuits  that  we  sometimes  soften  by  soak- 
ing them  in  the  river  until  they  swell  up  to  twice  their 
normal  size,  a  slice  of  Dutch  cheese,  and  some  figs  and 
dates,  and  as  an  occasional  treat  a  tin  of  preserved 
meat  or  a  box  of  sardines  ;  but,  whatever  it  may  be, 
master  and  man  share  alike  whilst  sitting  under  the 
shade  of  a  tree  or  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  Filters  are 
quite  things  of  the  past,  for  no  water  could  look  more 
pure  and  clear  than  the  Settite  in  its  present  state  where 
it  flows  over  the  shallows,  and  without  doubt  it  is  quite 
pure  enough  for  all  practical  purposes,  as  it  filters  in  its 
rapid  course  over  the  shingle.  Our  Arab  neighbours 
sold  us  six  fresh  ostrich  eggs  yesterday  at  three  piastres, 
or  about  sixpence  each,  their  freshness  having  been  first 
proved  by  knocking  a  hole  into  them  and  inspecting  the 
contents.  They  have  made  a  most  pleasant  variety  to 
our  daily  fare,  cooked  in  various  ways.  As  an  omelette 
they  are  excellent,  but  poached  they  can  only  be  com- 
pared with  plovers'  eggs,  with  the  great  advantage  of 
combining  quantity  with  quality.  These  Arabs  do  not, 
as  we  supposed,  confine  themselves  to  ostrich-hunting,  for 
they  have  caught  a  rhinoceros.  The  trap  is  a  very 
simple  arrangement,  and  is  made  thus :  the  trunk  or 


•HOW  TO   CATCH  A   RHINOCEROS.  129 


branch  of  a  tree  measuring  about  six  feet,  and  being 
about  the  thickness  of  a  man's  thigh,  has  a  deep  notch 
cut  round  it  near  one  end,  and  a  very  stout  rope  made 
into  a  noose  is  fastened  to  this  :  the  noose  is  fitted  round 
a  slight  wooden  hoop  having  thin  wooden  spikes  pass- 
ing from  circumference  to  centre.  The  stump  is  then 
buried  in  the  ground,  and  the  hoop  placed  over  a  small 
hole  dug  in  the  line  of  some  well-known  track,  and  the 
surface  is  most  carefully  sprinkled  over  with  earth.  A 
rhinoceros  or  buffalo  stepping  into  this  hole  is  caught 
by  the  slip-knot,  and  if  he  is  strong  enough  to  drag  out 
the  stump  it  remains  fixed  to  his  leg,  and  he  is  thus 
easily  tracked  and  ultimately  killed  with  swords  and 
spears,  when  worn  out  with  his  attempts  to  penetrate 
the  woods  with  this  obstacle  to  progression  fastened  to 
a  leg,  he  is  compelled  to  face  his  pursuers  and  suffer  a 
slow  and  ignominious  death. 

Feb.  9. — Moved  our  camp  two  hundred  yards  further 
along  the  bank  as  a  sanitary  measure,  for  in  consequence 
of  the  great  amount  of  skin  and  meat  drying  our  late 
ground  has  become  a  little  odoriferous.  The  present  en- 
campment is  a  decided  improvement  in  some  respects, 
for  it  is  divided  into  three  parts  well  separated  by  trees. 
No.  I  is  allotted  to  the  Arabs  and  their  camels,  and  it 
has  been  completely  fenced  in  by  cut  brushwood,  the 
gate  consisting  of  a  thick  bush  which  is  drawn  on  one 

K 


130  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

side  for  entrance  or  exit.  No.  2  has  been  given  over 
to  our  immediate  staff,  and  as  it  has  a  shady  tree  under 
which  Mohamed  can  cook  and  drink  coffee  at  his  ease, 
he  is  perfectly  happy.  No.  3  has  no  special  attraction 
for  ourselves  beyond  the  important  fact  that  it  is  situated 
to  the  north  of  the  others,  for  the  wind  generally  blows* 
when  there  is  any,  from  this  quarter,  and  we  thus  escape 
from  being  made  unpleasantly  aware  of  the  near  society 
of  our  dark-skinned  friends. 

We  cannot  complain  of  not  finding  game,  for  Gum- 
ming saw  three  young  lions  to-day,  and  Coke  a  very  fine 
old  fellow  ;  but  as  they  could  only  get  snap-shots  from 
a  distance,  they  were  not  successful  in  bagging  one.  I 
came  suddenly  upon  a  rhinoceros  within  five  yards  of  me, 
but  the  bushes  were  so  dense  that  I  could  not  see  the 
creature,  and  only  knew  it  was  there  by  its  moving. 
For  Essafi's  special  benefit,  I  let  off  the  two  barrels  of 
my  eight-bore,  though  it  was  practically  impossible  for 
any  bullet  to  penetrate  the  thick  mass  of  branches  and 
then  this  creature's  hide  with  any  effect ;  and  so,  as  I 
expected,  it  went  off,  giving  three  tremendous  whiffs, 
and  though  we  followed  the  track  for  two  hours  we  could 
not  find  it  again.  '  Jali  *  paid  us  another  visit  to-day  on  his 
return  from  elephant-hunting,  after  a  much  shorter  expe- 
dition than  he  had  anticipated.  He  reports  having  killed 
six  elephants,  five  by  his  own  hand,  and  caught  a  young 
rhinoceros,  which  they  are  bringing  back  to  the  Hamran 


EXTRAORDINARY  FLIGHT  OF  SMALL  BIRDS.    131 

village,  from  whence  probably  it  will  soon  depart  upon 
its  first  and  last  visit  to  Europe. 

Feb.  10. — The  lions  last  night  were  specially  enter- 
taining, for  three  were  heard  roaring  in  different  direc- 
tions about  the  same  time,  and  very  near  the  camp.  In 
the  morning  an  Arab  from  the  other  camp  came  in  great 
haste  to  tell  us  that  he  could  hear  a  buffalo  making  a. 
great  noise  as  if  caught  by  a  lion,  and  that  his  people 
wanted  us  to  help  them  to  find  it,  Vivian  being  'at  home/ 
joined  the  party,  and,  advancing  in  line,  they  searched 
the  country  for  some  time,  but  found  nothing.  Her 
however,  made  them  very  happy  by  previously  dropping 
a  buffalo  dead  by  a  ball  in  the  neck  from  his  ten-bore. 
Coke  has  hit  a  hippo  in  the  head,  and  believes  that  it  is 
dead,  but  he  could  not  remain  long  enough  near  the 
pool  to  see  if  it  floated. 

Myriads  of  small  birds  have  passed  eastwards  over 
our  camp  both  this  morning  and  evening.  Their  flight 
is  very  rapid,  and  they  are  packed  so  closely  that  they 
appear  like  a  cloud  of  dust,  and  in  their  swoops  over  the 
river  they  make  a  noise  like  a  rushing  wind.  Hawks 
follow  in  their  wake,  and  catch  in  the  air  or  on  the  water 
any  unfortunate  stragglers.  Every  evening  soon  after 
sunset  we  have  other  winged  visitors  which  fly  at  a  tanta- 
lising height  over  the  camp.  In  their  flight  and  call 
they  resemble  geese,  but  the  only  specimen  Ragged  by 
the  occasional  volley  fired"  into  them  proved  that  they 

K  2 


132  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 

are  more  nearly  allied  to  the  heron.  Certainly  this  is  a 
marvellous  country  for  birds,  and  in  a  measure  gives  a 
direct  contradiction  to  the  doctrine  that  numbers  bring 
disease.  Guinea-fowl  are  apparently  in  millions  here,  and 
in  some  places  the  ground  is  completely  covered  with 
them.  The  doves  are  only  second  to  them  in  number, 
for  they  swarm  by  the  river-side.  The  tamest  birds  are 
the  Marabou  storks,  and  there  are  generally  about  a 
dozen  taking  a  walk  leisurely  up  and  down  the  river  in 
front  of  us,  waiting  for  anything  that  chance  may  bring 
them  from  our  daily-replenished  larder. 

Feb.  II. — Coke's  hippo  has  not  floated,  but  there  are 
great  rejoicings  in  camp  owing  to  the  certainty  that 
Cumming  has  killed  one,  if  not  two,  to  add  to  one  I  shot 
this  morning,  and  which,  to  my  surprise,  floated  in  about 
an  hour.  An  expanding  bullet  from  my  Rigby  ex- 
press entered  the  head  two  inches  below  the  eye,  and 
killed  it  almost  instantaneously  ;  for  after  a  few  seconds' 
tremendous  splashing  it  turned  over,  and  the  legs  ap- 
peared above  the  surface  before  it  sank.  Being  close  to 
camp,  we  were  soon  able  to  return  to  the  place  with  all 
our  Arab  men  besides  our  neighbours,  who  appear  now  to 
think  they  have  some  claim  to  a  share  of  the  spoils. 
The  hippo  was  floating  in  the  centre  of  a  large  pool,  but 
no  hesitation  was  shown  to  swim  out  to  it,  as  with  shouts 
and  yells,  and  cries  of  '  timsah '  (crocodile),  they  rushed 
wildly  into  the  river.  Having  managed  somehow  to 


STUDY  OF  THE  HABITS  OF  THE  NATIVES.    133 

fasten  a  rope  round  a  leg,  the  hippo  was  gradually 
hauled  by  the  swimmers  to  shallow  water,  and  then  by 
sundry  rolls  they  succeeded  in  getting  it  into  two  feet 
of  water,  when  the  cutting-up  process  was  commenced  in 
a  thoroughly  business-like  way.  An  Arab,  chosen  by 
the  assembly  as  being  specially  learned  in  the  art,  first 
marked  out  most  carefully  the  various  lines  of  incision 
by  which  the  hide  was  to  be  divided  into  segments,  whilst 
the  others  gave  an  extra  edge  to  their  curiously-shaped 
curved  knives  with  the  aid  of  a  smooth  pebble.  With 
so  many  willing  hands,  the  hide  was  very  soon  com- 
pletely detached  and  placed  in  the  shallow  water  to 
soak  well.  Then  all  the  superficial  layer  of  fat  was  most 
carefully  removed  and  placed  by  itself.  This  was  fol- 
lowed by  an  investigation  of  the  interior,  and  after  all 
the  fat  had  been  again  carefully  collected,  every  man 
appeared  to  think  that  he  could  act  entirely  upon  his  own 
account,  and  the  cutting  and  slashing  at  the  flesh  became 
universal  ;  and  so  complete  was  the  operation  that  the 
storks,  vultures,  and  other  birds  of  prey  which  had  col- 
lected in  hundreds  around  us  must  have  been  grievously 
disappointed  after  our  departure  on  finding  how  badly 
they  were  repaid  by  their  patient  waiting.  It  was  during 
this  performance  that  Essafi,  whom  we  all  looked  upon 
as  quite  a  superior  being  to  the  others,  sank  one  degree 
in  my  estimation ;  for  the  man  who  day  by  day  had  sat 
by  my  side  to  share  my  luncheon  and  drink  from  the  • 


134  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

same  water-bottle,  I  beheld  for  the  first  time  feast  with 
the  rest  upon  the  raw  entrails,  whilst  with  hands  covered 
with  blood  he  did  his  share  of  the  work.  Busy  as  he 
was  I  was  not  forgotten,  for  one  man  was  told  off  to 
make  a  fire  and  cook  slices  of  the  liver  and  flesh,  and 
when  they  were  done  Essafi  brought  them  to  me,  and, 
squatting  by  my  side,  cut  off  small  bits  in  turn  for  us  both. 
How  could  one  refuse  so  delicate  an  attention  !  The  lion's 
share,  however,  fell  to  him,  for  I  found  that  hippo-flesh 
'  toasted '  before  it  had  even  cooled  down  after  death 
was,  though  very  excellent  in  flavour,  a  trifle  too  tough, 
and  that  a  little  went  a  long  way,  especially  with  the 
surroundings  of  which  for  some  time  I  had  been  a  spec- 
tator. Cooking  a  VArabe  is  a  simple  process.  A  fire 
is  instantly  made  by  breaking  up  a  lump  of  dry  ele- 
phant's manure  always  to  be  found,  though  sometimes 
reduced  to  a  cinder  by  the  sun,  and  after  placing  over 
it  a  few  sticks,  and  on  the  top  of  these  some  big  pebbles, 
it  is  set  in  a  blaze  when  we  are  absent,  by  a  spark  from 
a  flint  on  some  tinder  that  one  or  other  Arab  is  sure 
to  have  in  his  possession,  but  when  present  a  request  is 
always  made  for  the  burning-glass  each  of  us  carries,  as 
Its  power  of  producing  the  needful  spark  is  a  constant 
source  of  astonishment  and  delight  to  them.  When  the 
stones  are  well  heated,  the  strips  of  meat  are  laid  upon 
them  and  rapidly  cooked,  and  when  antelope  are  thus 
treated  the  bones  are  *  devilled.' 


COKE'S  FIRST  LION  ADVENTURE.  135 

Returning  home  I  shot  a  crocodile,  which  only  just 
succeeded  in  struggling  into  the  water  to  die.  Vivian 
has  again  seen  a  lion,  but  could  not  get  a  shot  at  it,  as  it 
almost  instantaneously  disappeared  amongst  the  bushes. 
After  dinner  we  were  entertained  by  a  large  herd  of 
buffaloes  coming  down  the  steep  bank  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river  to  drink,  and  quite  within  shot  had  it 
not  been  too  dark.  Coke  has  been  again  unlucky  in 
hot  stopping  a  rhinoceros.  He  succeeded  in  stalking 
Within  thirty  yards  of  it  as  it  faced  him,  and  he  there- 
fore waited  for  a  side  shot  expecting  that  it  would 
approach  him.  This  it  did  for  five  yards,  but  then 
being  startled  it  turned  round  suddenly  and  only  gave 
him  a  snap-shot  at  its  side,'  and  another  as  it  galloped 
off  at  a  part  which  nature  has  certainly  done  her  best  to 
render  bullet-proof. 

Feb.  12. — Coke  is  the  hero  of  the  moment,  for  not 
only  has  he  killed  the  first  lion,  but  he  has  also  had  quite 
an  adventure ;  and  as  he  has  escaped  unhurt,  we  are 
very  much  obliged  to  him  for  supplying  us  with  some 
good  material  for  our  diaries. 

Making  an  early  start  with  the  intention  of  shooting 
anything  that  '  Inshallah '  might  be  sent  to  them,  Uncle 
Sam  in  a  short  time  pulled  up  suddenly,  and  pointed 
out  a  lion  stealing  away  up  a  hill  in  front  of  them,  and 
only  twenty  yards  off.  Coke  fired,  and  though  he  could 
not  see  if  he  had  hit  him,  he  was  led  to  think  so  by  Uncle 


136  LIFE    WITH  THE  HA  MR  AN  ARABS. 

Sam  going  lame  and  pointing  to  his  thigh,  and  as  the 
lion  turned  his  course  after  the  shot  they  ran  forward  to 
try  to  cut  him  off.  This  they  effectually  succeeded  in 
doing,  for  the  lion  politely  met  their  intentions  half- 
way by  facing  round,  and  with  one  loud  roar  coming 
towards  them  at  a  trot.  Coke  then  decided  upon  not  firing 
again  until  it  was  close  up  to  him,  and  knelt  down  for 
a  steady  shot,  so  on  it  came,  and  just  as  Coke  pulled 
the  trigger  a  tug  from  behind  brought  him  nearly  on 
his  back,  and  of  course  sent  the  muzzle  of  his  rifle  in  the 
air.  There  was  nothing  now  left  to  be  done  but  to  run 
for  his  life,  and  off  he  went  as  fast  as  his  legs  could  carry 
him,  expecting  every  moment  to  feel  a  gentle  pat  on  the 
back.  Most  fortunately  there  was  a  hill  close  in  front 
of  him,  and  having  gained  this  he  was  safe,  for  his 
wounded  enemy  could  no  longer  follow  him  ;  and  whilst 
crouching  in  the  grass  at  the  bottom,  and  growling  at 
his  ill-luck,  he  received  his  death-blow.  Uncle  Sam  in 
the  meantime  had  bolted  in  an  opposite  direction,  little 
realising  that  in  trying  to  save  his  master  from  the  jaws 
of  the  lion  he  very  nearly  succeeded  in  causing  him  to 
fall  into  them.  When  they  arrived  home  he  explained 
his  conduct  by  saying  that  he  thought  his  master's  rifle 
must  be  unloaded,  and  as  he  was  unarmed  and  could  not 
protect  him,  he  believed  their  only  chance  of  escape  was 
to  run  away. 

We  can  now  afford  to  laugh  over  his  narrow  escape, 


UNCLE  SAM'S  IDEA   OF  SAFETY.  157 

but  it  will  be  as  well  for  us  all  in  future  to  have  no  re- 
petition of  such  experience.  One  of  the  hippos  shot  by 
Gumming  yesterday,  and  another  by  Vivian  this  morn- 
ing, have  floated  and  given  the  camp  plenty  of  occupa- 
tion. On  our  way  home  Vivian  and  myself  met,  and 
directly  afterwards  Essafi  having  found  some  ariel,  we 
each  shot  one  to  please  him.  Our  kindness  was  dearly 
rewarded,  for  some  Arabs  appearing  on  the  scene  a 
feast  was  decided  upon,  and  yesterday's  performance 
repeated,  occasioning  us  considerable  delay,  Essafi 
again  brought  some  toasted  slices  of  liver,  and  this  proved 
so  agreeable  to  our  palates  that  the  culinary  perform- 
ance will  probably  be  repeated  next  year  in  the  High- 
lands. 

Coke  has  had  another  escape  from  injury,  though  the 
enemy  was  easily  captured,  for  after  bathing  in  the  river 
he  found  in  the  towel  he  was  about  to  use  a  fine  scorpion, 
which  he  carefully  brought  back  and  transferred  to  my 
1  cyanide '  bottle.  This  bottle  is  always  kept  at  hand  in 
the  tent,  and  any  creeping  thing  introduced  into  it 
rapidly  succumbs  to  its  noxious  fumes.  There  are  a  great 
number  of  scorpions  here,  but  no  one  has  as  yet  been 
stung,  and  they  are  rarely  seen  unless  looked  for.  A 
sure  find  is  under  our  boxes  if  they  have  not  been  moved 
for  a  few  days. 


138  LIFE   WITH  THE  H AMR  AN  ARABS. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Feb.  13. — Another  stirring  event  for  entry  in  the 
diaries,  but  with  a  less  satisfactory  termination  than 
yesterday's,  and  Gumming  is  the  victim.  After  spend- 
ing some  time  in  search  of  rhinoceros  a  fine  maarirT 
crossed  his  path,  and  with  two  shots  from  his  twelve- 
bore  rifle  he  brought  it  to  the  ground.  In  the  mean- 
time his  horse  had  started  off  and  Hamet  after  it,  and 
whilst  alone,  thinking  that  he  might  as  well  inspect 
the  dying  animal,  he  walked  up  to  within  three  yards 
of  it,  when,  finding  that  it  appeared  to  have  a  good 
deal  of  life  left  in  it,  he  turned  round  to  get  out  of 
harm's  way.  Hardly  had  he  done  so. when  he  heard 
a  rush  made  behind  him,  and  in  an  instant  as  he  fired  a 
chance  shot  over  his  shoulder  he  was  sent  flying  in 
one  direction  and  his  rifle  in  another.  Upon  picking 
himself  up  he  felt  inclined  to  laugh  at  the  occurrence, 
until  on  putting  his  hand  on  the  outside  of  his  thigh 
where  he  had  been  struck  by  one  of  the  maariff's 
horns,  he  found  that  it  was  covered  with  blood.  It 
being  now  no  laughing  matter  he  went  quietly  to  a 


GUMMING  ATTACKED  BY  A   MAARIFF.       139 

tree  close  by,  and  having  despatched  the  maariff,  which 
had  such  a  strong  objection  to  die  that  it  required 
three  more  bullets  in  the  head  and  neck,  he  laid  down 
and  waited  for  the  return  of  Hamet.  The  leg  had  by 
this  time  become  painful  and  stiff,  but  as  they  were  two 
hours  or  more  from  home,  there  was  nothing  to  be  done 
but  to  ride  home.  Singularly  enough,  they  had  not 
gone  fifty  yards  before  they  saw  standing  under  a  tree 
close  to  them  the  rhinoceros  they  had  in  vain  sought  for 
all  the  morning.  All  thought  of  the  wounded  leg  in  a 
moment  vanished,  and  jumping  off  his  horse  Gumming 
fired  one  shot  at  the  rhinoceros,  and  as  it  started  off 
another  at  the  hind-quarter  without  any  apparent  effect. 
They  then  started  in  pursuit,  but  very  quickly  pulled  up 
on  hearing  a  sudden  crashing  sound  amongst  the  mimosas, 
and  immediately  they  saw  the  rhinoceros  with  head  down 
charging  directly  upon  them,  and  only  ten  yards  off. 
Another  ball,  this  time  in  the  head,  turned  it  once 
again,  and  it  was  instantly  lost  amongst  the  thick 
trees.  Tracking  was  renewed,  though  only  for  a  few 
hundred  yards,  for  now  the  wound  in  the  leg  began  to 
tell,  and  Gumming  was  compelled  to  give  up  the  hunt 
and  come  home  as  best  he  could,  riding  side-saddle. 
On  his  arrival  in  camp,  there  was  found  to  be  a  large 
gaping  wound  in  the  outer  and  fleshy  part  of  the  right 
thigh  of  considerable  depth,  judging  from  the  length 
of  the  external  wound  and  the  pointed  nature  of  the 


HO  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

maariff's  horn  ;  and  some  of  the  lacerated  muscle  pro- 
truded through  it.  The  skin  on  the  inner  side  of  the 
left  thigh  had  been  grazed  also  by  the  other  horn,  and 
he  therefore  must  have  had  a  most  narrow  escape  from 
a  fatal  injury  from  one  or  other  of  them.  He  bore  very 
patiently  having  the  wound  sewn  up ;  and  now,  with 
the  leg  well  supported  with  bandages  and  pillows,  he  is 
lying  on  an  angarep  quite  at  ease,  though  not  best 
pleased  at  the  unexpected  interruption  for  a  time  to  his 
amusements.  Great  interest  is  shown  by  all  our 
followers  in  the  wounded  sportsman,  and  they  were 
much  disappointed  to  find  that  a  deputation  headed 
by  Hamet  was  not  allowed  to  give  practical  proof  of 
the  general  sympathy  by  rubbing  gunpowder  into  the 
wound. 

In  the  evening  they  marched  in  a  body,  led  by  a 
musician  playing  the  '  rababa,'  in  front  of  his  tent  to 
entertain  him  with  some  of  their  games.  The  ground, 
however,  was  too  limited  to  allow  them  to  perform 
much  in  his  presence,  so  they  were  obliged  to  retire  to 
a  sand-bank,  where  a  grand  performance  took  place  in 
his  honour  before  the  rest  of  the  party.  The  moon 
was  sufficiently  powerful  to  allow  them  to  go  through  their 
warlike  exercises  with  great  zest,  and  so  excited  did 
they  become  at  times  that  it  looked  very  much  as  if 
they  were  fighting  in  earnest ;  and  considering  that  their 
swords  are  so  sharp  that  they  can  shave  with  them,  it 


ARAB  METHOD    OF   WRESTLING.  141 

was  quite  a  relief  when  we  saw  their  weapons  of  war 
laid  down  and  another  entertainment  begun.  This  con- 
sisted of  a  species  of  wrestling.  After  sides  had  been 
chosen  they  stood  opposite  to  one  another  at  about  ten 
yards'  distance,  and  then  each  man  holding  up  one  leg 
behind  him  by  grasping  the  foot  with  one  hand  (either 
the  right  foot  with  the  left  hand  or  vice  versa}  charged 
the  enemy  immediately  opposed  to  him,  and  tried  to 
throw  him  over  with  the  free  hand,  a  proceeding  that 
usually  terminated  by  both  rolling  on  the  ground. 
Much  to  the  amusement  of  all,  Emanuel  joined  heartily 
with  them  in  this  game,  and  being  a  more  strongly  built 
and  heavier  man  than  many  of  the  Arabs  he  was  more 
than  able  to  hold  his  own  with  them  when  he  could 
catch  them,  but  he  was  naturally  beaten  in  rapidity  of 
movement  in  this  cramped  position.  Albert  and  Bob 
were  too  afraid  of  their  rough  ways  to  join  in  the 
game,  the  latter  remarking  '  them  not  men,  them 
monkeys.'  To  what  hour  they  kept  up  the  entertain- 
ment is  not  known,  but  long  after  we  had  left  the  scene 
and  had  '  turned  in  '  for  the  night,  it  had  been  changed 
to  a  concert  consisting  of  the  most  fearful  screams  and 
yells,  with  which  the  surrounding  hills  resounded. 
My  crocodile  floated  to-day,  and  when  it  had  been 
skinned  and  opened  it  was  found  to  contain  thirty- 
seven  eggs  with  hard  white  shells,  and  about  the 
size  of  a  goose's  egg.  These  were  evidently  looked 


142  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

upon  as  a  great  prize  by  Essafi  and  his  friends,  and 
as  I  laid  claim  to  none  in  consequence  of  the  length 
of  time  that  had  elapsed  since  I  shot  the  crocodile, 
they  were  equally  divided  amongst  them,  excepting  the 
odd  one,  which  I  broke  out  of  curiosity. 

We  have  recently  found  out  another  party  of  Ham- 
ran  Arab  hunters  encamped  near  us,  and  we  are  on  the 
most  friendly  terms  with  them,  though,  if  the  truth  were 
known,  wre  probably  do  them  an  infinity  of  harm  by 
driving  the  big  game  away  from  their  neighbourhood. 
These  men  devote  themselves  entirely  to  rhinoceros 
trapping,  and  to-day  Essafi  pointed  me  out  four  places 
where  traps  were  set.  Upon  two  of  them  he  accident- 
ally stepped,  but  so  lightly  that  he  only  disturbed  the 
surface  earth,  and  this  he  carefully  re-arranged  with  a 
stick,  for  the  rhinoceros  Is  supposed  to  be  so  wary  that 
it  will  not  tread  upon  ground  over  which  it  can  sniff  the 
passage  of  a  human  being.  Cunning  as  the  rhinoceros 
is  in  the  opinion  of  these  hunters,  they  consider  the 
elephant  far  more  so,  and  say  that  it  will  even  turn  back 
when  on  its  way  to  drink  sooner  than  continue  in  a  path 
that  has  been  even  crossed  the  same  day  by  a  human 
being,  and  that  it  will  never  follow  the  same  path  twice 
in  succession.  It  is  therefore  very  difficult  for  the  Arabs 
to  know  where  best  to  dig  pits  for  them  to  fall  into. 
In  cunning  these  animals  must  find  some  good  competi- 
tors nevertheless  in  their  hunters,  and  as  an  example  of 


GREAT   SYMPATHY  OF  OUR  NEIGHBOURS.    143 

this  I  was  much  amused  to  see  that  an  excellent  imita- 
tion of  a  rhinoceros  track  had  been  made  in  the  light 
earth  over  one  of  the  traps  as  a  special  inducement  for 
the  animal  to  walk  into  it. 

Feb.  14. — The  news  of  the  wounded  sportsman  rapidly 
spread  to  the  other  camps,  and  so  much  interest  has 
been  shown  in  him  that  numerous  black  visitors  have 
called  to  inquire,  and  they  have  been  given  that  most 
satisfactory  of  replies,  '  that  he  was  doing  as  well  as 
could  be  expected.'  It  is  no  small  satisfaction  to  him 
to  know  that  his  enemy  has  made  a  most  important 
addition  to  his  collection  of  antelope  heads. 

The  sky  to-day  is  quite  obscured  by  light  white 
clouds  at  a  great  height,  which  are  quite  a  refreshing 
novelty,  though  we  hope  it  is  one  that  will  not  be  re- 
peated often,  for  the  moon  is  now  nearly  right  for  night- 
shooting. 

Feb.  15, — A  more  perfect  morning  than  this  has 
been  could  not  be  imagined,  for  the  usual  heat  of  the  sun 
has  been  most  agreeably  diminished  by  the  continued 
presence  of  light  clouds,  and  at  the  same  time  a  gentle 
breeze  from  the  south-west  has  given  a  general  freshness 
to  the  atmosphere.  Birds  with  innumerable  varieties  of 
note,  and  some  so  small  that  a  humming-bird  might 
almost  look  majestic  amongst  them,  are  singing  in 
every  direction,  trying  not  to  be  outdone  by  the  ever- 
lasting cooing  of  the  doves  ;  whilst  others,  less  harmonious* 


144  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

give  us  the  benefit  of  a  little  screeching ;  but  above,  or 
rather  distinct  from  them  all,  is  the  single  deep  and 
plaintive  note  of  a  bird  that  sounds  as  if  this  songster 
had  all  the  cares  of  the  others  thrown  upon  its  shoulders. 
What  kind  of  bird  this  is  we  have  not  yet  discovered, 
and,  excepting  for  food,  the  feathered  tribe  are  left  un- 
disturbed. I  regret  not  having  shot  at  four  very  fine 
birds  I  saw  a  few  days  ago  in  pairs  on  some  high  rocky 
ground,  for  I  now  find  it  was  a  rare  species  named  the 
Aboo  Goumba.  This  bird  is  fully  described  in  Mans- 
field Parkyns's  most  interesting  account  of  '  Life  in 
Abyssinia,'  and  he  gives  an  illustration  of  the  male  and 
the  female.  It  is  about  the  size  of  a  very  small  turkey, 
and  on  the  ground  looks  quite  black,  excepting  a  white 
spot  on  the  margin  of  the  wing,  but  when  it  flies  it  shows 
a  very  large  amount  of  white  in  the  wing.  The  beak  is 
thick  and  long,  and  has  a  horny  lump  on  top  of  it,  and 
the  male  has  in  addition  red-and-blue  wattles.  Tempting 
shots  as  they  were  to  me,  I  would  not  change  my  car- 
tridges, as  I  was  at  the  time  tracking  a  rhinoceros.  The 
little  birds  that  passed  us  the  other  day  in  such  marvel- 
lous numbers  remain  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  with 
one  shot  this  evening  I  killed  thirty-five,  and  was 
almost  surprised  that  more  did  not  fall.  This  bird 
is  much  smaller  than  a  sparrow,  has  a  red  beak,  and 
feathers  on  the  back  like  a  lark,  and  is  called  by  our 
Arabs  '  Hadderdub.'  Essafi  says  that  they  arrive  here 


ALBERT  AND  ESS  API  HA  VE  A  ROW. 


145 


after  the  rains,  and  depart  again  before  they  set  in. 
Vivian,  when  returning  home  to-day,  killed  seven  guinea- 
fowl  with  a  right-and-left. 

Fortunately  we  are  well  supplied  with  books,  so 
Cumming  has  some  amusement  whilst  lying  quietly 
on  his  bed  under  a  tree.  From  his  position  he  has  a 
good  view  of  the  river,  and  part  of  to-day  was  spent 
watching  the  Arabs  cut  up  the  crocodile  I  shot  on  the 
1 3th,  which  did  not  float  till  this  morning  ;  and  afterwards 
seeing  the  gathering  over  the  remnants  of  numerous 
Marabou  storks,  and,  by  their  kind  permission,  of  some 
small  brown  vultures.  These  storks  have  an  absurd  re- 
semblance to  thin  old  men  in  white  waistcoats  and 
evening  dress-coats,  with  hands  tucked  under  the  coat- 
tails,  and  head  thrown  forwards  as  if  weighed  down  by 
all  the  cares,  imaginary  or  otherwise,  of  a  long  Parlia- 
mentary career.  The  Arabs  killed  a  porcupine  to-day 
with  their  spears,  and  with  great  parade  it  was  brought 
to  us  as  a  present ;  but  as  all  the  best  quills  had  '  dropped 
out,'  we  would  not  accept  it. 

Feb.  1 6. — A  light  mist  almost  throughout  the  day 
has  been  another  atmospheric  novelty,  and  by  no  means 
an  agreeable  one,  for  with  a  maximum  temperature  in 
the  shade  of  87°  Fah.  it  has  felt  particularly  oppressive. 

It  has  been  very  oppressive  also  in  another  sense,  for 
Albert  is  in  disgrace.  Some  question  -arose  between 
Essafi  and  himself  this  morning  about  a  koorbatch  which 

L 


146  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

Essafi  had  lent  me  the  previous  day,  and  could  not  be 
found,  though  this  was  by  no  means  an  uncommon  occur- 
rence ;  for  when  riding  in  the  woods,  the  report  of  '  game- 
ahead  '  would  make  one  dismount  instantly,  and  the  whip 
was  somehow  or  other  sure  to  disappear.  A  stimulus  was 
given  to  the  discussion  by  Essafi  calling  Albert  a  thief, 
and  by  Albert  returning  the  compliment  with  interest,  in 
declaring  that  all  Essafi's  people  were  thieves,  from  the 
Sheik  downwards.  Essafi  now  improved  the  situation 
by  a  similar  reply,  and  at  the  same  time  cursed  Albert's 
religion.  This  spirited  conversation  took  place  whilst 
Essafi,  mounted,  was  waiting  for  me,  and  as  I  approached 
him  I  saw  it  come  to  a  sudden  termination  by  Albert 
with  clenched  fist  striking  him  in  the  neck.  With  one 
bound  Essafi  was  off  his  horse,  and  like  a  tiger  would  have 
sprung  upon  his  foe  had  not  Emanuel  and  Bob  been  on  the 
spot,  and  held  him  back  whilst  I  took  Albert  away.  It 
was  then  useless  to  speak  to  Albert  about  his  foolish 
conduct,  for,  white  with  rage,  he  would  only  exclaim,  '  I 
am  very  fond  of  my  religion,  and  I  would  kill  any  man 
who  cursed  it.'  So  in  this  happy  frame  of  mind  I  left 
him  under  a  tree  to  cool  down,  and  rode  off  with  his 
adversary.  This  was  scarcely  a  nice  commencement  to 
a  day's  sport,  and  instead  of  the  preliminary  gallop  and 
wild  shout  to  Abd-el-Khadr,  a  patron  saint,  to  bring  him 
luck,  with  which  our  hunters  always  start  off,  Essafi 
now  led  the  way  silently  and  with  head  down,  as  if  his 


A  RHINOCEROS  UNPLEASANTLY  OBTRUSIVE.  147 

mind  were  far  from  occupied  with  thoughts  of  how  he 
could  find  me  something  to  kill  to-day.  The  neglected 
Abd-el-Khadr,  however,  was  not  forgetful  of  him,  and 
though  for  some  time  Essafi  listlessly  followed  a  fresh 
rhinoceros  track  we  soon  came  upon,  a  broken  twig,  so- 
moist  that  it  must  have  very  recently  been  in  the  animal's 
jaws,  was  all  that  was  required  to  make  my  impetuous 
hunter  himself  again,  and  thoughts  of  the  past  and  future 
were  at  once  merged  in  the  present.  The  rhinoceros 
was  very  quickly  found,  but  as  he  was  facing  us,  and 
the  trees  were  so  dense  that  we  could  not  stalk  round 
him,  he  got  away  probably  more  frightened  than  hurt 
by  the  only  shot  I  was  able  to  fire  at  him.  Later  in 
the  day  we  came  unexpectedly  on  another  to  our  right, 
not  more  than  ten  yards  off,  and  seeing  us  first  of  all, 
he  made  us  acquainted  with  his  presence  by  charging 
straight  at  us.  Fortunately  the  discharge  of  my  smooth- 
bore when  he  was  unpleasantly  close  (for  owing  to  the 
thickness  of  the  covert  I  could  not  instantly  get  my  gun 
to  my  shoulder)  turned  his  course  a  little,  and  in  a 
moment  he  was  again  lost  to  view. 

On  my  return  in  the  evening,  Albert,  having  cooled 
down,  received  some  wholesome  advice  about  restraining 
his  temper,  and  not  striking  the  Arabs  as  he  had  done. 
He  stoutly  maintained  that  he  could  not  consider  him- 
self wrong  in  striking  Essafi  under  the  circumstances, 
for  the  Greeks  looked  upon  these  people  very  differently 

L  2 


148  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

to  the  English  ;  but  he  was  clearly  made  to  understand 
that  whilst  he  remains  with  us  he  is  not  to  take  the  law 
into  his  own  hands  for  any  insult,  imaginary  or  other- 
wise, that  he  may  receive  from  these  Arabs,  but  to  report 
the  circumstance  to  us,  and  if  a  good  case  is  proved 
against  any  of  them,  we  have  a  very  simple  and  most 
practical  punishment  at  hand  in  sending  them  back  to 
their  village,  for  with  the  inducements  we  can  offer  we 
have  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  recruits  or  retaining  their 
services.  By  his  conduct  on  this  occasion  he  has  quite 
proved  himself  unfitted  to  hold  a  post  of  responsibility 
in  this  kind  of  rough  life,  having  no  command  over  his 
temper.  Excepting,  however,  the  few  occasions  men- 
tioned, he  has  proved  a  most  valuable  servant  to  us,  and 
in  the  ordinary  routine  work  of  a  dragoman  or  courier 
one  could  not  desire  a  better  man.  He  is  of  superior 
birth  to  the  ordinary  dragoman,  and  though  looked  upon 
as  a  Greek,  he  is  nothing  of  the  kind,  for  his  father  was 
a  Spaniard  and  his  mother  an  Italian. 

He  spent  several  years  of  his  early  life  in  Gibraltar, 
and  there  acquired  the  English  language,  which  he  speaks 
perfectly,  as  well  as  Arabic,  and  in  this  respect  is  very 
superior  to  Emanuel,  whose  English  is  not  altogether 
quite  easy  of  comprehension,  and  we  have  every  reason 
to  have  equal  faith  in  his  honesty.  We  may  indeed 
congratulate  ourselves  on  the  whole  of  our  staff.  Mo- 
hamed  the  cook,  from  the  hour  he  was  engaged,  has  done 


CHEQUERED  CAREER  OF  A  GARMENT.        149 

his  utmost  to  please  us,  and  is  always  ready  to  turn  his 
hand  to  any  odd  job  out  of  his  special  calling,  of  which 
he  is  such  a  thorough  master ;  and  as  he  can  even  skin 
birds  well,  we  hope  later  on  to  make  him  of  use  in  this 
way. 

Bob,  Emanuel's  right-hand  man,  and  like  himself  a 
Maltese,  appears  never  happy  unless  busily  employed  for 
one  or  other  of  us,  and  from  morning  to  night  is  at  work. 
He  finds  great  scope  for  his  intellect  in  mending  our 
tattered  garments  for  us  until  we  cast  them  off,  and  then, 
by  a  special  display  of  ingenuity  in  patchwork,  he  is 
able  to  transfer  them  to  his  own  most  limited  wardrobe. 
A  pair  of  trousers  has  quite  an  interesting  career,  for 
when  Bob  can  no  longer  with  anything  like  decency  wear 
his  master's  present,  he  transfers  the  remains  to  Ibrahim, 
who,  with  his  black  skin,  is  not  so  ,  particular  about 
sundry  holes  ;  but  a  time  comes  when  even  he  thinks  he 
must  discard  them,  and  then  the  old  soldier,  with  more 
mind  than  body,  is  sure  to  find  some  part  of  them  use- 
ful to  cover  his  lean  shanks.  Ibrahim  has  proved  the 
greatest  surprise,  for  he  made  a  very  bad  start  in  conse- 
quence of  Mr.  Cohen  having  prejudiced  us  against  him 
by  giving  him  a  very  bad  character  after  he  heard  we 
had  engaged  him,  and  so  much  so  that  we  almost  left 
him  behind,  until  the  happy  thought  occurred  to  us  that 
perhaps  Mr.  Cohen's  opinion  was  influenced  by  his  desire 
that  we  should  engage  his  bright  specimen  of  a  servant, 


150  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 

Abdullah.  He  is  without  doubt  a  most  valuable  addi- 
tion to  our  party,  as  he  always  does  the  hard  manual 
work  ;  he  takes  care  of  the  horses,  helps  to  prepare  the 
heads  and  skins,  and  seems  able  to  turn  his  hand  to 
anything  ;  and,  what  is  of  no  small  importance  to  his 
usefulness,  he  requires  no  interpreter,  having  a  very  fair 
knowledge  of  French,  which  he  learnt,  as  well  as  Spanish, 
during  a  period  of  four  years  he  spent  in  Mexico  as  one 
of  the  Egyptian  Contingent  under  Bazaine.  The  two 
soldiers  also  deserve  a  special  word  of  praise.  The  old 
one,  though  weak,  is  very  willing  to  do  his  best,  and 
when  not  looking  after  his  donkey — which  he  reared,  and 
seems  as  fond  of  as  if  it  were  his  own  child — he  is  per- 
fectly contented  to  sit  all  day  on  the  bank  fishing,  but 
owing  to  the  weakness  of  his  tackle  he  seldom  succeeds  in 
landing  anything.  The  young  one  has  quite  established 
his  right  to  the  position  of  one  of  our  personal  attend- 
ants, as  he  works  like  any  of  the  others,  and  seems  ex- 
tremely pleased  to  be  allowed  to  do  so. 

Gumming  continues  perfectly  quiet  on  his  bed,  and 
the  wound  looks  very  well.  The  condition  of  the  Arab's 
hand  is  also  very  satisfactory, 

Feb.  17. — Uncle  Sam  seldom  returns  home  from  a 
hunt  without  having  done  something  extraordinary  and 
peculiar  to  himself,  and  the  explanation  after  dinner  is 
always  looked  forward  to  with  much  pleasure  ;  but  to-day 
he  has  outdone  himself,  and  will  probably  soon  be  *  at 


UNCLE  SAM  GIVES  PROOF  OF  HIS  COURAGE.  151 

home '  again,  or,  more  correctly,  returned  as  a  slave  to 
his  owner,  who,  according  to  Uncle  Sam's  account,  is 
very  cruel  to  him.  After  Coke  and  he  had  left  a  wood, 
they  passed  close  by  a  very  overhanging  mimosa  quite 
apart  from  any  other  trees,  and  under  it  they  could  just 
distinguish  a  lion  lying  asleep.  Coke  at  once  moved  on  a 
few  yards  to  get  a  good  shot  as  the  lion  came  out ;  and 
when  it  did  so  Uncle  Sam  rushed  in  front  of  him,  and 
absolutely  gave  chase  to  it.  The  lion  merely  went  away 
at  a  trot,  but  so  close  was  Uncle  Sam  behind  it  that 
Coke  could  not  fire,  and  no  amount  of  shouting  would 
make  him  stop,  until  the  lion,  distancing  him,  gave  Coke 
a  long  shot,  which  only  had  the  effect  of  pulling  Said 
up  short  on  hearing  the  bullet  whiz  past  his  ear.  It  is 
difficult  to  imagine  a  more  annoying  occurrence,  for  it  is 
very  unlikely  he  will  get  such  a  chance  again  of  bagging 
lion  No.  2.  Coke  gave  vent  to  his  feelings  by  an  out- 
burst of  very  pure  English,  that  Uncle  Sam  sufficiently 
understood  to  make  him  turn  back  and  walk  sulkily 
home,  not  taking  the  least  notice  of  his  master's  move- 
ments. The  explanation  he  gave  for  his  conduct  was 
more  simple  than  satisfactory,  and  much  the  same  as 
before — viz.,  that  he  thought  his  master's  rifle  was  not 
loaded,  and  that  he  had  better  prove  how  courageous  he 
was  by  driving  the  lion  away.  The  after-dinner  attend- 
ance of  the  four  hunters  is  by  no  means  an  unimpor- 
tant ending  to  the  day's  proceedings,  and  standing  or 


152  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 

squatting  round  us,  with  Albert  to  act  as  interpreter  at 
their  side,  each  reports  in  turn  on  the  events  of  the 
day,  and  his  intentions  for  the  following  one,  so  that 
they  may  avoid  going  over  the  same  ground  as  much  as 
possible.  Their  great  desire  is  to  show  us  the  animals 
for  which  they  have  as  yet  received  no  '  backsheesh/  as 
they  feel  that  these  dollars  are  their  own,  whereas  they 
do  not  know  how  much  will  ultimately  fall  to  their  lot 
of  the  hides,  &c.,  after  Sheik  Aghill  has  set  eyes  upon 
them.  Still  it  is  very  difficult  to  extract  any  really  use- 
ful information  regarding  the  prospect  of  finding  differ- 
ent species  of  animals  where  they  propose  taking  us, 
and  questions  of  the  kind  only  draw  from  them  their 
one  word,  '  Inshallah  '  (please  God)  ;  but  they  were  kind 
enough  to  tell  us  that  they  prayed  to  God  every  evening 
to  send  them  the  animals  they  wanted  for  the  '  back- 
sheesh.' 

Vivian  thought  he  would  try  a  little  extra  persuasion 
with  his  man  Mohamed  to-night,  when  the  following  con- 
versation took  place : — 

Vivian. — Do  you  think  you  will  find  me  a  lion  to- 
morrow ? 

Mohamed. — Inshallah. 

Vivian. — Do  you  hope  to  find  me  a  lion  to-morrow  ? 

Mohamed. — Inshallah. .  . 

This  reply  wa?  perhaps  more  satisfactory  than  was 


ARRIVAL  OF  THE  LETTER-BAG.  153 

given  to  the  guest  of  a  Scotch  laird  by  a  deerstalker, 
when  he  made  a  somewhat  similar  inquiry  : — 

Guest. — Well,  Mac,  what  do  you  say  of  the  day — will 
it  be  fine  or  wet  ? 

Mac. — Well,  sir,  I  hope  it  will  be  a  fine  day. 

Gttcst. — Oh,  never  mind  what  you  hope  :  tell  me  what 
you  think  it  will  be. 

Mac. — Ah  !  sir,  that's  another  matter.  I  think  it  will 
be  a  very  wet  one. 

It  is  becoming  daily  of  more  importance  that  we 
should  know  the  kind  of  ground  we  are  to  be  taken  to, 
for  our  horses'  backs  are  becoming  sore,  English  saddles 
withal,  and  if  we  are  not  going  to  the  woods  frequented 
by  rhinoceros,  it  is  no  use  carrying  our  heavy  smooth- 
bores ;  but  we  have  been  in  this  neighbourhood  so  long 
now,  and  have  picked  up  so  much  Arabic,  that  instead 
of  implicitly  obeying  the  orders  of  our  respective  hunters 
we  can  afford  to  make  them  take  a  second  place,  and  do 
a  little  hunting  on  our  own  account. 

Feb.  1 8. — Abdullah  has  returned  from  Kassala,  and 
after  all  our  anxiety  for  the  arrival  of  the  mail  it  has 
been  cruelly  repaid,  for  instead  of  a  pile  of  letters  and 
newspapers,  it  only  brings  the  '  Times '  of  January  I, 
one  '  Punch/  and  two  letters,  so  when  the  others  will 
reach  their  destination  is  a  problem  beyond  calculation. 
The  chances  are  in  favour  of  their  doing  so  on  English 
soil  towards  the  end  of  the  year.  Well,  we  have  the 


154  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

immense  satisfaction  of  knowing  through  said  '  Times ' 
that  whilst  we  were  experiencing  the  heat  of  an  ex- 
aggerated English  summer,  our  friends  at  home 
had  a  '  seasonable '  Christmas,  which,  in  other  words, 
means  one  of  thorough  enjoyment  and  health  to  the 
young  and  vigorous,  and  of  intense  misery  and  death  to 
the  poor  and  infirm. 

Munsinger  Pasha  has  sent  a  few  lines  to  let  us 
know  that  there  has  been  no  alteration  in  the  dates  of 
departure  of  the  Red  Sea  steamers.  The  time  has  now 
arrived  for  a  great  change  to  take  place  in  our  arrange- 
ments, one  that  has  long  been  contemplated,  and  only 
delayed  until  the  arrival  of  Abdullah.  It  is  the  division 
of  our  party  into  two,  so  that  we  may  interfere  less 
with  one  another's  sport ;  and  whilst  Vivian  and  myself 
\vill  remain  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Settite,  Coke 
and  Cumming  have  chosen  to  return  to  the  Hamran 
village  and  make  a  fresh  start  to  the  Salaam,  another 
tributary  of  the  Nile  to  the  south  of  the  Settite.  They 
could  reach  equally  soon,  if  not  sooner,  by  striking  due 
south  from  here,  but  the  camel-men  declare  that  it  would 
be  a  four  days'  journey  without  water,  and  they  therefore 
refuse  to  undertake  it.  By  mutual  agreement  Emanuel, 
Bob,  and  Abdullah  go  with  them,  whilst  Albert,  Mo- 
hamed,  and  Hadji  Basheer  with  his  donkey  stay  with  us  ; 
and  to  make  up  for  the  deficiencies  of  the  old  soldier,  we 
retain  the  valuable  services  of  Ibrahim.  The  afternoon 


HAMETS  IDEA  OF  A  HANDSOME  COSTUME.  155 

has  been  chiefly  spent  in  dividing  our  stores  and  making 
ready  for  an  early  departure  to-morrow  morning  in  oppo- 
site directions.  Gumming  took  a  quiet  ride  to  the  hippo- 
pool  to  give  our  friends  left  in  it  a  few  parting  salutes, 
and  also  to  test  the  wounded  leg ;  and,  considering  what 
a  short  time  has  elapsed  since  the  injury  occurred,  it 
bore  the  ordeal  remarkably  well.  He  gave  Hamet  to- 
day a  pair  of  drawers  lined  with  red  flannel,  and  Hamet 
is  so  proud  of  them  that  he  has  been  strutting  about  ever 
since  and  has  shown  the  red  lining  to  everyone.  It 
has  proved  an  unfortunate  present,  for  it  has  greatly 
excited  the  jealousy  of  the  others,  and  they  all  want  a 
similar  pair,  and  are  not  disposed  to  be  put  off  with  the 
excuse  that  we  do  not  all  wear  exactly  similar  garments. 
Our  last  evening  together  here  has  terminated  most 
properly,  with  a  lecture  on  the  contents  of  a  small 
medicine-chest  fitted  up  by  Messrs.  Savory  and  Moore, 
together  with  a  few  general  hints  on  medical  matters, 
and  with  the  understanding  that  in  case  of  emergency 
Abdullah  is  to  be  sent  post-haste  to  our  camp. 


156  LIFE    WITH  THE  H AMR  AN  ARABS. 


CHAPTER    X. 

Feb.  19. — The  last  good-bye  has  been  said  ;  the 
ground  upon  which  we  have  been  encamped  for  three 
weeks  is  left  to  the  vultures  ;  our  tent  is  pitched  on  a  new 
site  ;  and  as  Vivian  and  myself  sit  over  our  quiet  dinner, 
we  can  fully  realise  what  a  great  change  has  taken  place 
in  our  existence.  How  long  we  shall  be  parted  from  the 
others  depends  entirely  upon  the  sport  we  get  in  our 
respective  localities,  but  we  at  least  hope  to  meet  at 
Kassala  in  April,  and  return  to  England  together.  A 
general  feeling  of  sorrow  pervaded  all  our  staff  on  part- 
ing, and  it  was  really  pleasant  to  see  Bob  retire  quietly 
to  a  tree  to  give  vent  to  the  tears  he  could  no  longer  re- 
strain. He  had  evidently  taken  a  particular  fancy  to 
Vivian,  and  did  not  at  all  like  being  parted  from  him. 
His  desire  is  ultimately  to  become  a  dragoman,  and  to 
all  appearances  he  will  be  certain  of  success  in  such  a 
career.  Great  excitement  was  evinced  amongst  our  camel- 
men  about  their  destination,  as  it  was  a  serious  matter ; 
for  those  who  return  to  the  Hamran  village  now,  will 
not  be  allowed  by  Sheik  Aghill  to  go  the  Salaam.  The 


OUR  IMMEDIATE  NEIGHBOURS,  157 

consequence  was  that  the  ten  best  men  were  picked  out  to 
remain  with  us,  and  a  nicer  lot  of  fellows  we  could  not 
desire. 

Our  present  encampment  is  not  more  than  a  mile 
from  the  last,  and  higher  up  the  river,  which  had  to  be 
forded  twice  to  get  to  it.  The  place  is  named  '  Henna/ 
and  it  is  well  known  to  Arab  hunters  as  a  camping 
ground. 

Immediately  beyond  it  to  the  east  are  the  hills  that 
mark  the  boundary  of  the  hunting-grounds  of  Mek  Nim- 
mur,  a  native  chieftain  whom  Baker  described  so  fully  when 
in  this  country.  Essafi  says  that  he  was  a  source  of  great 
terror  and  anxiety  to  the  Hamran  Arabs,  for,  well  armed 
and  mounted,  he  went  about  their  country  with  a  party  of 
his  men,  and  coming  upon  them  unexpectedly  at  night, 
would  kill  them  and  steal  all  their  cattle.  With  his 
neighbours  on  the  opposite  side,  the  Abyssinians,  he  was 
on  friendly  terms,  and  they  let  one  another  alone  until 
five  years  ago,  when  a  report  having  spread  that  he 
had  accumulated  great  wealth,  they  took  a  leaf  out 
of  his  own  book,  and  after  killing  him  carried  off  all  his 
possessions.  The  range  of  low  mountains  to  the  east 
marking  the  Abyssinian  frontier  can  be  very  distinctly 
seen  from  the  high  table-land  above  our  encampment  ; 
and  nearer  us  on  the  north  side  is  a  low  range  of  hills, 
beyond  which  extends  the  territory  of  the  Base.  Essafi 
when  he  came  for  orders  to-night  gave  us  a  long  account 


158  LIFE    WITH  THE  H AMR  AN  ARABS. 

of  these  people.  He  says  they  are  the  enemies  of  both 
Abyssinians  and  Hamrans,  and  that  the  Settite  bounds 
their  territory  on  one  side.  They  have  a  Sheik,  and  live 
in  houses  made  of  straw  when  undisturbed  ;  but  on  the 
supposed  approach  of  an  enemy  they  burn  these  and 
retire  into  holes  in  the  ground.  They  always  keep  a 
careful  watch  from  their  hills,  fearing  an  attack  from 
Abyssinians  or  Hamrans,  to  whom  they  are  equally 
hostile,  and  all  their  stores  of  grain  are  kept  far  inland 
as  a  means  of  protection,  whither  their  wives  and  children 
are  sent  as  occasion  may  require.  They  have  cattle, 
sheep,  and  goats,  but  no  camels  ;  and  almost  their  only 
trade  is  in  seed  and  honey,  which  they  send  to  a  village 
situated  on  the  outskirts  of  their  territory,  partly  inhabited 
by  their  people  and  under  the  protection  of  Egypt 
Their  clothing  consists  of  a  skin  round  the  waist,  and 
their  weapon  of  war  is  a  spear.  Their  attacks  are  al- 
ways made  most  stealthily  and  by  night,  and  they  will 
fight  to  the  death. 

From  the  way  they  retire  into  their  underground 
homes,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  find  them  in  their  own 
country,  so  if  the  Hamrans  want  to  fight  them  they 
wait  for  the  month  after  the  termination  of  the  rains,, 
when  they  come  down  to  the  river-side  to  feed  their 
cattle.  The  Abyssinians  seldom  attack  them,  and  when 
they  do  so  it  is  only  to  obtain  slaves  from  amongst  their 
women  and  children.  Essafi  declares  that  the  Hamrans 


THE  ARABS'  FEAR  OF  THE  BASE.  159 

would  very  much  like  to  go  in  a  large  body  under  Sheik 
Aghill,  and  kill  them  and  carry  off  all  their  cattle  ;  but 
they  are  afraid  to  do  so,  as  Munsinger  Pasha  has  ordered 
them  to  leave  the  Base  alone ;  so  the  gradual  advance 
of  Egypt's  power  in  this  direction  does  appear  to  be 
bearing  fruit,  and  now  that  a  portion  of  the  Bas6 
country  actually  belongs  to  Egypt,  and  pays  her  taxes, 
it  may  not  be  very  long  before  the  whole  of  this  wild 
race  will  seek  her  protection  if  she  does  not  extend  it 
unasked ;  and  when  this  is  accomplished,  Abyssinia, 
only  lying  beyond,  will  have  reason  to  feel  alarm  for  her 
safety  in  this  direction  from  her  great  enemy.  Except- 
ing one  or  two,  nothing  would  induce  our  men  to 
go  with  us  into  the  Base  country,  and  the  very  name 
of  Base  seems  to  strike  terror  to  their  hearts  ;  and  if  the 
Base  are  equally  afraid  of  the  Hamrans,  there  must  be 
every  chance  of  a  mutual  stampede  on  the  sight  of  one 
another.  Another  of  Essafi's  statements  is,  that  their 
cattle  are  so  limited  in  number  that  they  rarely  kill  any, 
and  depend  chiefly  for  meat  on  the  assistance  of  lions 
and  vultures ;  for  they  watch  the  flight  of  the  vultures> 
and  are  often  guided  by  them  to  the  body  of  a  buffalo  or 
antelope  which  has  been  killed  by  a  lion,  and  they  then 
bag  all  that  their  friends  have  not  already  demolished. 
Vivian  has  made  a  discovery,  though  not  without  some 
hesitation  in  the  attempt,  for  having  seen  Mohamed 
frequently  partake  of  raw  liver,  he  has  become  so  ac- 


160  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

customed  to  it  that  he  succeeded  to-day  in  personally 
testing  its  merits,  and  he  declares  that  it  was  excellent. 
Possibly,  like  many  other  '  good  things/  a  little  was  more 
than  enough,  for  there  is  no  evidence  of  his  having  done 
more  than  taste  it.  The  country  around  us  having  been 
well  hunted  over,  and  therefore  much  disturbed,  we  have 
decided  upon  leaving  it  quiet  for  a  time,  and,  by  going 
southwards  some  few  miles,  to  strike  the  Royan  ;  for 
though  it  was  dry  near  its  junction  with  the  Settite, 
Essafi  declares  that  we  shall  find  plenty  of  water  where 
he  intends  to  bring  us. 

Feb.  20. — After  five  hours'  ride  over  a  most  mono- 
tonous and  thinly-wooded  high  table-land,  we  arrived  at 
a  thick  covert,  and  shortly  descended  a  steep  bank,  when 
we  halted  in  the  dry  bed  of  a  river,  apparently  a  mountain 
torrent ;  and  as  there  were  only  two  small  pools  left  of 
such  muddy  water  that  the  most  old-fashioned  pea-soup 
could  hardly  compare  with  it,  we  naturally  supposed  we 
had  only  stopped  here  for  a  temporary  rest.  Our  aston- 
ishment was  therefore  great  when,  on  the  arrival  of  the 
baggage  party,  there  was  a  general  halt  and  unloading 
of  camels,  and  the  information  was  vouchsafed  to  us  that  it 
was  our  camping  ground.  Essafi  was  summoned,  and 
on  being  asked  what  he  meant  by  saying  we  should  find 
plenty  of  water,  naively  replied  that  he  meant  plenty  of 
water  for  animals  to  drink,  and  this  we  could  not  deny 
if  they  liked  it  nourishing.  Our  first  idea  was  to  return 


THE  HOME   OF  THE  BEES.  161 

at  once  to  the  Settite  ;  but  upon  finding  that  by  digging 
holes  into  the  sand  a  tolerably  clear  water  welled  up,  we 
decided  upon  making  the  best  of  our  position,  and  carry- 
ing out  for  a  time  Essafl's  programme. 

This  is  a  well-known  camping-ground  amongst  the 
hunters,  and  is  named  '  Birket  Johda/  and  it  has  an  ex- 
cellent landmark  in  a  giant  tree  named  Baobab  or  Dima 
(Adansonia  digitate^  which  grows  on  one  side  of  it. 
This  tree  we  have  occasionally  seen  in  our  walks,  always 
solitary  and  scattered  about  at  wide  intervals — sometimes 
in  the  more  fertile  valleys,  and  at  others  on  high  ground 
amongst  loose  rocks — and  in  their  leafless  state  looking 
like  monster  spectres  that  had  abided  from  all  time,  and 
would  last  to  eternity.  On  a  closer  inspection  of  them, 
however,  whatever  their  age  may  be,  their  prospects  of 
life  are  very  poor,  for  their  trunks  are  all  completely 
hollowed  out  by  decay,  and  have  become  the  favourite 
home  of  the  bees.  So  disproportionate  are  they  in  size 
to  all  other  timber,  that  they  look  as  if  they  belonged  to 
a  past  era,  and,  so  far  as  we  have  observed,  there  are  no 
young  ones  to  take  their  place.  Though  the  trunk  may 
measure  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  or  more  in  circumference, 
the  branches  are  few  and  very  stunted.  The  bark  is 
very  like  a  cork-tree.  Fortunately  some  of  the  fruit 
still  remains,  so  we  have  had  an  opportunity  of  testing 
its  merits,  and  we  never  pass  a  tree  without  knocking 
down  a  few  pods  with  sticks  or  stones,  as  they  hang 

M 


162  LIFE  WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

suspended  by  a  long  stem  from  the  branches.  The 
fruit  is  a  large  green  pod,  about  the  size  of  a  very 
small  cocoa-nut,  and  when  this  has  been  broken  open  by 
a  stone  it  is  found  to  contain  a  number  of  irregularly- 
shaped  seeds,  enveloped  in  a  thick  yellowish-white 
powder,  and  held  together  by  a  fibrous  network.  This 
powder  has  a  most  refreshing  taste,  both  sweet  and  acid, 
and  tends  greatly  to  quench  thirst,  and  when  mixed  with 
water  imparts  a  very  pleasant  flavour  to  it.  Our  present 
tree  has  numerous  wooden  pegs  driven  into  it  at  short 
intervals,  and  is  thus  converted  into  a  capital  ladder  for 
the  Arabs  to  get  at  its  precious  stores  of  honey.  Our 
men  were  not  long  in  taking  advantage  of  them  to  make 
an  inspection  of  the  hollow  trunk,  and  much  to  their 
delight  they  found  that  the  bees  were  still  left  in  undis- 
turbed possession  of  this  year's  store. 

Whilst  our  people  were  trying  to  make  the  best  of 
our  present  locality,  we  took  a  short  stroll  in  the  woods, 
but  saw  nothing  to  give  us  hope  of  any  sport  here  beyond 
numerous  tracks  of  giraffe  and  a  few  of  rhinoceros.  After 
dinner  we  were  specially  invited  to  witness  the  Arab 
method  of  taking  honey.  A  fire  was  first  lit  close  to  a 
big  opening  at  the  bottom  of  the  trunk,  and  made  to 
give  out  large  volumes  of  smoke  that  passed  up  it.  Our 
oldest  camel-man,  an  adept  in  the  art,  who  declares  that 
he  has  collected  nearly  two  camel-loads  of  honey  in  one 
night,  climbed  up  the  tree,  and  with  no  other  clothing 


HOW  THEIR  HONEY  IS   TAKEN.  163 

upon  him  than  a  skin  of  leather  round  his  waist  entered 
a  hole  near  the  top  where  the  bees  were  collected. 
Here  he  found  so  much  honey  that  a  second  man  was 
required  to  enter  the  tree  at  the  bottom  to  hand  it  down. 
It  now  became  evident  that  though  one  Arab's  skin 
might  be  proof  against  stings,  others  were  not  so  ;  for 
the  rest  of  the  party  kept  well  out  of  harm's-way,  and 
showed  a  decided  objection  to  offering  any  assistance  until 
the  ever-useful  Ibrahim  came  as  usual  at  the  right  mo- 
ment to  the  front,  and  amidst  general  laughter  performed 
this  office.  Here  it  was  no  laughing  matter  for  him,  for 
whilst  holding  up  a  lighted  torch  with  one  hand  and  a  large 
pan  in  the  other,  the  frightened  and  half-stupified  bees 
fell  in  crowds  upon  him,  and,  though  making  their  escape 
as  fast  as  they  could,  many  of  them  were  not  unmindful  to 
let  him  pay  the  penalty  of  intrusion  by  a  passing  sting, 
that  caused  considerable  contortions  or  splutterings,  ac- 
cording to  whether  face  or  body  was  attacked.  Still  he 
did  not  flinch  from  his  work  until  all  the  honey  had  been 
collected,  and  then  the  magic  word  '  backsheesh '  made 
him  at  once  forget  his  stings.  As  to  the  old  man,  he 
required  no  sympathy,  for  he  is  evidently  one  of  the  lucky 
people  in  the  world  whom  bees  won't  sting  ;  and  whilst 
everyone  else  was  more  or  less  attacked  when  examining 
the  comb,  still  covered  with  bees,  he  stood  quietly  by  with- 
out noticing  the  scores  that  crept  over  his  legs  and  arms. 
Both  honey  and  comb  are  in  fine  condition.  A  good 

M  2 


164  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

deal  of  the  latter  is  white,  and  though  the  honey  is  very 
thin — flowing  more  like  water  than  ordinary  honey — it  is 
none  the  less  sweet,  and  has  a  very  delicate  flavour, 
quite  different  to  what  we  bought  at  Kassala. 

Feb.  21. — Four  of  our  men,  with  camels  laden  with 
our  skins  and  heads,  have  started  to-day  for  the  Ham- 
ran  village,  where  they  will  hand  over  our  property  to 
the  care  of  Sheik  Aghill,  and,  *  Inshallah,'  they  will  be 
back  again  in  four  days  \vith  two  new  horses,  a  goat  to 
supply  us  with  milk,  and  dhurra  for  all  our  live  stock. 
A  horse,  though  not  costing  much,  becomes  in  time  an 
expensive  commodity ;  for,  whether  with  English  or 
native  saddles,  their  backs  soon  become  sore,  and  they 
have  then  to  be  exchanged  at  great  loss,  or  new  ones 
bought.  One  of  our  original  purchases  stood  the  work 
well  for  some  time  ;  but  lately,  after  a  long  day,  it  sud- 
denly began  persisting  in  turning  to  the  left,  and  in  a  few 
days  this  tendency  had  so  increased  that  it  was  useless, 
and  had  to  be  put  on  the  sick-list.  This  horse  gradually 
became,  so  bad,  that  when  standing  he  would  almost  fall 
over  on  the  left  side,  and  when  trying  to  go  by  himself  he 
only  turned  round  in  circles  to  the  left.  He  was  then 
sentenced  to  be  shot  so  soon  as  a  favourite  haunt  of  a 
lion  could  be  found,  to  which  he  might  be  led  for  exe- 
cution. Somehow  or  other  the  shooting  process  has 
been  put  off  from  day  to  day,  from  our  not  liking  to  part 
with  a  tried  friend,  and  he  is  still  alive  and  with  us  ;  but 


THE   OLD  SOLDIER'S  DONKEY.  165 

how  he  managed  to  get  here  it  is  difficult  to  imagine. 
Now  his  career  is  likely  to  be  brought  suddenly  to  an 
end  from  an  unexpected  cause,  Ibrahim  wanting  him  to 
be  shot,  as  he  eats  twice  as  much  dhurra  as  the  other 
horses,  so  the  lions'  prospects  of  having  a  turn  at  him 
are  looking  up  again.  Our  two  pools  are  full  of  small 
fish,  and  some  of  our  men  have  amused  themselves  most 
of  the  day  in  catching  them  by  the  simple  process  of 
wading  and  feeling  for  them.  No  game  seen  to-day, 
excepting  a  leopard  which  sprang  across  Vivian's  path, 
and  was  instantly  lost  in  the  long  grass.  Now  that  the 
old  soldier  has  lost  his  chief  amusement  of  fishing,  all 
his  thoughts  are  turned  to  his  donkey,  that  he  calls 
£  Jarrone,'  and  often  he  can  be  heard  holding  long  con- 
versations with  him  as  he  grazes  quietly  along  the  bank, 
and  'Jarrone  gives  practical  proof  of  understanding  his 
master,  for  he  will  always  come  to  him  when  called, 
walking  or  trotting,  according  to  order  ;  and  if  eating 
and  sleeping  are  the  ways,  in  a  donkey's  opinion,  to  enjoy 
life,  then  Jarrone  must  indeed  be  happy. 

Feb.  22. — Vivian  and  Mohamed  have  ridden  over  a 
great  extent  of  country  skirting  the  Abyssinian  hills,  with- 
out seeing  any  game,  and  for  several  hours  Essafi  and 
myself  did  the  same ;  but  as  we  were  returning  home 
and  riding  along  the  bed  of  the  Royan,  Essafi,  on  turn- 
ing a  corner,  pulled  up  short,  and  whispered  '  daabee.' 
Dismounting  quietly,  I  was  most  fortunate  in  being  able 


1 66  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

to  have  a  steady  side-shot  at  a  lioness  from  eighty  to  a 
hundred  yards  off,  as  she  halted  when  crossing  the  river's 
bed  in  front  of  us,  and  merely  turned  her  head  in  our 
direction  to  look  at  the  intruders  on  her  solitude.  The  ex- 
press was  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  she  fell  dead  on  the 
spot  where  she  stood  from  a  bullet  that  entered  the  chest 
behind  the  right  shoulder,  and  passed  straight  through 
it.  At  the  same  moment  a  lion  sprang  out  from  be- 
hind some  long  grass  near  her,  and  instantly  disappeared 
again.  It  is  curious  to  see  how  much  these  Arabs  dread 
the  lions,  for  they  show  no  fear  of  the  other  animals  ; 
and  on  this  occasion,  though  Essafi  saw  me  standing 
over  the  dead  body,  he  crept  up  to  it  stealthily,  and  ham- 
strung it  with  his  sword  as  it  lay  stretched  out  at  full 
length.  Pleasant  as  it  was  to  stand  over  the  body  of 
one's  first  lion,  or  rather  lioness,  it  was  almost  disappoint- 
ing that  it  had  been  such  a  very  tame  performance,  hardly 
furnishing  even  any  material  for  the  diaries,  and  it  is 
about  time  that  there  should  be  a  startling  novelty  for 
insertion. 

During  the  process  of  skinning,  in  which  I  joined,  odo- 
riferous as  was  the  performance,  two  shots  were  heard 
close  to  us  in  the  direction  of  the  Abyssinian  hills,  and 
I  thought  they  were  fired  by  Vivian  ;  but  on  saying  so  to 
Essafi  he  shook  his  head,  and  began  talking  in  a  very 
excited  manner,  frequently  pointing  to  my  rifle.  Not  a 
word  could  I  understand,  and  therefore  could  not  solve  the 


ESSAFPS  ALARM  ABOUT  ABYSSINIANS.       167 

mystery ;  but  I  observed  that  during  the  skinning  perform- 
ance he  frequently  got  up,  walked  away  a  few  paces,  and 
looked  anxiously  around  him,  and  when  it  was  finished 
he  hurriedly  mounted  and  took  me  away  from  the  place 
without  ever  hinting  at  '  backsheesh,'  so  much  was  his 
great  mind  occupied  with  other  matters.  On  our  return 
to  camp,  Essafi  asked  Albert  to  find  out  if  I  had  under- 
stood what  he  said  to  me,  and  then  gave  the  following 
explanation. 

The  shots  were  fired  by  Abyssinians,  and,  as  he  was 
afraid  they  would  attack  us,  he  wanted  to  tell  me  that  if 
he  saw  them  approach,  and  I  heard  him  call  out 
c  haraam,'  I  was  to  fire  at  them,  as  they  would  be 
robbers,  and  would  kill  us  ;  but  if  either  side  called  out 
1  amaan,'  I  was  to  understand  that  they  were  friends. 
Under  these  circumstances,  it  was  fortunate  that  the 
extent  of  my  knowledge  of  Arabic  was  not  put  to  the 
test. 

In  our  necessarily  silent  rides  or  walks  there  is  not 
much  opportunity  given  us  to  pick  up  the  language  of 
our  hunters  ;  but  having  learnt  the  names  they  give  to 
the  various  animals,  and  having  established  a  fine  code 
of  signals,  we  manage  very  well  to  make  them  under- 
stand us. 

Emanuel  and  Albert  both  said  that  they  found  it 
at  first  difficult  to  understand  their  Arabic,  as  it  was 
very  different  from  what  they  had  been  accustomed  to, 


1 68  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 

and  we  certainly  find  the  '  Egyptian  Travelling  Inter- 
preter,' by  Gabriel  Sacroug,  Cairo,  is  only  of  slight  as- 
sistance to  us  here,  excellent  as  it  is  in  giving  a  general 
knowledge  of  the  more  common  Arabic  words  and 
phrases. 

Of  the  various  species  of  antelope  in  this  country 
we  have  so  far  killed  ten.  The  tetel  are,  as  a  rule,  by 
far  the  most  tame,  and  they  will  sometimes  stand  at  not 
more  than  fifty  yards'  distance,  and  look  at  us  as  we  pass 
them,  or  canter  off  quietly  in  their  own  peculiar  way,  as 
if  their  hind-legs  were  too  long,  or  their  horse-like  heads 
were  too  heavy  for  them.  Next  in  tameness  come  the 
hind  koodoos,  and  they  appear  to  be  as  thoroughly 
aware  that  their  hornless  heads  offer  us  no  attraction  as 
that  their  duty  in  life  is  to  keep  their  lords  and  masters, 
with  their  magnificent  heads,  well  out  of  harm's-way. 
All  the  other  antelope,  great  and  small,  have  a  very  good 
idea  of  what  distance  constitutes  safety  from  the  rifle, 
and  require  careful  stalking.  I  should  except  one  which, 
though  occasionally  shot,  has  not  as  yet  been  mentioned, 
as  we  find  it  about  the  Royan  less  wild  than  usual.  It 
is  the  Dorcas  gazelle,  and  besides  being  a  little  larger  than 
the  common  gazelle,  it  has  as  a  distinctive  mark  a 
horizontal  black  line  on  each  side. 

One  gazelle  to-day  was  particularly  friendly,  and 
after  allowing  me  to  pass  within  twenty  yards  of  it,  to 
my  surprise  it  trotted  up  close  to  me,  and  then  followed 


WE  ENTER  ABYSSINIA.  169 

me  for  some  distance.  Fortunately  the  larder  was  well 
stocked,  or  its  confidence  would  have  been  poorly  repaid. 
Essafi's  report  of  having  heard  the  Abyssinians  firing 
has  so  frightened  our  camel-men  that  they  refuse  to 
accompany  us  higher  up  the  Royan  than  our  present 
encampment,  declaring  by  way  of  excuse  that  they  have 
strict  orders  from  Sheik  Aghill  not  to  do  so  ;  but  as 
Essafi  and  Mohamed  are  willing  to  come  with  us,  we 
have  decided  upon  making  a  two  days'  excursion  without 
the  camel-men.  Albert  says  they  would  not  be  afraid 
if  they  were  always  with  us  ;  but  when  we  are  out  all 
day,  they  will  be  left  in  camp  without  anyone  with  fire- 
arms to  protect  them,  whilst  too  few  in  number  to  protect 
one  another  ;  and  in  this  line  of  argument  there  is  some 
reason.  They  have  escaped  from  the  neighbourhood  of 
one  terrible  enemy,  the  Base  (or  Barea),  to  fall,  they 
would  have  us  believe,  into  the  hands  of  our  present 
neighbours,  the  Abyssinians,  whom  they  call  El  Makada, 
and  dread  even  more  than  the  Base.  Probably  a  good 
deal  of  all  this  is  assumed,  so  that  they  may  not  be  far 
removed  from  their  villages  ;  but  there  must  be  some 
truth  in  it,  for  late  to-night  Albert  called  us  out  to  look 
at  them,  and  we  found  them  all  crouching  behind  a 
sand-bank  watching  for  El  Makada  robbers,  whose  ap- 
proach they  suspected  by  a  sudden  fright,  amongst  the 
horses. 

Feb.  23. — The  great  march  has  been  effected,  and, 


1 70  LIFE   WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 

wonderful  to  relate,  three  camel-men  were  bold  enough 
to  accompany  us,  and  we  are  now  encamped  on  some 
rising  ground  above  the  Royan,  named  Immam,  south- 
east of  Birket  Johda,  and  perhaps  eight  miles  farther 
up  the  river,  and  within  the  boundary  line  of  the  Abys- 
sinian frontier.  Albert  and  Ibrahim  have  come  with  us, 
whilst  the  cook  Mohamed  and  Hadji  Basheer  are  left 
behind  in  charge  of  our  stores,  and  by  special  request 
they  have  been  given  a  loaded  gun  to  frighten  away  any 
trespassers.  When  more  than  half  way  we  crossed  the 
Royan,  where  there  are  well-known  pools  of  good  water, 
and  sundry  evidences  of  its  being  a  favourite  camping- 
ground  of  Abyssinians  or  Hamrans.  It  has  a  name, 
which  Wad-el-Hallan  will  about  represent.  En  route 
Vivian  had  a  shot  at  a  maariff  as  he  drank  at  a  pool, 
and  though  hit  in  the  shoulder  he  was  able  to  go  off 
with  only  a  limp,  and  be  lost  in  the  woods.  Essafi 
and  Mohamed  were  at  once  on  the  track,  and  after  many 
faults  succeeded  in  following  it  up  until  they  cleared 
the  wood  and  came  upon  a  flat  piece  of  open  ground, 
with  here  and  there  a  solitary  tall  mimosa.  We  had  not 
advanced  far  over  it  when  Essafi  pointed  out  the  maariff 
standing  still  a  long  way  off.  Away  we  galloped  after 
him,  but  were  soon  distanced  by  Essafi  on  his  perfect 
little  grey  horse,  and  on  approaching  the  animal,  which 
stood  its  ground  boldly,  he  leapt  off,  and  with  drawn 
sword  went  quietly  towards  it.  We  soon  arrived  at  the 


ESSAFI ENCOUNTERS  A  WOUNDED  MAARIFF.     171 

same  place,  and  then  were  witnesses  of  an  uncommonly 
pretty  spectacle,  that  we  preferred  to  see  played  out  rather 
than  cut  short  by  the  rifle.  The  maariff  allowed  Essafi 
to  come  quite  close  to  it,  and  then  charged  him  with 
great  ferocity,  making  Essafi  turn  on  his  heel  and  run 
for  his  life  for  a  few  moments,  until  it  was  too  exhausted 
to  follow  him.  In  vain  did  Essafi  try  to  get  round  it 
to  hamstring  it  ;  the  maariff,  with  its  unpleasantly 
pointed  horns,  was  master  of  the  situation,  until  Essafi 
by  degrees  enticed  it  to  follow  him  to  a  tree,  when, 
standing  close  behind  the  trunk,  he  allowed  the  maariff 
to  charge  him  again,  and  as  it  did  so  he  dodged  round 
the  tree,  and  wifh  one  spring  his  sword  had  severed  the 
tendon,  and  his  enemy  was  vanquished  ;  and  then  with 
one  thrust  he  sent  his  favourite  weapon  far  into  the  chest. 
On  our  witnessing  the  terrific  force  with  which  the 
maariff  threw  back  its  head  when  it  thought  Essafi  was 
within  reach  of  its  horns,  we  could  not  help  thinking 
what  an  escape  dimming  had  from  more  serious  injury 
from  this  species  of  antelope. 

Vivian,  wishing  to  preserve  the  skin  of  the  neck  with 
the  head  of  his  first  specimen  of  this  rare  antelope,  gave 
an  order  that  the  throat  was  not  to  be  cut  across  as 
usual  by  his  hunter,  and  the  result  is  the  Arabs  will  not 
eat  the  animal.  Now  that  they  are  well  supplied  with 
meat,  dried  or  otherwise,  their  religious  scruples  are 
cropping  up  again,  but  they  never  stand  in  their  way 


i?2  LIFE   WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 

when  a  hippo  is  found  floating.  It  is  said  that  when 
the  maariff  was  first  found  by  Baker,  he  asked  an  Arab 
what  he  called  it,  and  the  man  replied  something  to  that 
effect,  and  it  was  named  by  Baker  accordingly  ;  but  as 
the  Arabic  for  '  I  don't  know  '  is  '  ana  maarafshi,'  l  it  has 
been  suggested  that,  however  good  the  name,  the 
Arab's  answer  had  this  meaning.  Whoever  gave  it  this 
name,  however,  it  is  certain  that  Essafi  was  quite 
familiar  with  it.  Just  before  dinner  our  hunters  peti- 
tioned us  to  shoot  some  guinea-fowl  for  their  supper,  as 
of  late  years,  they  said,  they  had  given  up  their  custom 
of  not  eating  them  ;  so  Vivian,  taking  his  ten-bore 
loaded  with  shot  cartridges,  very  quickly  complied  with 
their  request,  and  those  which  survived  sufficiently  long  to 
have  their  throats  cut  were  soon  feathered  with  the  as- 
sistance of  hot  water,  cut  up,  and  put  into  a  pot  to  stew 
with  elephant's  fat,  and  of  all  the  varieties  of  fat  the 
Arabs  carefully  collect  that  of  the  elephant  is  by  far  the 
most  prized 

Feb.  24. — Since  our  departure  from  the  Settite  we 
had  lost  the  music  of  the  night,  so  pleasant  to  the 
hunter's  ear — the  lion's  roar — until  last  night,  when  at  an 
early  hour  it  was  heard  close  to  our  encampment.  Essafi 
and  Mohamed  came  to  us  at  once,  and  off  we  started  in 
pursuit,  the  rising  moon  giving  enough  light  to  guide 
us  on  our  way  to  a  pool,  towards  which  the  lion  was 

1  Gabriel  Sacroug. 


WAITING  AT  NIGHT  FOR  A   LION.  173 

apparently  directing  his  steps.  To  reach  it  we  were 
obliged  to  wade  through  some  shallow  water,  and 
directly  afterwards  had  to  crouch  in  a  part  of  the  damp 
river-bed  which  was  sheltered  from  the  moon,  upon  hear- 
ing that  the  lion  was  approaching  us.  After  the  fatigue 
of  a  long  day  under  a  scorching  sun,  this  under  ordinary 
circumstances  would  have  been  rather  a  severe  trial 
for  the  health  ;  but  momentarily  expecting  the  appear- 
ance on  the  scene  of  a  lion,  which  is  only  concealed  by 
a  thick  bush  within  ten  yards  of  you,  just  makes  all  the 
difference,  and  so  it  was  with  us.  Concealed  under  this 
bush  he  remained,  though  kindly  informing  us  of  his 
presence  every  few  minutes  by  a  very  fine  roar,  that  re- 
sounded amongst  the  low  hills,  and  was  almost  too  close 
to  be  pleasant.  On  each  side  of  the  bush  there  was  a 
path  down  the  bank,  and  as  we  felt  sure  he  would  come 
to  the  pool  by  one  or  other,  we  each  guarded  one,  whilst 
remaining  so  quiet,  with  our  men  close  behind,  us,  that 
we  hardly  dared  to  breathe  for  fear  of  disturbing  his 
plans.  Stir,  however,  he  would  not  from  his  snug  retreat 
until  at  last — when,  from  our  remaining  so  long  in  our 
cramped  position,  he  might  have  had  an  easy  victory — the 
moon  brought  the  seance  to  a  close,  by  rising  over  our 
heads  and  bringing  us  fully  into  view,  and  immediately 
afterwards  the  roar  of  a  retreating  lion  told  us  that  we  also 
might  return  home.  Retracing  our  steps,  we  were  quite 
of  opinion  that  there  were  more  pleasant  occupations 


174  LIFE.  WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 

than  even  watching  for  lions  by  moonlight,  and  though 
we  have  long  waited  her  coming  we  are  not  now  likely  to 
take  much  further  advantage  of  her  presence  with  us. 

The  Arabs  frequently  get  small  wounds,  which  they 
always  corne  in  a  party  to  have  dressed,  and  in  Vivian 
and  Albert  I  have  two  most  willing  assistants.  Albert 
is  quite  an  authority  on  the  eye,  for  he  spent  one  winter 
in  Egypt  with  an  Italian  oculist,  and  at  the  expiration 
of  their  travels  together  received  from  him  a  very  flatter- 
ing testimonial  as  to  his  knowledge  of  the  external 
diseases  of  the  eye,  and  also  a  complete  case  of  eye  in- 
struments. This  oculist,  Albert  says,  having  made  him- 
self very  notorious  in  Cairo  by  some  successful  opera- 
tions there,  determined  upon  taking  advantage  of  his 
rapidly  spreading  fame  in  the  country,  and  started  up 
the  Nile  with  Albert  in  a  '  dahabeeah,'  laden  with  small 
bottles,  and  having  a  good  supply  of  sulphate  of  zinc. 
Thus  fitted  out,  he  drove  such  a  thriving  trade  in  that  most 
invaluable  of  eye  lotions  to  Egyptians,  whilst  making  a 
short  stay  at  all  the  towns  bordering  the  Nile,  that  the 
stock  of  zinc  became  exhausted,  and  then  the  curative 
powers  of  bottled  eau  de  Nil  were  allowed  full  play,  and 
with  the  same  satisfactory  results  in  a  pecuniary  sense, 
according  to  his  assistant's  account.  The  charge  for 
each  consultation  was  a  dollar,  and  as  the  patient  had  to 
present  this  amount  before  one  was  granted  him,  there 
was  no  chance  of  an  accumulation  of  bad  debts.  Albert 


A  LESSON  IN  SURGERY.  175 

is  evidently  much  impressed  with  his  late  master's  powers, 
and  says  that  besides  the  above-mentioned  drug  he 
used  many  other  local  applications,  and  with  such 
wonderfully  good  results  that  the  natives  flocked  to  him, 
and  never  grumbled  at  the  silver  key  that  opened  his 
door  to  them. 

One  of  our  Arabs  to-day  very  nearly  succeeded  in 
cutting  off  a  thumb  whilst  we  were  in  camp,  and  he  was 
brought  up  in  triumph  by  his  friends  to  have  the  wound 
dressed.  Sewing  it  up  caused  them  immense  astonish- 
ment, as  they  had  never  seen  such  a  performance  ;  and 
the  victim,  far  too  much  interested,  to  mind  the  pain  it 
caused,  disdained  having  his  arm  held  steady  by  Vivian, 

We  have  ridden  to-day  separately  over  a  great  ex- 
tent of  country,  in  the  low  ground  amongst  the  Abys- 
sinian hills,  without  seeing  any  kind  of  game  beyond 
antelope.  Our  men  say  this  is  due  to  the  Abyssinian 
hunters  having  driven  it  away,  and  Essafi  certainly  did 
point  out  to  me  marks  of  numerous  recent  encampments, 
and  stumps  of  trees  that  had  been  cut  down  for  rhino- 
ceros trap  blocks.  Taking  honey  was  the  entertainment 
of  this  evening,  to  which  we  were  specially  invited,  as  it 
was  to  be  done  somewhat  differently  to  the  last  time. 

On  this  occasion  the  tree  was  a  small  one  (not  a 
baobab),  and  though  hollow  had  only  one  hole 
near  the  bottom  for  the  entrance  of  bees.  This  hole 
having  been  closely  plugged  with  a  skin,  the  men  set  to 


i;6  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

work  in  turn  to  make  another  about  four  feet  higher  up  ; 
and  very  hard  work  it  was,  for  they  had  only  brought 
with  them  a  little  native  hatchet,  and  the  moon  not 
as  yet  having  risen,  with  only  the  light  of  a  small  fire 
to  guide  them.  When  this  feat  was  accomplished,  the 
lower  hole  was  opened  and  some  burning  wood  pushed 
into  it,  and  immediately  the  bees  came  pouring  out  of 
the  upper  one.  After  allowing  them  a  little  time  to  dis- 
perse, an  Arab  thrust  his  hand  into  the  newly-made  hole, 
which  was  situated  directly  above  the  hive,  and  brought 
out  piece  after  piece  of  well-filled  comb  in  excellent 
condition,  until  no  more  could  be  reached,  and  then  we 
returned  home  with  the  spoil. 


A    VERY  UNLUCKY  DAY.  177 


CHAPTER   XI. 

Feb.  25. — We  have  returned  to  Berket  Johda  and  to 
our  two  mud- pools,  but  merely  to  pass  the  night,  for  to- 
morrow we  intend  moving  farther  down  the  Royan  to 
try  our  luck  there.  Mohanled,  the  cook,  made  a  great 
display  of  delight  at  our  safe  return,  though  his  fears 
were  evidently  more  nearly  associated  with  want  of  con- 
fidence in  the  combined  cooking  powers  of  Albert  and 
Ibrahim  than  with  thoughts  of  Abyssinians.  A  rhino- 
ceros took  a  mean  advantage  of  our  absence  by  paying 
a  visit  at  night  to  our  pools,  and  was  not  easily  driven 
away  by  the  guardians  of  our  property. 

This  has  been  a  very  unlucky  day  for  most  of  us. 
Thanks  to  Essafi,  I  lost  the  only  good  chance  I  shall 
probably  have  of  shooting  an  ostrich,  for,  coming  round 
a  sharp  bend  of  the  river,  I  saw  from  behind  a  tree  a 
tetel  and  a  black  ostrich  close  to  one  another,  and  not 
more  than  eighty  yards  off.  Just  as  I  was  going  to  fire 
at  the  ostrich,  Essafi  pulled  me  and  said  '  la '  (no),  be- 
lieving that  I  had  only  seen  the  tetel  and  was  aiming  at 
it.  At  the  same  moment  the  ostrich  perceived  us,  and 

N 


i;8  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

was  off  like  the  wind,  running  as  only  an  ostrich  can  run, 
and  escaped  unhurt.  Returning  here,  I  placed  my  eight- 
bore  under  the  special  charge  of  Ibrahim,  as  I  knew  I 
should  not  want  it  for  rhinoceros,  and  on  my  arrival  I 
learnt  to  my  dismay  that  the  stock  and  barrel  had  parted 
company,  through  the  carelessness  of  an  Arab  to  whom 
Ibrahim  had  given  it  to  carry  for  a  short  time.  The 
only  explanation  I  could  get  from  this  individual  was 
that  God  must  have  broken  it.  Still  it  is  of  little  im- 
portance how  or  by  whom  it  was  broken,  for  now  some 
of  the  steel  is  smashed,  and  its  chequered  career  is  defi- 
nitely brought  to  a  close,  so  far  as  this  country  is  con- 
cerned, and  with,  it  my  prospect  of  killing  any  more  big 
game.  But  there  has  been  a  loss  far  more  grievous  to 
the  individual  concerned  than  mine,  for  the  old  soldier 
has  lost  his  donkey,  Jarrone  having  decamped  with  the 
sick  horse  during  the  afternoon  unobserved  by  anyone, 
and  is  now  nowhere  to  be  found.  Hadji  Basheer  has 
spent  the  entire  evening  by  himself,  crying  piteously  ; 
but  he  has  been  somewhat  comforted  by  the  promise  of 
two  horses  to-morrow,  that  with  an  Arab  he  may  follow 
their  tracks,  and  it  is  generally  believed  that  if  they  do 
not  meet  any  lions  or  hygenas  by  the  way  (N.B.  hyaenas 
are  reported  to  be  particularly  partial  to  donkeys),  they 
will  be  found  at  our  last  encampment  on  the  Settite  ;  and 
if  they  have  gone  there  from  sheer  disgust  at  the 
water  they  have  had  to  drink  here,  they  ought  not  to  be 


BAD  NEWS  FOR   THE  HAMRANS.  179 

blamed  for  showing  such  good  taste.  The  loss  of  the 
sick  horse  is  of  no  importance,  beyond  the  fact  that  we 
might  have  saved  our  old  friend  a  painful  death  ;  and  that 
if  the  lions  do  eat  him,  it  is  a  pity  that  we  shall  not  have  a 
chance  of  hastening  their  digestion.  The  worst  news  of 
the  day,  however,  has  been  brought  from  the  Hamran 
village  by  the  men  we  sent  there  on  the  2ist,  and  it  has 
thrown  a  great  gloom  over  the  camp.  No  laughter  or 
singing  can  be  heard  to-night  around  the  camp-fire,  not 
even  the  dulcet  sounds  of  the  everlasting  '  rababa,'  but 
the  men  are  seen  to  be  talking  together  in  a  low  tone, 
well  out  of  hearing  of  the  old  soldier,  whom  they  look 
upon  as  their  common  enemy.  This  is  an  unnecessary 
precaution  for  them  to  take  to-night,  whilst  plotting  and 
planning  for  the  future,  as  Hadji  Basheer,  poor  old  fellow, 
if  he  has  not  cried  himself  to  sleep,  is  far  too  much  ab- 
sorbed with  thoughts  of  his  lost  Jarrone  to  pay  attention 
to  what  they  may  be  saying  against  the  Turks,  as  they 
call  the  people  of  whom  he  is  the  official  representative 
with  us.  The  report  which  has  burst  like  a  shell  upon  our 
men  is  that  Wadd  ab  Sin,  the  Sheik  of  Khartoum, 
through  whom  the  Hamrans  pay  taxes  to  the  Khedive 
(or  Sultan,  as  they  call  him),  has  just  sent  some  soldiers 
to  Sheik  Aghill  to  tell  him  that  from  henceforth  their 
taxation  will  be  doubled.  This  announcement,  com- 
municated by  Aghill  to  the  various  villages  under  Egypt's 
rule  through  their  respective  Sheiks,  has  caused  utter 


iSo  LIFE   WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

consternation  and  dismay  amongst  them,  ending  in  some 
instances  in  flight,  and  complete  dispersion  of  whole  vil- 
lages. Sheik  Achmet,  who  received  Emanuel  and  his 
party  on  our  first  arrival  in  the  country,  at  once  de- 
camped with  all  his  goods  eastward  to  a  territory  near 
the  river  Gash,  but  beyond  the  present  boundary  of 
Egyptian  rule,  and  the  people  under  him  have  fled  in 
different  directions.  Several  families  have  already  dis- 
appeared from  Sheik  AghiU's  chief  village,  Gwayha,  and 
he  says  that  he  will  pack  up  his  traps  and  be  off  if  this 
new  order  should  remain  in  force.  The  Sheik  of  Za- 
hani  has  moved  his  quarters  near  to  Kassala,  so  that  he 
may  be  directly  under  Munsinger  Pasha.  It  has  inte- 
rested us  much  to  hear  in  what  high  esteem  Munsinger 
is  held  by  these  Arabs.  They  look  upon  him  as  a  very 
just  man,  and  the  wish  is  universal  that  they  might  have 
him  placed  in  direct  authority  over  them,  instead  of  his 
representative  at  Khartoum.  Of  Wadd  ab  Sin  they 
speak  in  very  different  terms,  believing  that  half  the  taxes 
they  pay  remain  in  the  hands  of  himself  and  his  emis- 
saries. To  add  force  to  their  opinion  of  Munsinger,  they 
say  that  their  camels,  if  they  could  speak,  would  ask  for 
him.  The  present  Sheik  of  Khartoum  is  one  of  twenty- 
four  sons  of  the  great  Aboo  Sin,  who  at  one  time 
governed  a  large  portion  of  Upper  Egypt ;  and  all  his 
sons  have  been  made  Sheiks.  The  new  taxation  will 
amount,  our  men  say,  to  twenty-four  dollars  per  head, 


A   POPULAR  DISH.  181 

excepting  for  the  very  poor ;  and  the  general  feeling 
amongst  them  is  that,  as  this  cannot  be  paid,  their  homes 
must  be  broken  up  and  their  families  scattered.  No  won- 
der, then,  that  sorrow  reigns  supreme  here  now.  Sheik 
Aghill  has  sent  us  the  two  horses  we  required,  and  we 
have  reduced  his  price  from  thirty  to  twenty-five  dollars 
apiece.  Another  valuable  addition  to  our  live  stock  is 
the  goat,  for  which  we  have  paid  two  dollars  and  a  half. 
Having  brought  amongst  our  stores  a  large  stock  of 
Anglo-Swiss  condensed  milk,  this  has  answered  all  our 
purposes  very  well,  and  it  has  only  recently  occurred 
to  us  that  the  presence  of  a  goat  would  add  to  our 
personal  comforts.  Now,  however,  the  time  has  arrived 
when  our  stores  are  beginning  to  show  a  serious  dimi- 
nution in  some  of  their  pleasant  rather  than  necessary 
items.  One  especially,  from  its  extreme  popularity 
both  amongst  our  attendants  and  ourselves,  is  all  but 
consumed  ;  and,  considering  that  it  has  been  by  special 
request  the  invariable  daily  wind-up  to  our  dinners,  it  is 
almost  surprising  it  has  lasted  so  long.  I  refer  to 
some  dried  apricots,  which,  when  stewed  ('  mishmish ') 
and  served  with  rice,  have  found  such  great  favour 
with  us. 

Both  here  and  at  our  last  camp  we  have  seen  numbers 
of  fireflies,  and  when  it  is  dark,  during  the  early  part 
of  the  night,  before  the  moon  has  risen,  it  is  pleasant  to 
follow  them  with  the  eye  by  the  light  they  evolve  as 


1 82  LIFE    WITH  THE  HA  AIR  AN  ARABS. 

they  fly  amongst  the  bushes.  One  tree  to-night  was  so 
covered  with  them  that  it  looked  as  if  innumerable  fairy 
lanterns  were  suspended  from  it.  The  light  from  this  fly 
appears  to  be  more  brilliant,  though  smaller,  than  that 
of  the  glowworm. 

Feb.  26. — Unlucky  Friday  !  Hadji  Basheer  started  off 
soon  after  sunrise  with  an  Arab,  in  search  of  Jarrone— 
both  being  mounted  on  horses,  according  to  promise — 
and  at  once  came  upon  the  track  of  his  pet  and  of  the 
sick  horse  together.  For  two  hours  they  followed  them 
in  the  direction  of  Emhaggar,  then  came  a  fault,  and 
though  their  tracks  were  found  again,  it  was  soon  followed 
by  another,  and  so  on  until  the  declining  sun  warned 
them  that  the  search  must  be  given  up,  and  that  they 
must  turn  their  horses'  heads  homewards.  Now  all  hope 
of  finding  Jarrone  is  practically  at  an  end,  and  it  is 
really  most  painful  to  witness  the  old  man's  grief  as  he 
mourns  over  his  great  loss.  He  has  spent  the  whole 
evening  under  a  tree,  telling  the  Arabs,  as  he  calls  them 
one  by  one  to  him,  the  oft-repeated  tale  of  how  he  had 
reared  Jarrone  from  his  birth,  and  loved  him  more  than 
his  own  children,  for  Jarrone,  he  said,  he  had  always 
with  him  ;  and  then,  after  declaring  he  was  sure  that 
if  God  had  wanted  to  perform  a  miracle  He  would  have 
chosen  to  make  Jarrone  speak,  came  the  grand  climax 
of  a  flood  of  tears.  We  have  tried  to  induce  him  to  feel 
some  hope  yet,  by  offering  a  handsome  reward  to  the 


THE  LOSS  OF  JARRONE.  183 

Arabs  if  they  bring  him  back,  but  without  producing 
much  effect  upon  him.  Just  now  he  said  to  Albert,  '  The 
gentlemen  will  want  me  to  go  to  Kassala  soon  for  them  ; 
but  how  can  I  return  to  my  home  without  my  Jarrone  ? ' 
Excepting  ourselves,  there  is  probably  not  much  sym- 
pathy thrown  away  upon  him,  for  Albert  does  nothing 
but  laugh  when  narrating  his  griefs,  and  the  Arabs  would 
be  equally  pleased  if  he  and  his  donkey  had  disappeared 
together.  After  taking  a  direction  south-west  from  Birket 
Johda  for  about  four  hours,  we  have  now  pitched  our 
camp  on  a  bank,  near  two  small  pools  in  the  bed  of  a 
river  named  El-la-Mab.  No  reference  is  made  by  Baker 
to  this  river,  though  it  forms  a  very  important  tributary 
to  the  Roy  an,  which  it  joins  a  little  beyond  and  to  the 
north-west  of  our  camp.  At  their  junction  in  the  form 
of  a  V  it  is  quite  as  wide  as  the  Royan  ;  but  its  banks 
are  by  comparison  low,  and  it  is  equally  dry. 

By  a  stupid  misunderstanding  between  Essafi  and 
Mohamed,  the  latter  took  Vivian  to  the  wrong  place, 
and  it  was  late  in  the  evening  before  they  found  us  out, 
and  not  before  they  had  caused  us  some  anxiety  as  to 
their  prospects  for  the  night.  Whilst  waiting  for  our 
arrival,  they  were  soon  more  fully  than  pleabantly  occu- 
pied ;  for,  having  seated  themselves  unconsciously  be- 
tween two  swarms  of  bees — one  in  a  tree  and  another 
in  the  cleft  of  a  rock — they  completely  fell  into  the 
enemies'  hands,  and  were  punished  accordingly  ;  and 


1 84  LIFE    WITH   THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

after  making  good  their  escape  they  were  able  at  their 
leisure  to  pick  out  one  another's  stings.  Fortunately 
these  bees  do  not  cause  much  more  than  momentary  pain  ; 
but  whether  this  is  due  to  a  weakness  in  their  own 
powers,  or  to  the  process  of  tanning  that  our  skins  have 
undergone,  is  a  problem  much  too  scientific  for  us  to 
solve,  though  hardly  a  day  passes  without  our  experi- 
encing a  practical  proof  of  the  fact. 

In  the  afternoon  Essafi  took  me  on  foot  to  a  wood 
near  here,  and,  after  wandering  about  in  it  for  some 
time,  we  came  unexpectedly  upon  a  buffalo  lying  down 
about  thirty  yards  off,  and  facing  us.  I  had  with  me 
Vivian's  single  Henry  '577-bore,  loaded  with  hardened 
ball,  and  as  the  buffalo  looked  up  before  rising  I  shot 
him  in  the  front  of  the  neck,  and  death  was  so  instan- 
taneous that,  beyond  falling  over  on  one  side,  he  never 
moved  again.  It  is  the  finest  head  I  have  yet  obtained ; 
but  what  is  of  most  importance  is  the  fact  that  this 
fatal  shot  has  given  me  such  confidence  in  the  killing 
powers  of  the  rifle  that  I  shall  try  it  upon  the  next 
rhinoceros  I  find.  Vivian  would  lend  me  his  ten-bore 
alternate  days,  but  after  the  ill-luck  of  my  big  gun  I 
fear  to  use  it,  and  prefer  taking  my  chance  with  the 
Henry,  though  it  is  but  a  single  one.  We  have  also  in 
reserve  a  twelve-bore  rifle,  but  we  fear  it  carries  too 
small  a  charge  of  powder  to  be  of  any  use. 

On  our  return  for  camels  to  bring  the  buffalo  home, 


ARRIVAL   OF  A    VETERAN  HUNTER.  185 

we  were  told  that  two  of  the  horses,  Essafi's  being  one, 
disappeared  directly  after  our  arrival  here,  and  could  not 
be  found,  though  four  Arabs  had  been  in  search  of  them. 
It  was  now  Essafi's  turn  to  look  grave  ;  but  not  being 
one  to  brood  inactively  over  his  sorrows,  he  instantly 
picked  out  two  or  three  special  friends,  and  went  off  in 
pursuit.  Those  told  off  to  seek  the  dead  buffalo  begged 
me  to  accompany  them,  and  were  highly  pleased  at  my 
mounting  one  of  their  camels  with  only  a  native  saddle 
on  it.  After  dismounting  on  our  arrival  at  the  wood,  it 
only  required  a  few  minutes'  search  to  tell  me  that  I 
could  give  them  no  assistance  in  finding  the  buffalo  ;  and 
our  tracks  having  frequently  recrossed  one  another,  the 
men  gave  up  the  search  very  soon  and  returned  home. 
Essafi  and  his  friends  were  equally  unsuccessful ;  but  no 
one  seems  to  doubt  that  the  horses  will  be  found  to- 
morrow, when  there  will  be  more  time  to  follow  their 
tracks,  either  at  our  last  camp  or  somewhere  on  the 
Settite. 

Feb.  27. — A  party  of  Hamran  elephant-hunters  paid 
us  a  visit  to-day,  headed  by  the  great  hunter  Roder 
Sheriff — now  quite  an  old  though  hale-looking  man.  So 
he  is  not  dead  after  all,  as  originally  stated.  They  are 
on  their  way  to  Abyssinia,  being  sent  by  Sheik  Aghill  at 
the  special  request  of  an  Abyssinian  Sheik,  who  requires 
their  assistance  in  consequence  of  the  presence  of  great 
numbers  of  elephants  in  his  part  of  the  country.  These 


1 86  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

Sheiks  enter  occasionally  into  regular  contracts,  of  which 
the  Hamran  Sheik  has  no  cause  to  complain,  for  whilst  his 
men  are  hunting  in  Abyssinia  both  they  and  their  horses 
have  to  be  fed  by  their  host,  and  fresh  horses  found  by 
him  if  theirs  fall  sick,  and  an  equal  division  is  made  of 
all  tusks  and  hides.  We  can  answer  for  it  that  they 
will  have  one  horse  unfit  for  work,  for  Roder  Sheriff 
managed  to  do  a  stroke  of  business  with  us  by  an  ex- 
change of  one  plus  eight  dollars,  and  now  we  have  four 
really  sound  horses  for  personal  use.  With  all  our  care, 
it  is  most  difficult  to  keep  their  backs  sound  ;  but  we 
find  the  native  saddles  the  least  injurious,  and  as  in  pur- 
chasing a  horse  saddle  and  bridle  are  always  included, 
we  have  no  lack  of  them. 

Essafi  and  Mohamed  went  off  at  a  very  early  hour 
in  search  of  the  strayed  horses,  so  Vivian  and  myself 
did  a  little  hunting  on  our  own  account,  in  opposite  di- 
rections, though  not  straying  very  far  from  home,  for 
even  with  the  assistance  of  a  compass  in  times  of  doubt 
it  is  a  most  difficult  country  to  find  one's  way  about  in, 
owing  to  the  high  table-land,  the  large  woods,  and  the 
absence  of  any  specially  defined  hills.  Beyond  antelope 
we  neither  of  us  found  any  game,  but  it  has  proved  a 
day  in  my  calendar  not  likely  to  be  soon  forgotten. 
Keeping  my  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground  close  in  front  of 
me,  I  was  deeply  engrossed  in  my  occupation  of  follow- 
ing up  the  fresh  track  of  a  buffalo,  in  a  path  through  the 


CURIOUS  SHOT  AT  A    COBRA.  187 

wood  I  was  in  yesterday,  when  I  was  suddenly  startled 
by  a  rustle  in  the  grass,  and  looking  up  I  saw  reared  up 
before  me,  and  not  more  than  a  yard  off,  a  cobra.  It 
was  directly  facing  me,  and,  with  outstretched  hood,  must 
have  been  on  the  point  of  striking.  In  an  instant  my 
rifle  was  discharged,  more  to  frighten  it  from  its  inten- 
tions than  for  any  other  reason  ;  but,  to  my  astonish- 
ment, its  head  was  laid  low,  and  beyond  a  considerable 
writhing  of  the  body  it  could  not  move  from  its  place. 
When  it  was  clearly  dead  I  examined  the  wound,  and 
it  is  a  most  singular  fact  that,  though  the  bullet  was  a 
twelve-bore  spherical  one  (I  had  taken  out  this  rifle 
hoping  to  test  its  powers  on  a  buffalo),  and  therefore  of 
good  size,  it  had  passed  through  the  neck  so  exactly  in 
the  median  line  that  it  left  a  thin  piece  of  skin  intact  on 
each  side — attributable  no  doubt  to  the  hood  being  out- 
stretched. My  recollection  of  the  boy  at  Cairo  with  his 
performing  cobras  made  me  at  once  recognise  my  fallen 
enemy  ;  and,  thankful  for  the  narrow  escape  I  believed  I 
had  had,  I  brought  it  home  in  triumph.  It  measures 
five  feet  four  inches,  and  will  come  in  most  opportunely, 
as  I  promised  a  friend  in  London  to  present  him  with  a 
snake  for  a  new  museum  he  is  forming. 

Our  hunters  found  the  horses  at  Emhaggar,  and  on 
their  way  home  they  disturbed  three  lions  feeding  on 
the  carcass  of  a  buffalo.  No  time  was  therefore  lost  in 
returning  with  us  to  the  spot,  but  so  far  as  seeing  any 


i88  LIFE   WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

lions  was  concerned  we  might  just  as  well  have  stayed 
at  home,  for  they  had  dragged  the  remains  into  a  thick 
jungle  far  above  our  heads,  and  in  its  dry  state  it  gave 
them  timely  notice  of  our  approach.  Guided  by  the 
vultures,  who  were  eagerly  watching  the  feast  from  the 
surrounding  trees,  we  entered  the  jungle  from  different 
points,  and  happening  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  back  of 
a  lion  as  he  sprang  through  the  grass  close  in  front  of 
me  I  gave  him  a  salute,  to  which  he  replied  with  a 
roar  as  he  continued  his  course  onwards.  Vivian  heard 
another  go  away  in  his  direction.  We  then  remained 
in  ambush  near  the  buffalo,  keeping  a  very  sharp  look- 
out in  all  directions  for  any  movement  in  the  jungle 
until  after  sunset,  but  we  neither  saw  them  nor  heard 
them  again,  and  then  in  the  rapidly  supervening  dark- 
ness we  had  to  follow  our  men  home  as  best  we  could. 
They  did  not  at  all  realise  the  fact  that  our  eyes  have 
not  the  cat-like  powers  of  their  own,  and  we  consequently 
had  some  narrow  escapes  from  breaking  our  noses  over 
roots  or  fallen  branches.  Mohamed  on  one  occasion,  in 
letting  go  a  small  mimosa  branch  which  he  had  carefully 
avoided,  very  nearly  succeeded  in  doing  serious  injury 
to  Vivian,  as  in  swinging  back  it  gave  him  a  very  sharp 
blow  across  the  right  eyelid.  Had  it  struck  the  eye 
his  chances  of  sport  would  have  been  brought  to  a  sum- 
mary conclusion. 

The  wounded  hand  has  already  quite  healed,  and  the 


EXCITING  SPORT  WITH  A   LION.  189 

Arabs  are  amazed  with  the  success  of  the  sewing-up 
treatment,  saying  that  according  to  their  method  the 
whole  arm  would  have  become  swollen,  and  the  man 
would  have  been  crippled  for  a  month  or  more.  Back- 
sheesh  was  of  course  asked  for  the  return  of  the  horses, 
and  given  ;  but  the  special  petition  of  Essafi's  father 
(who  is  on  a  visit  to  us)  for  some  because  he  prayed  for 
their  safe  return,  was  a  little  too  good  to  be  encouraged, 
though  he  claims  to  belong  to  the  priesthood.  Essafi 
senior  is  a  fine-looking  old  man,  who  at  one  time  held 
a  very  influential  position  as  a  Sheik  and  an  owner  of 
several  camels  and  cattle  ;  but  troubles  falling  heavily 
upon  him,  he  lost  his  position  and  his  property,  and  is 
now  dependent  to  a  great  extent  upon  his  son.  He 
came  to  us  originally  bringing  grain  for  his  son's  horse, 
and  he  is  perhaps  not  the  only  instance  on  record  of  a 
man  who,  finding  his  quarters  as  a  guest  very  comfort- 
able and  being  in  nobody's  way,  is  loth  to  depart  from 
them  until  he  receives  more  than  a  hint  that  his  room 
would  be  preferred  to  his  compan}'. 

Feb.  28. — Vivian  has  had  an  exciting  day's  sport,  and 
is  therefore  to  be  congratulated,  as  it  has  been  rather 
slack  of  late.  Hoping  to  see  our  friends  of  yesterday 
again,  he  left  camp  very  early  with  Mohamed,  and  upon 
arriving  near  the  jungle  was  pleased  to  see  the  ever- 
watchful  vultures  patiently  waiting  their  time,  and  there- 
fore showing  that  the  feast  was  still  attended  by  other 


190  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

guests.  Owing  to  the  extreme  dryness  of  the  long 
grass,  it  was  impossible  to  prevent  their  approach  being 
heard,  and  away  went  a  lion  without  giving  the  chance  of 
a  shot.  They  then  made  a  short  cut  to  the  bank  of  the 
river-bed,  hoping  thus  to  head  him  ;  but  he  had  the  start, 
and  on  their  arriving  there  they  found  he  had  crossed  it, 
and  could  see  him  some  way  off  trotting  along  quite 
leisurely.  A  shot  was  then  fired  with  the  hope  of  making 
him  stop  ;  but  he  declined,  and  crossing  another  bend  of 
the  dry  bed  of  the  Royan  was  for  a  moment  lost  to  view. 
Following  in  his  course,  and  mounting  the  bank  beyond 
which  he  was  last  seen,  he  again  came  into  view  ;  and 
now  another  shot  had  the  desired  effect  of  bringing 
him  to  a  standstill.  Vivian  then  crept  towards  him 
under  cover  of  one  of  the  large  anthills,  and  from  this 
point  he  could  just  see  the  head  as,  crouching  in  the 
grass,  the  lion  faced  him.  This  time  Vivian  hit  him,  and 
quite  altered  his  tactics,  for  with  one  fore-leg  crippled 
he  sprang  forward,  and  at  the  same  moment  Vivian  fired 
again  but  without  effect.  Vivian's  only  chance  now  was 
his  second  rifle,  but  on  turning  round  to  take  it  from 
Mohamed  he  found  to  his  disgust  that  hunter  and  rifle 
were  rapidly  disappearing.  By  this  time  the  lion  was 
within  ten  yards  of  him  and  still  advancing,  so  with  an 
unloaded  rifle  there  was  nothing  left  for  him  to  do  but 
to  follow  Mohamed  as  fast  as  his  legs  would  carry  him, 
hoping  that  he  could  outrun  his  crippled  adversary,  and 


WE  SET  FIRE   TO   THE  JUNGLE.  191 

upon  gaining  the  opposite  bank  he  was  glad  to  find  that 
the  hunter  was  no  longer  the  hunted.  After  administer- 
ing a  severe  lecture  to  Mohamed  they  retraced  their 
footsteps,  but  the  lion  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  On 
Mohamed's  return  he  reported  having  seen  pools  of 
blood  in  the  direction  taken  by  the  lion  I  fired  at  yester- 
day, and  as  Essafi  believed  that  both  Vivian's  and  mine 
might  be  found  dead  in  the  jungle  we  decided  upon  re- 
turning there  and  setting  it  on  fire. 

Thanks  to  a  light  breeze,  the  flames  spread  with 
marvellous  rapidity,  and  a  magnificent  spectacle  was  the 
result.  Dense  volumes  of  smoke,  due  to  the  less  combus- 
tible nature  of  the  green  trees,  made  a  splendid  back- 
ground, and  against  this  stood  out  grandly  the  brilliant 
plumage  of  the  birds  as  they  flew  backwards  and  forwards 
in  front  of  the  advancing  flames,  and  apparently  in  dan- 
gerous proximity  with  them.  No  roast  lion  could,  how- 
ever, be  found,  and  when  we  left  the  scene  of  devastation 
the  flames  were  still  travelling  onward,  though  not  in  one 
unbroken  line  ;  and  it  was  curious  to  observe  how  here 
and  there  over  the  charred  ground  small  patches  of 
jungle  were  left  untouched  which  a  spark  would  have 
ignited.  I  omitted  to  mention  that  Albert  very  nearly 
succeeded  in  consigning  all  our  property  to  the  flames 
last  evening.  We  had  told  him  to  light  a  bonfire  near 
the  camp  to  guide  us  on  our  return  in  the  dark,  and  so 
successfully  did  he  carry  out  our  orders  that  he  also  acci- 


192  LIFE    WITH  THE  H AMR  AN  ARABS. 

dentally  set  the  short  grass  on  our  ground  alight,  and  it 
was  only  with  great  difficulty  that  we  prevented  the 
flames  creeping  onwards  and  surrounding  us. 

March  i.— Beyond  shooting  antelope  for  the  special 
benefit  of  lions,  we  have  had  no  sport  to-day.  I  proved 
the  killing  powers  of  the  Rigby  express  by  dropping 
two  fine  tetel  out  of  a  herd  with  a  right-and-left,  and, 
reloading  rapidly,  bagging  a  third  before  they  had  time 
to  get  out  of  shot.  Having  obtained  such  a  good  supply 
of  tempting  food  for  our  friends  the  lions,  we  decided  upon 
lying  in  ambush  and  watching  the  result.  This  proved 
highly  uninteresting,  for  the  vultures  soon  surrounded 
the  more  distant  tetel,  whilst  others  covered  the  trees 
near  us  to  wait  patiently  for  our  departure  from  what 
was  far  from  being  a  hiding-place  so  far  as  they  were 
concerned,  and  no  lion  appeared  on  the  scene. 

Albert  entertained  us  to-night  with  a  fuller  account 
of  his  career  as  an  oculist's  assistant,  and  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  he  gained  a  great  amount  of  useful  informa- 
tion, and  indeed  practical  knowledge,  from  his  master. 
Feeling  confident  in  his  powers  as  an  oculist,  and  think- 
ing he  might  turn  them  to  good  account,  he  decided 
upon  making  an  experimental  trip  up  the  Nile  the  fol- 
lowing winter  ;  and  having  hired  a  dahabeeah  and  sup- 
plied it  with  an  ample  store  of  bottles  and  sulphate  of 
zinc,  he  induced  a  friend  to  accompany  him  as  dragoman  ; 
and  that  his  costume  should  be  in  keeping  with  the 


ALBERTS   CAREER  AS  AN  OCULIST.  193 

character  he  was  about  to  assume,  he  particularly  in- 
formed us  that  he  purchased  a  black  frock-coat  and  a 
high  hat.  It  was  an  easy  matter  to  get  the  report 
spread  thnt  again  an  oculist  was  about  to  ascend  the 
Nile,  and  on  his  arriving  at  the  various  villages  and 
towns  on  its  borders  an  anxious  crowd  of  sufferers  was 
waiting  to  consult  him.  The  silver-key  system  was 
again  put  in  force,  but,  with  a  modesty  worthy  of  Albert, 
he  only  demanded  a  half-dollar  fee  ;  and  to  prevent  any 
unpleasant  accident  arising,  he  wisely  limited  his  treat- 
ment to  the  external  diseases  of  the  eye,  and  thus  ran 
no  risk  of  destroying  sight.  His  success  was  far  greater 
than  he  had  calculated  upon,  and  in  some  towns  he 
found  work  for  several  days  ;  and  after  this  fashion  he 
gradually  ascended  the  Nile  until  he  reached  Assouan, 
near  the  first  Cataract,  when  considering  his  profes- 
sional career  was  at  an  end,  he  went  out  for  a  quiet 
stroll  to  think  over  his  successful  venture.  During  this 
time  an  old  woman  of  the  village  called  to  have  a  bad 
eye  attended  to,  and  the  dragoman,  thinking  that  he 
ought  not  to  lose  so  golden  an  opportunity  of  bagging 
a  patient,  placed  her  in  the  professor's  chair,  and  whilst 
holding  her  head  well  back  dropped  into  the  affected 
eye  what  he  supposed  was  a  solution  of  sulphate  of 
zinc.  The  effect  was  wonderful,  but  not  quite  what 
he  anticipated,  for  the  eye  seemed  at  once  to  smoke 
up  and  collapse,  and  to  his  utter  horror  the  old  woman 

O 


194  LIFE   WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

\vith  a  yell  of  pain  rushed  frantically  away  to  her 
village.  Albert  soon  returned,  and  had  no  difficulty  in 
solving  the  mystery,  for  he  found  that  his  friend  had 
poured  strong  sulphuric  acid  (oil  of  vitriol)  into  the  old 
woman's  eye.  The  question  as  to  what  ought  to  be  done 
under  the  circumstances  was  quickly  settled  by  the  arrival 
of  the  Sheik  of  Assouan,  who  carried  them  off  and  made 
them  prisoners,  to  await  orders  from  Cairo.  In  the 
meantime  they  were  sent  to  Thebes,  and  from  here  they 
managed  to  escape  in  a  native  boat  to  Alexandria, 
though  at  the  cost  of  losing  all  they  possessed  on  the 
dahabeeah,  and  so  by  one  unfortunate  slip  their  labour 
was  for  nought 

Many  people  might  say  that  Albert  was  justly  punished 
for  starting  upon  such  an  expedition  ;  but  it  should  be 
remembered  that  he  knows  Egypt  well,  and  with  this 
knowledge  holds  the  belief  that  though  the  Government 
doctors  are  all  men  of  good  repute,  there  are  others  to 
be  found  who  would  not  quite  care  to  follow  their  pro- 
fession were  they  much  under  the  eye  of  the  law  ;  and 
Albert  had  at  least  good  reason  to  be  confident  in  his 
powers  to  do  real  service  to  the  natives  in  the  limited 
extent  to  which  he  purposed  to  confine  himself. 

March  2. — Again  a  blank  day.  I  had  a  very  long 
shot  at  a  giraffe  with  the  Henry  rifle,  and  wounded  it  so 
severely  that  it  could  only  hobble  away.  Unfortunately 
we  were  on  foot,  and  as  the  heat  was  very  great,  and 


CHASING  A    WOUNDED   GIRAFFE.  195 

about  midday,  it  was  a  hard  matter  giving  it  chase. 
Still  we  did  so  over  an  immense  plain,  taking  an  occa- 
sional random  shot  at  it,  for  more  than  a  mile,  when 
I  was  obliged  to  cry  'enough,'  and,  quite  exhausted, 
to  lie  down.  Essafi,  nothing  daunted,  after  seeing  me 
comfortably  settled  under  the  shade  of  a  small  tree, 
went  off  home  to  get  our  horses  to  continue  the  hunt. 
He  left  me  alone  so  long  that  I  became  almost  impatient 
for  his  return,  but  the  delay  was  explained  on  my 
seeing  him  approach  with  a  party  of  Arabs  on  camels. 
We  then  renewed  the  hunt  by  following  the  tracks  for 
two  or  three  miles,  when  we  came  to  a  thick  wood  in 
which  they  soon  were  lost,  and  there  we  were  obliged  to 
give  it  up  as  hopeless. 


o  2 


g6  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

March  3. — The  presence  of  numbers  of  the  common 
varieties  of  antelope,  and  the  occasional  roar  of  a  lion 
at  night,  have  not  been  sufficiently  attractive  to  keep 
us  longer  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Royan,  and  this 
evening  finds  us  once  again  on  the  banks  of  the  Settite, 
about  two  miles  above  Emhaggar,  where  we  were  so  long 
encamped. 

Though  our  visit  to  the  Royan  has  done  little  to 
swell  our  game-list,  we  are  very  glad  to  have  been  there, 
for  besides  its  having  all  the  appearance  of  a  splendid 
resort  for  big  game,  wre  have  gained  so  much  more  know- 
ledge of  this  portion  of  the  Soudan.  Returning  to  the 
clear  water  of  the  ever-flowing  Settite  is  indeed  a  luxury 
after  the  Royan  pools  ;  and  now  our  camp  is  pitched  on 
a  sloping  grass  bank  almost  level  with  the  river,  looking 
beautifully  fresh  and  green,  whilst  the  soil  is  dry  enough 
for  all  practical  purposes,  and  here  we  shall  probably 
remain  for  some  time.  The  spot  is  called  '  Eddebabeha,' 
meaning,  we  are  told,  a  slaughter-house.  There  is  an 
island  close  by  to  which  this  name  more  especially 


LION-SHOOTING  EXPERIENCE,  197 

applies,  for  it  is  known  to  be  a  favourite  haunt  of 
buffaloes,  and  when  found  there  by  the  Arab  hunters 
they  are  driven  round  and  round  by  dogs  until  tired 
out,  when  they  fall  easy  victims  to  their  swords  and 
spears.  The  dogs  we  have  so  far  seen  are  miserable- 
looking  creatures.  They  are  a  species  of  lurcher,  very 
small  and  almost  reduced  to  skeletons.  When  approach- 
ing the  river,  Vivian  and  Mohamed  disturbed  two  lions 
in  a  wood  feasting  on  a  koodoo,  and,  as  Essafi  and  my- 
self were  close  at  hand,  they  beckoned  to  us  to  join  in 
the  hunt.  The  trees  were  here  so  overspreading  and 
close  together  that  the  pathways  were  nearly  dark,  and 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  walk  along  them  ;  and  as  I 
entered  the  wood  I  did  not  see  I  was  walking  directly 
up  to  a  lion  until  I  was  close  to  him  and  caught  sight  of 
his  glistening  eye  as  he  sprang  on  one  side.  I  fired 
a  chance  shot  into  the  brushwood,  to  which  he  responded 
with  a  growl,  and  then  escaped,  probably  untouched,  as 
Vivian  caught  sight  of  him  going  away  at  a  good  pace. 
So  far  our  experience  in  lion-shooting  does  not  tend  to 
make  us  look  upon  the  lord  of  the  forest  as  a  dangerous 
animal  to  encounter,  for,  hunting  on  foot  as  we  do  alone, 
we  should  have  but  a  poor  chance  of  escape  if  he  chose 
to  assume  the  offensive  before  being  wounded  ;  and  it  is 
more  than  probable  that  many  have  sneaked  away  on 
our  approach,  according  to  their  natural  tendency,  with- 
out our  having  seen  them  at  all.  I  have  been  told  by 


198  LIFE    WITH  THE  FIAMRAN  ARABS. 

Indian  sportsmen  that  the  tiger  also  will  always  retreat 
before  man  if  not  driven  to  desperation,  and  that  the  man- 
eater  is  not  a  tiger  in  its  normal  state,  but  one  that  has  by 
some  unlucky  accident  tasted  human  blood,  or  that  has 
through  age  become  unable  to  obtain  its  natural  food 
by  killing  wild  animals,  and  therefore  has  been  driven  to 
attack  human  beings. 

Whilst  waiting  for  dinner,  an  Arab   rushed   to   our 
tent  in  great  excitement,  crying  out  '  feel !  feel ! '  (ele- 
phant), and,  seizing  our  rifles,  we  followed  him  through 
some  very  close  covert  behind  our  camp,  with  the  rest 
of  our  party  in  rear  making  such  a  row  that  the  prospect 
of  a  shot  would  have  been   hopeless.      The  supposed 
elephant  proved  to  be  only  one  of  a  herd  of  buffaloes, 
and  they  of  course  took  advantage  of  our  noisy  approach 
to    make  good    their  escape.      Hardly  had  we   settled 
down   to  dinner,  when  the   roar  of  a  lion  close  to  us 
caused  another  call   to  arms,  and   again,  much  to  our 
annoyance,   everyone   turned    out.      After   getting  our 
evening  clothes,  not  quite  '  de  rigueur]  half  torn  off  our 
backs  by  the  everlasting  thorns,  as  we  struggled  through 
the  narrow  paths  between  the  bushes,  we  were  kindly  in- 
formed by  another  roar  that  our  friend  was  only  sepa- 
rated from  us  by  one  or  two  bushes  at  most.     Halting 
here  for  a  time  to  watch  the  spot  from  whence  the  sound 
came  was  without  result,  for  he  managed  to  escape,  and 
well   he    might   in   the   darkness,  without   being   seen. 


COMFORTABLE  QUARTERS.  199 

Nature  has  done  her  best  to  make  this  a  perfect  hiding- 
place  for  lions,  for  the  mimosas  and  nabbuks — larger 
here  than  we  have  usually  found  them — have  their 
widely-spread  branches  bending  to  the  ground,  and 
the  interstices  are  so  completely  filled  up  from  below 
with  the  long  dry  grass  and  above  with  a  creeping 
cactus,  that  each  tree  is  converted  into  a  perfect  den, 
quite  dark,  and  only  having  one  or  two  holes  in  its 
wall  for  the  exit  and  entrance  of  animals.  As  a  rule, 
each  tree  is  just  sufficiently  apart  from  its  neighbours  to 
allow  animals  to  pass  between  them,  and  there  are  in- 
numerable beaten  tracks  winding  amongst  them  leading 
to  the  riven  Our  prospects  of  rinding,  or  rather  seeing, 
lions  'at  home'  are  therefore  not  great,  and  we  must 
rather  hope  to  meet  them  accidentally  in  our  mutual 
morning  rambles  near  the  river. 

March  4. — The  excitable  Essafi  is  rather  in  disgrace 
to-day.  After  following  some  fresh  tracks  for  several 
hours,  he  pointed  me  out  a  rhinoceros  moving  quietly 
amongst  the  trees  about  forty  yards  off,  and  quite  un- 
aware of  our  presence.  Creeping  a  few  yards  nearer,  I 
saw  a  second  one  lying  down,  and  whilst  trying  to  get 
close  to  it  Essafi  said  '  adroop  '  (fire),  and  softly  as  he 
did  so  it  was  quite  loud  enough  to  startle  this  rhinoceros, 
and  in  an  instant  he  was  on  his  legs  and  off,  though  not 
without  being  made  aware  of  the  powers  of  a  Henry 
rifle  to  penetrate  his  thick  hide.  We  found  blood  in  his 


200  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

track  for  more  than  a  mile  afterwards,  but  we  were  then 
obliged  to  give  up  the  hunt  owing  to  our  great  distance 
from  home. 

Our  present  pretty  encampment  has  its  drawbacks, 
which  we  found  to  our  cost  last  night,  for  whilst  the 
white  ants  were  doing  their  utmost  to  devour  our 
goods,  including  the  tent-pole,  the  mosquitoes  swarmed 
about  us  like  bees — intent  on  doing  their  best  to  devour 
us  if  we  had  obliged  them  by  falling  asleep.  Careful 
as  our  friends  were  to  warn  us  of  the  risks  to  life  from 
wild  beasts,  natives,  or  disease,  they  omitted  to  mention 
the  slow  devouring  process  of  the  insect  world  ;  and 
though  of  varieties  there  seems  to  be  a  legion,  we  find 
there  is  one  property  common  to  them  all,  that  of  wishing 
to  taste  the  blood  of  an  Englishman — and  of  this  our 
bodies  now  from  head  to  foot  tell  their  sad  tale. 

Mosquito-curtains,  cleverly  adapted  by  Albert  to  our 
beds,  will  defeat  one  great  enemy  here,  and  our  old 
system  of  raising  everything  off  the  ground  another — the 
white  ant.  The  red  ants  are  almost  equally  numerous, 
and  though  far  behind  their  sickly-looking  relations  in 
their  powers  of  annoyance,  they  manage  to  make  them- 
selves highly  objectionable  in  their  more  general  voyages 
of  discovery,  and  often  have  to  pay  in  self-destruction 
the  penalty  of  inquisitiveness.  Even  if  a  can  of  water 
is  left  uncovered  for  a  few  moments,  they  are  sure  to 
have  tumbled  into  it  in  scores.  Thanks  to  them,  it  is 


ANTS  AND  BUTTERFLIES.  201 

very  difficult  to  preserve  any  butterflies  or  moths,  for  if 
allowed  the  slightest  chance  they  soon  devour  their 
bodies.  There  are  numerous  varieties  of  ants,  both  in 
colour  and  size.  The  black  are  by  far  the  biggest,  and 
their  chief  occupation  in  life  appears  to  be,  though  a 
hopeless  one,  to  keep  down  the  surplus  population  of  their 
white  relations,  and  they  make  war  upon  them  accord- 
ingly. There  are  some  beautiful  butterflies,  though  few 
in  number,  especially  a  very  large  one  with  speckled 
body  and  variegated  brown  wings,  and  another  of  a  very 
brilliant  yellow  colour.  The  most  common  is  a  small 
white  butterfly  with  a  red  tip  to  the  wing.  To  catch 
them,  of  whatever  kind  they  may  be,  requires  the  prac- 
tised skill  of  an  entomologist,  and  even  he  would  require 
the  patience  of  Job,  for  they  have  an  aggravating  habit 
of  flying  close  to  you  amongst  the  mimosas,  where,  if  you 
are  foolish  enough  to  try  to  catch  one  with  a  net,  you 
not  only  meet  with  signal  failure,  but  also  have  your  net 
caught  by  a  thousand  thorns  ;  and  whilst  you  are  pleas- 
antly engaged  releasing  one  portion  of  it,  another  pro- 
bably gets  more  entangled.  Still,  like  the  animals  and 
birds,  they  have  their  time  for  visiting  the  river  to  drink,  and 
about  noon  they  may  generally  be  seen  going  through 
this  performance.  Now  is  the  time  for  the  skilled  man 
of  the  net  to  catch  his  game  in  its  hurried  flight  to  and 
from  the  river ;  but  he  indeed  must  be  an  enthusiast  who 
will  wait  under  a  scorching-  sun  for  the  visit  of  a  butter- 


202  LIFE    WITH   THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

fly,  and,  besides,  he  has  then  to  catch  it.  In  one  of  my 
feeble  attempts  at  this,  I  have  been  told,  exciting  sport, 
I  caused  considerable  astonishment  to  the  natives,  as  they 
watched  me  rushing  about  with  my  outstretched  net  after 
a  butterfly  that  had  a  strong  objection  to  visiting  its  in- 
terior, and  I  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was 
cruel  work  destroying  the  lives  of  such  innocent  and 
beautiful  creatures. 

March  5. — Vivian  has  been  very  fortunate  in  finding 
a  rhinoceros  standing  under  a  big  mimosa  in  otherwise 
open  ground,  and  so  well  concealed  was  he  that  both 
Mohamed  and  himself  walked  almost  up  to  the  tree 
before  observing  him.  Seeing  probably  that  there  was 
no  chance  of  escaping  quietly  from  his  hiding-place,  he 
allowed  Vivian  to  walk  round  him  for  a  side-shot,  and 
this,  though  well-directed,  produced  no  apparent  effect 
beyond  making  him  give  a  loud  whifF.  A  second  shot 
from  the  ten-bore  with  six  drachms  of  powder  was  more 
than  even  a  rhinoceros  could  bear  quietly,  and  out  he 
came  at  Vivian,  but  with  a  very  feeble  attempt  to  show 
fight,  and  then  a  third  bullet  dropped  him  dead.  Vivian 
has  a  very  good  gun-bucket,  made  of  leather,  which  is 
suspended  by  two  straps  from  the  saddle  on  the  off  side, 
in  such  a  direction  that  when  the  stock  of  a  gun  rests 
in  it  the  muzzle  points  upwards  behind  the  right  arm, 
and  after  a  little  practice  the  gun  comes  to  hand  most 
readily.  This  pattern  bucket  is  specially  described  by 


USEFUL  BOOKS  FOR   TRAVELLERS.  203 

Messrs.  Lord  and  Baines  in  their  valuable  book  entitled    , 
'  Shifts  and  Expedients  of  Camp-life,'  and  it  is  used,  ac-     y 
cording  to  them,  by  the  Hottentots. 

This  book,  though  rather  bulky  for  a  traveller  with 
light  baggage,  is  so  full  of  practical  hints  that  it  well 
repays  a  careful  study  ;  whilst  Galton's  '  Art  of  Travel '  (L-— *• 
is  more  valuable  as  a  pocket  companion,  in  containing 
much  useful  information  in  a  condensed  form.  A  peti- 
tion from  the  Arabs  for  a  hippo,  as  they  are  in  want  of 
fat,  induced  me  to  pay  a  visit  to  a  pool,  where,  at  the 
expense  of  two  cartridges  from  the  express,  I  was  able 
to  carry  out  their  wishes. 

The  worst  of  killing  a  hippo  is  that  the  day  is  over 
so  far  as  having  your  hunter  is  concerned,  for  he  at  once 
returns  to  the  camp  to  announce  the  joyful  news  and 
bring  the  men  back  to  the  pool,  where,  by  the  time  they 
arrive,  the  body  is  found  floating,  and  then  he  must  pre- 
side over  the  cutting-up  performance.  On  this  occasion 
I  remained  at  the  pool  to  note  the  time  of  floating,  and 
it  occurred  in  just  under  an  hour  and  a  half.  To  my 
surprise,  the  Arabs  hesitated  to  swim  out  to  the  hippo  as 
it  floated  in  the  middle  of  the  big  pool,  from  fear  of  croco- 
diles ;  but  after  a  great  deal  of  shouting  and  splashing 
with  stones  four  of  the  boldest  entered  the  river,  whilst 
the  others  kept  up  the  shouting  and  stone-throwing,  and 
having  fastened  one  end  of  a  rope  round  a  leg,  they  re- 
turned safely  to  shore  with  the  other,  and  then  all  joined 


204  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

heartily  in  hauling  the  monster  to  the  bank.  Having 
already  made  a  careful  study  of  the  after-proceedings  on 
such  occasions,  I  preferred  leaving  my  friends  to  their  own 
strange  devices,  and,  after  finding  a  good  place  of  con- 
cealment under  some  overhanging  nabbuks  along  the 
bank,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  any  antelope.  I  very 
speedily  came  to  the  conclusion  that  there  were  many 
less  pleasant  ways  of  spending  the  hottest  part  of  the 
day  than  this,  although  amongst  the  numerous  visitors 
on  each  side  of  me,  as  well  as  on  the  opposite  bank,  not 
one  arrived  of  sufficient  importance  to  tempt  me  to 
disturb  the  peaceful  gatherings.  It  was  a  pretty  sight 
to  watch  the  gazelle  or  ariel  coming  to  drink.  At  first 
one  or  two  timidly  descend  the  covered  way,  and  after 
listening  attentively  and  looking  well  around  them  to  be 
sure  that  the  coast  is  clear,  they  make  a  short  step  for- 
ward over  the  dry  bed,  and  then,  with  increased  confi- 
dence, scamper  down  to  the  water's  edge.  This  becomes 
the  signal  for  the  others,  and  down  they  come  in  rapid 
succession  until  almost  within  reach  of  the  desired  goal, 
where  they  may  moisten  their  parched  tongues,  when  the 
displacement  of  an  extra  loose  pebble  causes  a  panic  and 
the  rapid  disappearance  of  the  whole  herd.  It  is  only, 
however,  to  lie  in  ambush  close  by  for  a  few  minutes,  until 
it  is  discovered  that  it  was  a  false  alarm,  and  then  gain- 
ing wisdom  by  their  mistake,  they  advance  more  boldly 
to  the  river.  Here  they  linger  but  for  a  few  moments 


DILIGENCE  IN  PRAYER.  205 

to  have  their  fill,  and  then  lose  no  time  in  returning 
again  to  obscurity.  The  gazelle  are  frequently  seen  by 
the  river-side,  and  probably  drink  two  or  three  times  a 
day  ;  but  the  large  antelope,  such  as  the  mehedehet,  tetel, 
and  koodoos,  so  far  as  we  have  observed,  invariably 
come  to  the  river  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  tetel  are  fre- 
quently found  there  with  the  ariel.  Maariffs  are  so 
rarely  seen  that  it  is  difficult  to  say  when  they  leave 
their  distant  haunts  in  the  high  ground,  but  Vivian's  was 
found  soon  after  midday  drinking,  and  mine  was  also 
near  water  at  the  same  time.  We  often  hear  the  buffa- 
loes come  down  the  bank  two  or  three  hours  after  sunset, 
and  this  is  supposed  to  be  about  the  time  that  all  large 
animals  visit  the  river,  the  rhinoceros  being  the  latest 
arrival. 

However  wrong  their  religion  may  be,  it  cannot  be 
said  of  our  people  that  they  neglect  their  prayers,  for, 
not  only  at  sunrise  and  sunset,  but  five  times  a  day  do 
they  pray,  this  being  the  othodox  number,  and  when  '  at 
home  '  it  is  probably  within  the  mark,  so  frequently  are 
they  seen  at  their  devotions,  standing  like  statues,  with 
faces  turned  to  the  East,  whilst  muttering  some  passages 
of  the  Koran,  or  kneeling  down  and  burying  their  fore- 
heads in  the  dust.  Mohamed's  and  Essafi's  religious 
performances  are  sometimes  a  little  inconvenient,  for 
if  we  have  taken  the  trouble  to  rise  specially  early  to 
be  off  before  sunrise,  it  is  not  pleasant  to  have  to  halt 


206  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 

near  the  river  at  sunrise  and  wait  whilst  they  wash 
feet  and  hands,  and  then  devote  several  minutes  to 
Mahomet. 

Mohamed  the  cook,  though  a  Nubian,  is  equally 
regular  in  his  devotions,  but  at  the  same  time  he  evi- 
dently has  an  eye  to  business.  In  the  midst  of  them 
this  afternoon  he  called  out  to  Vivian,  '  Governor,  two 
goose ! '  and  then,  without  cutting  them  short,  watched 
Vivian  fire  a  right-and-left  with  effect,  and  joined 
heartily  in  the  laughter  caused  by  Ibrahim  in  his  unsuc- 
cessful efforts  to  catch  a  wounded  bird  which  had  fallen 
into  a  shallow  offshoot  of  the  river,  and  there  exhibited 
its  diving  powers  with  great  effect.  In  this  offshoot  we 
have  discovered  a  delightful  bathing-place,  where  we 
need  feel  no  fear  of  the  presence  of  a  crocodile.  Over 
one  part  the  stream  flows  rapidly  and  is  pleasantly 
cold  for  the  morning  bath,  and  in  another  there  is  a 
small  though  deep  sandy  pool,  which  almost  answers  all 
the  purposes  of  a  warm  bath,  if,  after  a  long  day's  ride, 
we  return  home  wearied  and  feel  disposed  to  have  one. 

Passing  this  afternoon  near  a  new  encampment  of 
Arab  hunters,  we  saw  under  a  tree  in  the  distance  a 
donkey  very  like  Jarrone,  and  on  telling  this  piece  of 
news  to  Hadji  Basheer  he  begged  us  to  keep  it  a  great 
secret  until  to-morrow  morning,  so  that  he  may  go  to 
their  camp  before  any  of  our  men  can  communicate  with 
them.  He  believes  that  if  the  Arabs  have  found  Jarrone, 


UNADULTERATED  'BUTTER!  207 

they  would  not  give  it  up  to  him  unless  compelled  to  do 
so.  Essafi  and  the  hippo  party  have  not  returned  yet 
(9  P.M.),  and  Essafi  senior  is  in  a  great  state  of  anxiety 
about  his  son's  safety,  fearing  he  may  have  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  the  Base.  It  is  far  more  probable  that, 
having  gorged  themselves  with  hippo,  raw  and  cooked, 
they  have  found  sleeping  on  the  spot  more  conducive 
to  their  personal  comfort. 

March  6. — The  hippo  party  returned  home  safely\r—; 
last  night  at  a  very  late  hour  with  three  camels  well 
laden  with  the  precious  food.  We  have  now  laid  claim 
to  an  equal  share  of  the  fat,  for  after  it  has  been  melted 
down  as  a  means  of  preservation  it  makes  excellent 
dripping,  and  all  our  things  are  cooked  with  it.  At  first  I- 
Mohamed  objected  to  use  it,  preferring  to  send  occasion- 
ally to  the  Hamran  village  for  some  horrible-looking 
mixture  of  fat,  milk,  &c.,  which  he  honoured  with  the 
name  of  butter.  Since,  however,  we  have  found  the 
hippo-fat  so  excellent,  we  have  positively  refused  to  buy 
him  any  more  of  his  pet  compound,  and  now  we  have 
at  least  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  what  our  butter 
is  made  of.  Would  that  we  could  always  do  so  in 
future  ! 

Vivian  has  had  a  long  stalk  after  a  herd  of  maariffs, 
and  ultimately  succeeded  in  killing  a  fine  doe  with  a 
splendid  pair  of  horns.  They  are  much  thinner  and 
more  regularly  annulated  than  the  buck's.  I  spent  the 


208  LIFE    WITH   THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

day  hunting  in  vain  for  rhinoceros.  Returning  home, 
Essafi  suddenly  dashed  off  at  his  horse's  best  speed  in 
the  direction  of  some  vultures  swooping  about  so  far  off 
that  I  could  barely  see  them.  Upon  arriving  at  the 
place  round  which  they  were  rapidly  collecting  we  found 
a  dead  rhinoceros,  and  recognised  it  as  the  one  I 
wounded  the  day  before  yesterday  and  tracked  to  within 
a  few  hundred  yards  of  where  it  was  lying.  Essafi 
says  that,  directly  he  saw  the  vultures,  he  was  sure  he 
would  find  it  there.  Some  camel-men  belonging  to 
another  hunting  expedition,  under  Jali,  have  paid  us  a 
visit  on  their  way  home,  and  report  having  been  attacked 
by  the  Base,  who  rushed  down  upon  them  from  their 
hills  as  they  passed  along  the  valley  of  the  river  near 
here,  and  demanded  half  the  produce  of  their  spoil,  con- 
sisting of  the  hides  and  tusks  of  three  elephants;  but 
they  were  ultimately  content  with  the  present  of  a  third 
portion.  This  modesty  scarcely  agrees  with  the  general 
character  given  of  our  black-skinned  neighbours.  We 
hear  that  they  are  a  much  darker  race  than  the  Hamrans, 
and  have  quite  different  features.  Hadji  Basheer,  dressed 
in  his  best  attire — slightly  the  worse  for  wear,  though 
very  picturesque  in  its  patchiness — and  mounted  on  one 
of  our  chargers,  paid  the  Arab  camp  a  very  early  visit, 
full  of  determination  to  impress  upon  the  hunters  the 
power  he  wielded,  and  to  claim  his  own,  his  long-lost 
child  ;  but  his  energies  were  wasted,  for  the  donkey  was 


PRECAUTIONS  AGAINST  CROCODILES.        209 

not  Jarrone,  and  he  had  to  return  discomfited.  He  has 
been  much  more  resigned  of  late  to  his  loss,  and  is 
gradually  transferring  his  affections  to  the  goat ;  and  a 
charming  goat  she  is,  for  already  she  is  on  the  most 
friendly  terms  with  everyone,  and  finds  in  our  biscuits  a 
special  inducement  to  pay  us  a  visit  regularly  at  break- 
fast and  dinner.  Besides  supplying  us  with  four  cups  of 
milk  every  morning,  she  never  fails  during  the  day  to 
have  a  smaller  quantity  in  store  when  called  upon,  and 
comes  up  to  Albert  to  be  milked  with  great  willingness^ 
She  is  left  quite  loose  at  night,  and  has  a  remarkably 
good  idea  of  what  constitutes  safety,  by  sleeping  amongst 
the  camels,  where  she  finds  protection  from  her  special 
night  enemies,  the  hyaenas.  Nothing  will  induce  her  to 
go  to  the  river  to  drink,  although  we  are  within  a  few 
yards  of  a  very  shallow  place,  so  great  is  her  fear  of 
crocodiles  ;  and  when  thirsty,  she  will  not  allow  Albert 
any  rest  until  he  gives  her  some  water  in  a  basin.  The 
Arabs  never  allow  their  goats  to  drink  at  the  river,  owing 
to  the  crocodiles,  but  make  small  pools  for  them  near 
its  margin,  which  they  fence  round  with  a  low  mud  wall. 
The  baboons  have  a  thorough  appreciation  of  the  cun- 
ning of  their  natural  enemies  the  crocodiles,  and  before 
coming  down  to  drink  make  a  very  careful  survey  of  the 
river  from  a  high  bank  or  from  the  overhanging  branches 
of  the  trees,  and  always  prefer  dipping  their  noses  into  a 
little  hollow  made  by  the  hoof  of  a  rhinoceros  or  hippo,; 

P 


210  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 

They  often  can  be  seen  by  day  moving  in  troops  along 
the  banks,  a  few  fine  old  gentlemen  with  long  manes 
marching  one  behind  the  other  majestically  in  front, 
whilst  the  rest  follow  in  general  disorder — mothers 
carrying  their  little  ones  on  their  backs  ;  and  from  the 
amount  of  screaming  and  screeching  we  sometimes  hear 
amongst  the  general  community,  it  is  evident  that  rows 
are  not  uncommon  in  the  family  circle  of  our  Darwinian 
brethren.  They  pay  us  the  great  compliment  of  taking 
a  lively  interest  in  our  proceedings  when  they  pass  near 
our  camp,  provided  that  they  are  separated  from  it  by 
the  river. 

There  is  at  the  present  moment  (6  P.M.)  a  tremendous 
storm  over  the  Abyssinian  hills,  and  we  are  having  the 
benefit  of  the  thunder  and  lightning,  the  latter  being  very 
vivid.  Some  very  ominous-looking  clouds  are  creeping 
onwards  towards  us,  but  the  Arabs  say  that  there  is  no 
chance  of  the  storm  reaching  us  so  early  in  the  year. 

No  reference  has  been  made  to  the  pearly  whiteness 
of  our  Arabs'  teeth,  and  it  deserves  a  passing  notice, 
universal  as  it  is  amongst  Eastern  races,  for  the  Hamrans 
have  their  own  way,  at  least  so  they  think,  of  producing 
this  satisfactory  condition.  It  is  simple  enough,  as  it 
merely  consists  of  rubbing  the  teeth  when  chance  offers 
with  the  smoothly-cut  end  of  a  twig  of  some  small  tree 
now  in  the  green  state,  the  fibres  of  which  gradually 
get  separated  in  the  rubbing  process,  and  converted 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  KOORBATCH.  211 

into  a  brush.  If  Essafi  passes  such  a  tree  in  the  day's 
hunt,  he  always  cuts  two  tooth-brushes,  one  for  me ; 
and  the  rest  of  the  time  he  seems  never  to  tire  of  the 
cleaning  process.  It  has  a  pleasant  taste,  but  from 
want  of  faith  in  the  result  I  soon  give  up  the  per- 
formance. 

What  a  valuable  tree  this  would  be  to  cultivate  in 
England,  if  the  native  toothbrush  were  only  required  to 
give  us  the  native  teeth  !  Mohamed  occupies  his  time 
more  with  the  useful  than  the  ornamental,  and  starts  off 
in  the  morning  with  a  strip  of  hippo-hide  for  conversion 
into  a  small  koorbatch.  This,  though  white  and  stiff  at 
first,  becomes  after  the  labour  of  hours,  or  rather  days, 
extremely  flexible  and  quite  black,  by  the  simple  process 
of  being  pulled  through  the  closed  hand  ;  and  whether  he 
is  riding,  or  walking,  or  sitting  over  the  fire  at  night,  like 
an  old  knitting  woman  he  has  always  his  work  in  hand. 

March  7. — Our  mosquito-curtains  have  answered  so 
well  that  we  are  now  perfectly  content  with  our  encamp- 
ment on  the  green  sward  ;  but  our  people  have  raised 
such  an  objection  to  it,  on  the  plea  of  the  absence  of 
shade  from  the  great  midday  heat,  that  we  have  yielded 
the  point,  and  have  agreed  to  move  a  few  hundred  yards, 
to  encamp  on  the  island  called  Eddebabeha.  If  the 
truth  were  known,  it  is  probable  that  they  object  far 
more  to  the  proximity  of  the  nightly  roar  of  the  lion 
than  to  the  absence  of  shade.  The  island  is  a  very 

p  2 


212  LIFE    WITH  THE  HA  MR  AN  ARABS. 

favourite  camping-ground,  as  it  is  quite  free  from  lions, 
and  there  certainly  are  some  good  trees  for  shade.    Some- 
times it  is  no  easy  matter  to  find  a  place  under  the  trees 
so  completely  shut  off  from  the  sun  as  to  allow  me  to 
obtain  the  correct  temperature  in  the  shade,  and  a  hollow 
in  an  old  trunk  is  prized  accordingly.    A  party  of  Hamran 
Arab  hunters  passed  onwards  to-day  from  the  Royan. 
They  declared  they  had  caught  nothing,  and  had  had  no 
meat  for  fifteen  days,  and  attributed  their  want  of  suc- 
cess to  our  having  driven  all  game  from  the  country  by 
our  guns.     We  sent  them  on  their  way  rejoicing,  by 
giving   them   a  freshly-killed    ariel  ;   but  whether  their 
statement   was   true   or   not   our   men    don't    care,  for 
besides  feasting  daily  on  fresh  meat,  they  are   accumu- 
lating an  immense  store  of  it  in  the  dried  state  in  their 
villages.     One  Arab  said  the  other  day  that  he  had  not 
eaten  so  much  meat  in  thirty  years  as  he  has  done  since 
he   came  to   us  ;  but  as  the  Arabs  who  stay  at  home 
only  eat  meat  when  their  cattle  die  from  disease  or  old 
age,  it  is  not   surprising   that   the   total    consumption 
during  this  long  period  should  have  been  so  limited. 

March  8. — We  have  been  giraffe-hunters  to-day,  but 
beyond  seeing  our  game  three  times  half  a  mile  off  it 
has  been  a  very  blank  day.  The  tiresome  part  of  giraffe- 
hunting  is  that  it  is  a  long  day's  ride  to  get  to  their 
woods,  and  the  trees  are  sufficiently  scattered  for  them 
to  see  our  approach  from  a  great  distance,  and  with  their 


TRACKING  A  LION.  213 

big  eyes  and  long  necks  there  is  little  chance  of  getting 
the  best  of  them  in  a  stalk,  however  much  a  favourable 
wind  may  curtail  the  powers  of  one  special  sense.  The 
rhinoceros  woods  are  a  little  nearer  the  river,  say  from 
three  to  four  miles,  and  here  also  are  the  buffaloes  fre- 
quently found,  though  they  are  not  so  particular  about 
making  long  journeys  from  the  river  before  settling 
themselves  down  in  the  shade  for  their  daily  nap  during 
the  great  heat.  Rhinoceros  have  a  curious  habit  of  de- 
positing their  manure  in  the  same  place,  and  conse- 
quently, in  some  much  frequented  woods,  large  mounds 
of  it  are  found  along  their  chief  thoroughfares. 

March  9. — Lions  were  especially  entertaining  last 
night,  so  at  an  early  hour  this  morning  we  went  in  differ- 
ent directions  in  search  of  their  tracks,  and  after  a  time 
a  distant  roar,  heard  by  both  parties,  drew  us  towards 
the  same  point.  Essafi  very  soon  found  a  fresh  track 
there,  and  followed  it  with  his  usual  energy,  and  he 
certainly  never  seems  so  happy  as  when  on  a  good 
track.  One  moment  he  turned  round  to  specially  point 
it  out,  exclaiming  '  kebeer,'  meaning  a  big  lion  ;  farther 
on,  to  keep  up  my  interest  in  the  performance,  he  showed 
me  a  place  where  the  lion  had  scratched  up  the  ground, 
saying  '  gheean '  (hungry),  and  so  we  progressed  until 
our  path  joining  another,  he  pulled  up,  and  with  a  most 
disappointed  expression  of  face  pointed  out  the  fresh 
and  well-known  track  of  the  Vivian  boot.  It  was  quite 


214  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

evident,  in  fact,  that  Mohamed  and  Vivian  were  ahead 
of  us,  tracking  a  lion  in  the  path  ours  joined.  Still 
Essafi  persisted  in  going  forward,  pointing  out  that  there 
were  the  fresh  tracks  of  two  lions,  and  after  some  time 
had  elapsed  we  heard  a  double  report,  and  immediately 
afterwards  caught  up  with  our  friends,  whom  we  found 
resting  under  a  tree,  whilst  a  dying  lion  lay  stretched 
out  under  another  about  twenty  yards  off,  where  Vivian 
found  him  asleep  ;  and  though  he  never  rose  after  the 
first  shot,  Vivian  gave  him  a  second  as  a  precautionary 
measure.  This  has  been  by  far  the  most  satisfactory 
hunt  for  a  lion  we  have  had,  for  tracking  them  as  a  rule 
is  quite  a  hopeless  proceeding.  If  this  was  the  one  we 
were  originally  tracking,  Essafi's  opinion  that  he  was 
hungry  was  well  supported  by  the  fact  of  his  having  re- 
cently fed  on  a  porcupine,  from  want  probably  of  some- 
thing better,  and  for  this  he  paid  the  penalty  of  getting 
one  quill  stuck  in  his  neck,  and  numerous  small  pieces 
in  his  front  paws.  It  is  a  very  fine  lion,  though  rather 
deficient  in  mane.  Continuing  in  the  track  of  the  second 
lion  was  soon  put  an  end  to  by  the  arrival  of  Jali  and 
his  horsemen  on  their  way  home.  He  looked  fatter  and 
more  hearty  than  ever,  and  reported  their  only  having 
killed  three  elephants,  as  his  advanced  party  had  done, 
and  we  allowed  him  to  remain  in  ignorance  of  the  recent 
pressing  claims  of  the  Base  upon  them.  The  new  moon 
was  seen  to-night  for  the  first  time,  and  our  men  have 


A   CROCODILE  BAGS  MY  HYAENA.  215 


been  praying  to  her  most  industriously,  not  omitting  to 
ask  her  to  bring  us  good  luck,  and  now  (n  P.M.)  there 
is  a  fresh  breeze,  almost  amounting  to  a  gale,  from  the 
north-west. 

MarcJi  10. — Vivian  has  had  a  good  proof  of  the 
difficulty  of  killing  a  buffalo,  for  a  fine  old  solitary  bull 
would  not  succumb  until  he  had  received  a  fourth  bullet 
from  the  ten-bore,  though  all  were  close  shots,  and  pene- 
trated the  chest.  But  the  antelope  also  show  great 
powers  of  vitality.  The  other  day,  with  an  expanding 
bullet  from  the  express,  I  made  such  a  hole  in  a  koodoo's 
side  that  the  lung  protruded  as  it  breathed,  and  I  stood 
close  by  for  some  minutes  expecting  it  momentarily 
to  fall,  when  to  my  surprise  it  took  a  new  lease  of  life 
and  suddenly  disappeared,  and  gave  me  some  little 
trouble  to  find  it  again.  On  another  occasion  a  gazelle 
managed  to  gallop  off  more  than  one  hundred  yards, 
after  most  of  its  interior  had  been  knocked  out  by  a  low 
shot  with  a  similar  bullet.  I  wounded  a  very  large 
hyaena  to-day,  but  it  managed  to  escape  by  swimming 
across  a  deep  pool  without  being  even  caught  by  a 
crocodile,  and  then  managed  to  secrete  itself  amongst 
the  roots  of  some  trees  under  a  steep  and  wooded  bank. 
After  wading  across  the  river  in  a  shallow  part,  we  were 
a  long  time  in  finding  out  its  place  ot  concealment,  and 
then  by  climbing  along  some  branches  I  was  able  to 
shoot  it  between  the  shoulders  as  it  lay  beneath  me. 


216  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

We  then  waited  quietly  for  all  evidence  of  breathing  to 
cease,  and  after  sundry  prods  at  it  with  a  stick  without 
its  showing  any  signs  of  life,  we  were  on  the  point  of 
descending  from  our  perch,  when  a  convulsive  spasm 
turned  the  body  over  to  the  edge  of  the  pool,  and  in  an 
instant  it  disappeared  into  the  jaws  of  a  crocodile,  which 
without  doubt  had  for  some  time  taken  a  very  consider- 
able interest  in  our  proceedings.  I  regret  losing  it  as  a 
specimen,  for  it  was  far  larger  than  I  had  imagined  the 
hyaena  was  ever  found,  and  even  than  Essafi  had  pre- 
viously seen.  Possibly  it  saved  one  of  us  having  a 
more  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  watchful  crocodile. 
Arabs  will  never  stand  near  the  edge  of  a  pool,  from 
fear  of  being  switched  in  by  the  tail  of  a  crocodile,  and 
wonderful  stories  they  tell  of  how  women  and  children 
fall  victims  in  this  way  to  its  cunning.  The  mail  for 
Kassala  left  to-day  ;  in  other  words,  Hadji  Basheer  started 
on  horseback  for  the  great  capital  with  our  letters,  and 
if  in  two  days'  stay  there  he  will  find  sufficient  time  to 
recite  his  grief  to  his  friends  on  the  loss  of  Jarrone,  we 
calculate  upon  his  return  in  ten  with  our  long  ex- 
pected budget  of  letters  and  newspapers.  Hadji  is  a 
title  he  has  obtained  by  a  visit  to  Mecca. 

March  1 1. — Vivian  has  severely  wounded  a  rhinoceros, 
but  without  any  practical  result  ;  returning  home  he  had 
a  long  stalk  after  a  herd  of  buffaloes,  and  succeeded  in 
killing  a  fine  bull.  Essafi  and  myself  went  to  an  island 


LOSING  A   ' RIGHT-AND-LEFT'  AT  LIONS.      217 

below  Emhagga,  specially  to  search  for  lions,  as  it  had 
not  been  recently  visited  ;  and  directly  after  our  arrival 
there,  when  walking  in  a  path  through  some  high  grass, 
Essafi   suddenly  pulled   up    and  whispered     '  daabee  ; ' 
for  a  few  seconds  I   could   see  nothing,   until  my   eyes 
rested   upon  the  face  of  a  lion  flat  on  the  ground  con- 
fronting us  in  our  path  and  exactly  the  colour  of  the 
grass,  whilst  no  other  portion  of  him  was  visible.     The 
distance  between  us  being  only  from  ten  to  fifteen  yards, 
I  fired,  and  then  beyond  a  portion  of  the  face  becoming 
hidden  by  the  grass  no  movement  occurred,  so  I  knew  he 
must  be  dead  ;  but  Essafi  thought  otherwise,  and  to  please 
him  I  fired  again  at  the  only  part  visible,  the  nose.    As 
I  did  so,  another  lion  stepped  over  the  dead  body  and 
disappeared,  to  my  great  annoyance,  for  I  had  foolishly- 
omitted  to  reload  before  firing  the  second  shot,  and  con- 
sequently lost  the  chance  of  bagging  a  brace.     The  first 
bullet  (express)  struck  the  forehead  and  smashed  the  skull, 
and  the  second  entering  below  the  eye  passed  out  under 
the  chin.     It  proved  to  be  a  splendid  male,  as  to  size, 
though  not  grand-looking  from  being   almost  entirely 
devoid  of  mane,  as  lions  frequently  are  in  this  country. 
From  nose  to  tip  of  tail  it  measured  nearly  ten  feet  (115 
inches),  and  from  shoulder  to  extreme  point  of  paw,  forty- 
five  inches.     When  opened  it  was  found  to  be  as  fat  as 
a  prize  ox,  and  every  atom  of  this  valuable  commodity 
was  carefully  collected  and  brought  home  with  the  skin 


218  LIFE    WITH   THE  H AMR  AN  ARABS. 

and  head  by  Ibrahim  and  the  Arab,  who  were  sent  out 
on  camels  for  this  purpose.  Though  the  Arabs  do  not 
eat  the  fat,  they  find  it  very  useful  in  many  other  ways. 
March  12. — A  hyaena  paid  our  tent  a  visit  in  the 
night,  and  stayed  for  a  few  moments  at  the  foot  of 
Vivian's  bed,  but  retired  very  quickly  on  his  stretching 
out  an  arm  for  his  revolver.  After  shooting  two  ariel 
for  the  larder,  and  whilst  waiting  for  my  luncheon  on 
the  liver,  &c.,  of  one  a  VArabe,  I  amused  myself  with 
the  small  kites.  These,  with  the  black  and  white  crows, 
are  always  the  first  birds  to  be  seen  at  such  an  enter- 
tainment, and  the  former  are  so  courageous  that  they 
will  even  brush  past  us  with  their  wings  to  pick  up  a 
piece  of  meat.  My  chief  occupation  was  throwing 
bits  into  the  air,  which  the  kites  seldom  failed  to  catch 
in  a  claw  before  reaching  the  ground,  so  accurate  were 
they  in  their  swoops.  The  next  to  arrive  are  the 
vultures,  soon  to  be  followed  by  the  Marabou  storks, 
which  from  a  region  far  beyond  the  reach  of  human 
vision  keep  constant  watch  over  the  movements  of  their 
friends  beneath  them.  Twelve  Arabs,  headed  by  an 
old  man  named  Ali,  have  arrived  here  from  Gwayha, 
hunting  as  for  a  wild  animal  a  young  female  slave  who 
has  recently  escaped  from  Ali.  They  have  tracked  her 
from  their  village  to  this  point  step  by  step,  where  she 
stopped  to  drink,  and  beyond  this  they  are  afraid  to  go, 
fearing  that  they  may  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Base,  her 


ESCAPE   OF  A   FEMALE  SLAVE.  219 


people,  with  whom  she  is  now  probably  safe.  They  wanted 
us  to  assist  them  to  continue  the  hunt  into  the  Base 
country,  and  were  very  much  astonished  to  hear,  on  the 
contrary,  that  we  were  very  glad  she  had  escaped  from 
their  clutches,  and  that  had  it  been  in  our  power  we 
would  have  given  her  every  assistance  to  do  so.  Albert 
says  they  have  a  suspicion  she  is  now  in  concealment 
with  us,  and  it  is  a  little  curious  that  they  should  have 
tracked  her  here  and  no  farther.  She  is  supposed  to 
have  lived  during  her  hurried  flight  upon  the  nabbuk- 
berries  she  could  pick  up  by  the  way.  AH  looks  very 
miserable  about  his  loss,  and  it  is  a  great  one  to  him,  as 
he  paid  an  Abyssinian  sixty  dollars  for  her  only  two  years 
ago  when  with  others  she  fell  into  the  hands  of  those 
people  in  a  frontier  fight  with  the  Base.  From  the 
information  we  can  gather  from  the  Hamrans  there 
must  still  be  considerable  trade  in  slaves  in  these  parts. 
Essafi's  father  has  frequently  volunteered  to  procure  for 
us  a  little  boy  and  girl  to  take  back  to  England,  for 
the  very  modest  sum  of  twenty  dollars  apiece,  and 
cannot  understand  why  we  should  refuse  so  good  an 
offer,  as  he  thinks  they  would  be  so  useful  to  us. 
According  to  him  there  are  plenty  of  slaves  always 
for  sale  at  '  El  Kadarif,'  a  trading  town  one  day's 
journey  from  'Gwayha,'  where  they  are  brought  by 
the  Abyssinians  after  a  successful  raid  upon  their 
neighbours.  There  is  another  place  much  nearer  home, 


220  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

named  Tentah,  a  station  between  Cairo  and  Alexandria, 
where  the  slave  trade  goes  on  quietly.  A  great  fair  is 
held  there  annually  about  August,  lasting  thirty  days, 
and  during  this  time  fifty  or  sixty  slaves  may  be 
waiting  for  sale  in  a  single  house  ;  at  least,  so  our  in- 
formant says,  but  with  what  truth  there  is  much  reason 
for  doubt. 


THE  RHINOCEROS    BIRD.  221 


CHAPTER     XIII. 

March  13. — Vivian  has  been  on  the  track  of  a  lion 
all  the  morning,  and  had  the  small  satisfaction  of  only 
seeing  him  sneaking  away  in  the  distance*  Essafi  took 
me  quite  a  new  beat  into  the  Base  country,  though  not 
looking  very  happy  about  it,  and  especially  when  he 
pulled  up  once  to  show  me  some  tracks  of  naked  feet 
and  gravely  said,  '  Base.'  Still  on  we  went,  and  coming 
upon  a  fresh  rhinoceros  track  all  thought  of  the  enemy 
vanished.  Very  soon  he  stops  short  and  points  upward^ 
but  there  was  nothing  that  I  could  see  excepting  a 
very  small  bird  with  a  peculiar  chirping  note  flitting 
about  in  front  of  us.  No  time  then  for  an  explanation, 
for  we  dismounted  immediately,  and  having  fastened  our 
horses  to  the  nearest  tree,  began  creeping  stealthily 
through  some  long  grass  for  a  few  yards,  when  Essafi 
pointed  out  a  rhinoceros  lying  asleep  close  to  us,  and 
almost  completely  hidden  in  the  grass.  Now  was  the  time 
to  test  the  twelve-bore  rifle  with  its  hardened  spherical 
bullet  and  small  charge  of  two-and-a-half  drachms  of  pow- 


222  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

der,  so  as  he  sprang  on  his  legs  he  received  a  right-and-left 
directly   behind   the   right    shoulder.     To    my  surprise 
these  shots  produced  no  effect  beyond  making  him  bolt 
off  with  his  companion,  till  then  quite  hidden,  and  at  an 
equally  good  pace.     The  country  being  thinly  wooded 
we   ran   after    them,   and    as    they   fortunately   turned 
round  a  hill  we  were  able  to  make  a  short  cut,  and  so 
gain  upon  them,   until  giving  me  a  broadside  at  over 
one    hundred    yards     I     took    a    chance   shot   at   the 
wounded  one  with  the  '  Henry,'  and  to  my  delight  he 
stopped  short,  and  after  swaying  to  and  fro  he  fell  to 
the  ground.     The  last  shot  struck  the  head  below  the 
eye,  and  seemingly,  low  to  have  produced  so  fatal  an 
effect.     The  other  wounds  I  could  not  examine,  as  he 
fell  on  his  right  side.     We.  always  give  special  instruc- 
tions to  the  Arabs  sent  to  our  dead  game  to  bring  back 
any  bullets  found  in   the  body,  and   to   observe  their 
position  ;  but  they  are  generally  so  taken  up  with  their 
own  interests  that  ours  stand  a  poor  chance  of  being 
remembered. 

Essafi  explained  in  the  evening  that  the  small 
bird  we  saw  and  heard  indicated  distinctly  to  him  that 
we  were  close  to  rhinoceros,  for  it  is  their  frequent 
companion,  and  by  its  note  gives  them  warning  of 
approaching  danger.  In  this  respect  it  had  to-day  the 
misfortune  which  occasionally  falls  to  the  lot  of  other 
good-natured  individuals,  who,  in  trying  to  do  a 


APPEAL   TO   THE  'HAKIM?  223 

kindness  for  their  friends,  prove  in  the  end  their 
greatest  enemies. 

Some  men  we  sent  to  the  Hamran  village  the  other 
day  have  returned  with  dhurra  for  our  horses,  and 
another  goat  to  supply  our  increased  demand  for  milk. 
They  say  that  the  people  are  still  leaving  the  villages, 
expecting  '  the  Turks '  to  arrive  daily,  but  that  Sheik 
Aghill  remains  at  his  post.  There  is  a  strong  feeling 
amongst  them  just  now  to  migrate  to  Abyssinia,  as  they 
would  only  have  to  pay  one  dollar  tax  annually  to  the 
chief  of  the  tribe  they  should  join.  The  vultures  have 
again  done  us  a  good  turn  by  directing  Mohamed 
to  the  body  of  the  rhinoceros  which  Vivian  severely 
wounded  the  day  before  yesterday.  The  sport  for  the 
week  ending  to-day,  Saturday,  has  been  therefore  ex- 
ceptionally good,  and  comprises  two  lions,  two  rhino- 
ceros, three  buffaloes,  one  wart-hog,  two  hyaenas,  nine 
antelope  of  various  kinds,  and  numerous  guinea-fowl. 

March  15. — A  blank  day,  excepting  that  I  wounded 
a  rhinoceros  with  the  single  '  Henry/  and  lost  him  from 
not  having  a  second  charge  to  give  him  in  time. 

March  16. — An  Arab  from  an  unknown  camp  of 
hunters  called  this  evening  to  ask  the  '  Hakim '  to  visit 
a  sick  man,  who  was  so  very  ill  that  his  friends  could 
not  bring  him  here. 

Vivian,  Albert,  and  myself,  with  some  guides,  at  once 
started  off  on  this  mission  of  mercy,  and  from  the  report 


224  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 


given  of  the  case  there  was  reason  to  hope  for  great 
results.  Much  to  our  annoyance,  instead  of  their  camp 
being  near  us,  as  the  messenger  stated,  we  were  dragged 
through  endless  thorny  paths,  with  only  one  lantern  to 
give  us  light,  and  with  clothes  on  by  no  means  intended 
for  this  kind  of  night  amusement,  until  we  were  just 
going  to  turn  back  in  despair,  when  the  barking  of  dogs 
announced  the  near  approach  to  our  destination.  It  was 
a  very  snug  retreat,  well  away  from  the  river,  completely 
hemmed  in  by  thick  bushes,  and  specially  adapted  for 
protection  from  any  night  attack  by  the  Base.  On  our 
arrival,  we  saw  the  sick  man  separated  from  his  com- 
rades, and,  whilst  squatting  on  a  mat,  evidently  writhing 
with  pain. 

Standing  by  his  side,  we  were  soon  surrounded  by 
the  rest  of  the  camp,  numbering  twenty,  and  a  very 
picturesque  group  we  formed,  as  the  solitary  lantern 
partially  lit  up  this  cavernous-looking  place,  and  just  en- 
abled us  to  distinguish  its  individual  members.  Albert 
of  course  did  the  part  of  interpreter,  and  great  interest 
was  shown  in  the  conversation  between  the  sick  man  and 
himself.  It  happened  to  be  a  case  in  which  an  operation 
would  give  immediate  relief  to  suffering,  whilst  the 
omission  could  only  result  in  a  gradual  increase  of  it, 
until  in  all  probability  death  brought  it  to  an  end. 
With  these  facts  told  him  plainly  and  repeatedly,  and 
every  persuasion  used  to  obtain  his  consent,  not  only 


A   ' PECULIAR'  ARAB.  225 

through  Albert,  but  also  by  his  own  people,  only  one 
answer  could  be  obtained  from  him — viz.,  that  it  was  by 
God's  will  he  suffered,  and  that  he  would  therefore  accept 
his  fate,  whatever  it  might  be.  In  fact,  we  had  stumbled 
upon  a  '  Peculiar  *  Arab.  Albert  of  his  own  accord  then 
said,  '  Well,  you  must  tell  the  "  Hakim  "  you  are  quite 
well,  if  you  want  him  to  leave  you  ; '  and  with  an  expres- 
sion of  face  which  but  too  surely  belied  his  tongue  he 
thus  addressed  me  and  thereby  consigned  himself  to  a 
fate  from  which,  in  his  blindness,  he  could  not  see  he 
had  been  unexpectedly  sent  the  means  of  relief.  It  was 
a  hard  matter  to  leave  him  thus,  and  one  felt  at  first 
inclined  to  compel  him  by  force  to  yield  his  wishes  to 
ours,  but  it  was  decided  otherwise ;  and  Albert's  argu- 
ment, that  if  anything  were  done  and  the  man  died,  the 
Arabs  would  declare  we  had  killed  him,  guided  us  greatly 
in  the  decision. 

Our  visit  to  the  camp  was  not  altogether  unsuccess- 
ful, for  we  heard  that  they  had  found  a  grey  horse,  and 
upon  our  examining  it  there  could  be  no  mistake  about 
its  being  our  sick  friend,  slightly  improved  in  his  walking 
powers,  though  still  showing  great  weakness  of  left  side. 
They  gave  him  up  to  us  without  any  demur,  and  we  led 
him  home  in  triumph,  and  now  the  long-intended  fate 
we  had  in  store  for  him,  and  which  by  his  wanderings  he 
for  a  time  escaped,  will  probably  soon  befall  him.  We 
could  not  hear  any  news  of  the  donkey,  but  the  old 

Q 


226  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

soldier  has  a  hope  that  by  a  visit  to-morrow  he  may 
extract  something  from  them  as  to  his  fate.  These 
Arabs  have  come  to  our  neighbourhood  in  consequence 
of  their  belief  that  the  reports  of  our  rifles  have  driven 
the  Base  into  the  interior  of  their  own  country,  and  we 
hear  other  parties  are  coming  here  from  the  villages  to 
hunt  under  our  protection  in  this  neutral  territory. 

March  18. — An  an  early  hour  one  of  our  old  friends, 
the  ostrich  hunters,  came  to  tell  us  that  he  knew  where 
there  was  an  ostrich-nest,  and  that  if  we  would  give  him 
good  backsheesh  he  would  take  us  to  it.    After  a  certain 
amount  of  squabbling   we  came  to  reasonable   terms, 
dependent  on  success  or  otherwise,  and  started  off  with- 
out delay  on  this  novel  expedition  ;  and  owing  to  the  dis- 
tance, and  the  consequent  possibility  of  our  being  away 
all  night,  we  provided  ourselves  with  a  limited  supply  of 
food  and  water,  and  with  the  friend  of  our  dinner-table 
— the  little  whisky-barrel.     A  long  ride  over  the  high 
table-land  in  the  direction  of  the  Royan  brought  us  evi- 
dently near  our  destination  ;  but  here  arose  a  difficulty, 
for  owing  to  the  similarity  of  the  ground,  consisting  of 
thinly-scattered  mimosas  and  high  grass,  with  here  and 
there  small  spaces  where  it  had  been  burnt  up,  our  guide 
wandered  about  for  a  long  time  before  he  could  find  the 
trees  that  were  his  landmark.     When  he  succeeded  in 
doing   so  we  tied  up   our   horses,  and  tried    to  creep 
quietly  along  in  line,  but  with  the  crackling  of  the  grass 


WE  LIE  IN  WAIT  FOR   OSTRICHES.  227 

at  each  step  this  was  impossible,  and  we  had  the  dis- 
appointment of  seeing  a  black  ostrich  rise  from  the  nest 
and  instantly  disappear,  when  we  were  a  long  way  from 
it.  We  then  went  up  to  the  nest,  and  found  that  it  con- 
tained sixteen  eggs,  the  proper  complement  being  twenty- 
five,  according  to  the  Arab.  The  nest,  if  such  it  could 
be  called,  consisted  merely  of  a  very  shallow  depression 
in  the  hard-baked  soil  in  the  centre  of  a  small  burnt-up 
patch  of  ground,  surrounded  by  high  grass,  and  though 
the  eggs  were  closely  packed  together  they  covered  a 
considerable  space.  Vivian  and  myself  were  then  care- 
fully concealed  in  the  grass  on  opposite  sides  of  the  nest 
to  watch,  and  I  was  so  thatched  over  that  I  literally 
could  see  nothing  but  the  nest.  After  an  hour  of  this 
very  monotonous  amusement,  two  visitors  in  the  form  of 
vultures  pounced  down  upon  the  nest,  and,  apparently 
quite  satisfied  with  the  certainty  of  a  quiet  feast,  com- 
menced operations  by  a  personal  hunt  amongst  their 
own  feathers,  then  a  general  survey  was  made  of  the 
white  objects  before  them  ;  and,  finally,  having  retired  for 
a  moment,  each  returned  with  a  stone  in  its  beak,  and 
set  to  work  to  hammer  a  hole  through  the  shell  of  an 
egg.  But  the  talents  of  these  experienced  old  thieves 
were  not  allowed  to  obtain  their  just  reward  on  this  oc- 
.casion,  for  whilst  thus  occupied  an  ostrich  was  seen 
by  Vivian  approaching  the  nest,  and  he  fired  at  it,  but, 
wounded  or  otherwise,  it  made  good  its  escape  without 

Q2 


228  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

being  even  seen  by  me,  and  the  vultures  also  of  course 
disappeared  at  the  same  moment.  It  was  a  pity  that 
the  arrival  of  the  ostrich  should  have  so  abruptly  termi- 
nated this  interesting  seance.  It  was  then  useless 
watching  any  longer,  and  after  our  men's  arrival  and  the 
robbery  of  two  eggs,  we  retired  to  a  little  distance  to 
enjoy  a  frugal  repast  of  baked  ostrich-egg,  biscuits,  and 
sardines,  and  afterwards  go  to  bed,  or  rather  roll  our- 
selves up  in  our  blankets  and  lie  down  on  the  ground. 
Here  we  felt  quite  sure  that  our  sleep  would  be  undis- 
turbed by  visitors,  being  far  from  the  haunts  of  animals, 
excepting  the  harmless  giraffe,  and  so,  without  taking 
any  special  precautions  for  safety,  our  hunters  and  our- 
selves soon  dropped  off  one  by  one  into  the  soundest  of 
sleeps.  The  horses  fortunately  were  of  a  different 
opinion,  and  a  sudden  chorus  of  snorts  in  the  middle  of 
the  night  made  us  spring  to  our  feet,  and  then  find  that, 
thanks  to  them,  two  rhinoceros,  instead  of  walking  over 
us,  had  turned  their  course  a  little,  and  were  rapidly 
vanishing  into  space.  At  daybreak  we  paid  the  nest  a 
final  visit,  but  no  ostrich  was  to  be  found  there ;  and  as 
the  eggs  were  quite  cold,  and  probably  deserted  for  good, 
our  party  divided  the  spoil,  and  we  turned  our  steps  home- 
wards, both  being  of  one  accord,  that  ostrich-shooting 
after  this  fashion  was  not  amusing.  The  excursion  has 
taught  us  one  good  lesson — viz.,  before  leaving  camp 
always  to  examine  the  water-skins,  for  our  men  had 


WATER  FROM  A   NEW  SKIN.  229 

brought  a  new  one,  which  they  no  doubt  thought  was  in 
perfect  order,  but  owing  to  the  materials  with  which  it 
had  been  tanned  and  otherwise  prepared,  it  imparted 
such  a  very  unpleasant  odour  and  taste  to  the  water,  that 
even  when  almost  parched  with  thirst  it  was  with  great 
difficulty  we  could  gulp  it  down.  Most  of  us  suffered 
more  or  less  from  thirst  for  a  time  after  our  arrival  in 
this  country,  and  found  the  water-bottle  slung  over  our 
shoulders  an  indispensable  companion.  This  has  long 
since  ceased  to  be  the  case,  and  we  are  able  to  abstain 
from  drinking  anything  till  luncheon-time  with  perfect 
comfort.  Once,  however,  tea,  or  more  especially  water, 
has  touched  our  lips,  then  for  the  rest  of  the  day  the 
water-bottle  has  to  be  in  frequent  requisition,  if  only  to 
moisten  the  throat  and  tongue.  During  our  absence, 
according  to  order,  though  with  the  most  determined 
opposition  on  the  part  of  the  camel-men,  our  camp  has 
been  moved  two  miles  farther  up  the  Settite,  to  a  bank 
a  little  raised  above  the  river,  named  Hel-Egheeme. 
Essafi,  senior,  has  been  in  a  wild  state  of  excitement 
since  his  arrival  here,  brought  on  by  thoughts  of  his 
proximity  to  the  Base,  who  killed  one  of  his  sons,  and, 
dancing  about  last  evening  whilst  waving  a  sword  over 
his  head,  he  was  heard  shouting  for  them  to  come  on 
that  he  might  kill  them  ;  and  in  fact  he  worked  himself 
into  such  a  state  of  frenzy  that  Albert  began  to  fear, 
for  want  of  a  Base,  he  would  fall  foul  of  a  friend.  Re- 


230  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

turning  very  tired  after  our  long  ride  and  scarcity  of 
provisions,  it  was  most  annoying  to  be  told  that  Sheik 
Aghill  had  arrived  yesterday,  with  two  uncles,  also 
Sheiks,  and  that  he  intended  remaining  until  to-morrow  ; 
so  the  long-dreaded  visit  has  at  last  come  to  pass,  and 
he  has  of  course  chosen  the  present  time  to  make  sure 
of  getting  his  dollars,  as  it  is  the  termination  of  the 
camel-men's  month. 

Before  making  him  receiver-general,  as  he  asked  to  be, 
we  sent  for  the  chief  of  our  party  to  know  if  this  would 
meet  with  general  approval.  Essafi  distinctly  objected 
to  receiving  his  wages  through  the  Sheik,  as  he  was  sure 
the  Sheik  would  try  to  borrow  what  he  did  not  claim, 
and  therefore  paid  him  four  dollars  out  of  his  savings 
at  once,  to  be  quit  of  him  and  his  extortions.  Nothing 
satisfies  this  voracious  ogre,  and  he  tried  his  utmost  to 
extract  some  extra  dollars  from  us  on  the  most  trifling 
pleas,  even  begging  for  one  because  we  sent  a  man  to 
Kassala  ;  but  we  know  our  friend  too  well  now  to  be 
humbugged  by  his  energetically  kissing  our  hands  in 
turn,  or  by  any  other  dodges  to  induce  us  to  open  the 
dollar-bag  again. 

During  the  process  of  pleading  it  was  very  amusing 
to  see  him  trying  to  get  round  Albert  by  soft  words 
and  winking  after  his  own  fashion  by  completely 
closing  one  eye  ;  and  when  he  found  this  plan  unsuc- 
cessful he  became  very  angry  with  Albert  for  not  taking 


SHEIK  AGHILL    WITH  US  AGAIN.  231 

his  part,  and,  having  pushed  him  aside,  appealed  again 
directly  to  us. 

Determined  as  we  were  not  to  recognise  his  false 
claims  we  tried  to  entertain  him,  his  uncles  and 
followers,  and  in  this  respect  our  success  was  undoubted. 
The  pictures  in  our  books,  and  especially  in  the  frequently 
examined  '  Baker/  attracted  as  much  interest  as  ever. 
In  this  book,  each  man  represented  has  been  given  a 
name  to  add  to  the  interest,  and  there  is  of  course  no 
difficulty  in  pointing  out  '  Howagee '  Baker  in  each 
group  ;  but  amongst  the  numerous  half-naked  Arabs  it 
is  not  easy  to  remember  on  each  occasion  to  whom  we 
have  given  the  name  of  Aboo  Doo,  Taher  Sheriff, 
Roder  Sheriff,  or  other  celebrities,  yet  a  change  of 
name  is  quickly  detected  by  them.  The  pictures  in 
other  books  do  not  attract  half  the  interest  of  these, 
and  even  the  great  Sheik  is  quite  as  contented  to  look 
at  any  others  upside  down  as  the  right  way,  and 
possibly  more  so,  for  he  is  most  frequently  found 
studying  them  in  this  position.  One  and  all  have  quite 
made  up  their  minds  that  we  shall  write  a  book  on  our 
return  to  England,  and  give  illustrations  of  their  exploits 
also.  There  is  one  picture  which  far  surpasses  in  inte- 
rest even  the  invaluable  'Baker,'  and  when  once  seen 
the  study  of  it  never  appears  to  weary  them,  although, 
after  all,  it  is  only  the  reflection  of  their  own  faces  In 
some  little  looking-glasses  we  brought  out  as  presents 


232  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

for  them.  The  air  of  perfect  satisfaction  with  which 
the  Sheik  inspects  himself  in  one  whilst  stroking  his 
small  beard,  or  exposing  to  view  his  really  beautiful 
teeth,  is  delightful.  One  of  his  men  had  never  seen 
his  own  face  before,  and  after  a  very  long  study  of  it 
he  was  not  apparently  over  and  above  pleased,  remark- 
ing that  he  had  seen  a  great  many  other  faces  like  it. 
The  next  entertainment  on  the  programme  was  one 
new  alike  to  all,  and  we  therefore  held  a  levee  of  the 
whole  camp,  and  having  placed  them  in  a  circle  no  less 
a  marvel  was  produced  than  a  galvanic  battery.  From 
the  Sheik  downwards  each  in  his  turn  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  testing  its  astonishing  powers  so  long  as  they 
had  any  inclination  to  do  so;  and  the  very  varied  effects 
and  the  extreme  contortions  of  their  faces  were  a  source 
of  endless  amusement  and  produced  shouts  of  laughter 
amongst  the  spectators.  All  tried  their  best  to  endure 
the  torture,  believing  that  it  would  give  them  new  life, 
and  the  violent  contractions  of  their  muscles  before 
they  cried  '  enough '  proved  there  was  no  lack  of  pluck 
in  their  constitutions.  One  old  Sheik  declared  that  if 
we  took  this  wonder  of  wonders  to  the  Abyssinians 
they  would  say  we  were  magicians.  Interesting,  how- 
ever, as  it  may  be  to  amuse  in  this  simple  way  a 
party  of  Hamran  Arabs,  it  would  require  a  very  strong 
constitution  to  continue  the  performance  for  a  long 
time  whilst  the  thermometer  stands  at  about  100°  Fah. 


SUCCESS  OF  A    GALVANIC  BATTERY.         233 

in  the  shade,  and  145°  Fah.  in  the  sun,  with  a  perfectly 
still  atmosphere,  and  when  owing  to  the  closely  packed 
crowd  one  seems  to  inhale  nothing  but  oil  of  a  most 
unsavoury  kind.  We  therefore  sent  them  all  off  very 
quickly  when  all  had  had  a  trial,  though  they  would 
gladly  have  stayed  for  another  round,  excepting  our 
old  friend  Aghill,  and  there  was  no  chance  of  shaking  him 
off  till  after  dinner.  As  we  sat  down  to  this  repast  he 
took  a  last  look  at  himself  in  Vivian's  looking-glass,  and 
asked  for  it  to  be  given  him,  and  on  Vivian  refusing  to 
do  so  he  pushed  his  plate  away  and  said  he  would  eat 
nothing.  To  set  his  mind  at  rest  a  half-promise  was 
made  that  it  might  ultimately  be  given  him,  and  he  at 
once  hid  it  in  the  numerous  folds  of  his  robe.  After 
dinner  Vivian,  referring  to  the  glass,  asked  Aghill  what 
he  would  do  if  it  were  taken  away  from  him,  and  his 
reply,  needing  no  interpretation  by  Albert,  was  as 
prompt  as  it  was  suggestive,  for  he  instantly  put  his 
finger  down  his  throat,  and  the  glass  without  a 
moment's  loss  of  time  became  his  own.  For  a  wonder 
he  then  had  a  liberal  fit,  and  offered  to  give  us  two 
wives  each  if  we  would  remain  in  his  country  ;  and  it  is 
almost  a  pity  that  we  have  not  accepted  the  present,  for 
it  will  probably  be  the  only  one,  as  he  thinks  his  only 
duty  in  life  is  to  receive,  that  nothing  is  too  good  for 
him,  and  that  he  ought  to  be  given  everything  he  asks 
for.  A  very  convenient  doctrine  !  He  is  very  anxious 


234  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

to  go  with  us  to  Cairo  to  seek  a  personal  interview 
with  the  Khedive  about  present  Hamran  troubles,  and  to 
petition  him  to  place  all  the  people  of  this  country,  who 
are  as  yet  under  Egyptian  rule,  directly  under  the  govern- 
ment of  Munsinger  Pasha.  He  has  begged  us  to  assist  him 
in  this  laudable  project ;  but  not  to  commit  ourselves  to 
a  mistake,  we  have  only  promised  to  refer  the  matter  to 
Munsinger,  and  if  he  approves  the  Sheik  will  be 
allowed  to  travel  with  us  to  Cairo. 

March  19. — After  breakfast,  as  a  parting  gift,  we 
gave  some  of  our  store  of  presents  to  our  guest  and  his 
uncles,  consisting  of  handsome  Venetian  beads,  Cairo 
beads,  looking-glasses,  ribbons,  and  scissors,  and  per- 
taining more  therefore  to  the  lady  department,  'but 
equally  acceptable  ;  and  as  there  seemed  no  prospect  of 
our  visitors  being  the  first  to  move  we  took  the  initiative, 
and  left  them  under  Albert's  watchful  eye  to  check  the 
rather  restive  tendency  of  their  hands.  Aghill  has 
succeeded  in  wringing  from  the  Arab  who  showed  us 
the  ostrich-nest  the  three  dollars  we  gave  him,  and  two 
or  three  from  another  who  sold  Albert  a  rhinoceros 
horn  ;  but  Essafi  with  all  his  cunning  has  been  the  great 
sufferer,  for  the  Sheik  has  succeeded  in  borrowing  from 
him  his  month's  wages  of  twenty  dollars,  and  the 
general  opinion  is  that  he  will  never  see  a  penny  of 
them  again*  Soon  after  Vivian's  departure  he  found  a 
young  lioness  under  a  tree,  and  not  being  able  to  see 


DYING  STRUGGLE   OP   A   LIONESS.  235 

any  other  members  of  the  family  he  relieved  the  country 
from  one  encumbrance  in  the  future.  Later  in  the  day 
the  sharp  eye  of  Mohamed  discovered  a  lioness  lying 
under  a  mimosa  which  they  were  passing,  but  her  retreat 
was  so  dark  that  for  some  time  Vivian  could  not  see 
her.  Upon  doing  so  he  fired  without  being  able  to  aim 
very  clearly  at  any  part,  and  with  only  the  result  of 
making  her  spring  out  of  her  ambush  in  an  opposite 
direction  to  where  they  were  standing  and  disappear. 
Immediately  afterwards,  Essafi  and  myself  on  our  way 
home  appeared  on  the  scene,  and  as  it  was  very  evident 
from  the  blood  in  her  track  that  she  was  wounded,  we 
agreed  to  join  in  following  it  up. 

For  a  long  time  the  two  hunters  were  mutually  keen, 
but  Essafi  was  the  first  to  despair  of  success,  as  he  had 
not  the  stimulus  of  its  being  his  master's  lion.  Mohamed 
at  last  was  on  the  point  of  giving  up  the  hunt,  when  as 
we  walked  along  the  dry  bed  of  a  mountain  torrent  we 
saw  the  lioness  crouching  on  the  bank  under  a  large 
1  baobab '  about  thirty  yards  off.  Vivian  then  took  a 
steady  shot  at  her  and  literally  rolled  her  over,  and  she 
finally  landed  in  front  of  us  in  the  bed  of  the  stream, 
and  though  not  dead  she  appeared  quite  done  for.  We 
fortunately  were  very  cautious  about  approaching  her, 
and  did  so  very  slowly,  whilst  throwing  a  few  stones 
until  within  fifteen  yards  of  her,  when  with  a  low  growl 
she  sprang  up  and  came  straight  at  us  upon  three  legs, 


236  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

though  at  a  pace  by  no  means  alarming ;  and  then  a  bullet 
in  the  front  of  the  shoulder  from  my  express  dropped 
her  dead.  In  the  meantime  our  hunters  had  taken 
their  usual  precaution  of  retiring  rapidly  to  a  distance. 
Whilst  they  were  busily  employed  afterwards  concealing 
the  lioness  with  dry  grass  and  wood  from  the  watchful 
eyes  of  the  vultures,  we  took  advantage  of  the  opportu- 
nity to  measure  the  baobab,  as  it  was  about  the  finest 
we  had  seen,  and  we  found  its  circumference  to  be  over 
sixty-five  feet  near  the  base.  Those  who  question 
whether  it  is  by  sight  or  scent  that  the  vultures  and 
Marabou  storks  find  out  their  food,  could  not  remain 
very  long- in  doubt,  one  would  think,  in  this  country,  for 
if  our  Arabs  can  manage  to  cover  over  our  game  quite 
loosely  with  some  branches  and  grass  before  it  has  been 
observed  by  the  feathered  tribe,  it  will  remain  perfectly 
safe  from  them  ;  but  in  addition  the  Arabs  are  always 
most  particular  to  specially  conceal  any  marks  of  blood 
on  the  body  or  in  the  neighbouring  track.  If,  however, 
we  can  see  at  the  time  any  vultures  soaring  about  high 
above  us,  the  Arabs  know  that  their  labour  will  be  in 
vain.  These  remarks  do  not  apply  to  the  black-and- 
white  crow,  for  this  bird  has  a  wonderful  knack  of  being 
in  at  or  soon  after  the  death,  independent  of  sight  appa- 
rently ;  and,  with  a  generosity  worthy  of  example, 
vociferously  '  caws '  all  its  immediate  relations  in  the 
neighbourhood  to  the  feast,  from  the  top  of  the  highest 
tree  it  can  find. 


A    FEAST  FOR   A   'GOURMET:  237 

At  last  the  sentence  of  death  by  shooting  has  been 
carried  out  upon  the  sick  horse  in  a  favourite  haunt  of 
lions,  where  it  was  led  by  Essafi  after  sunset,  but  the 
result  was  most  disappointing ;  for,  after  the  execution, 
Vivian  and  myself  remained  in  ambush  near  it  far  into 
the  night  without  receiving  a  visitor  of  any  kind.  An- 
other great  proof  that  vultures,  &c.,  are  guided  by  sight, 
not  scent,  is  that  they  only  soar  about  during  the  day, 
and  if  towards  sunset  we  kill  an  animal  there  is  no  need 
to  cover  it  over,  for  it  then  becomes  an  unnecessary 
precaution  against  their  greedy  proclivities,  and  quite 
useless  to  save  it  from  being  scented  out  by  its  enemies 
of  the  night,  the  lion  and  hyaena.  Our  Arab  neighbours 
caught  a  giraffe  yesterday,  and  made  us  a  present  of 
some  of  the  flesh,  and  as  Albert  caught  a  fine  fish,  a 
'baggar'  (Baker),  our  dinner  to-day  has  been  more 
varied  than  usual,  consisting  of  giraffe  soup  (which  by 
Mohamed's  careful  cooking  was,  like  his  usual  soups, 
reduced  almost  to  an  essence,  and  had  consequently  a 
rather  too  strong  flavour  of  the  menagerie  for  the  palates 
of  such  connoisseurs  as  we  have  become  in  the  delicacies 
of  the  forest),  boiled  '  baggar/  a  very  fine  fish  and  the 
best  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Settite,  a  buffalo  mince,  a 
giraffe  steak,  ariel  cutlets  cooked  in  hippo-fat,  and 
a  sweet  omelette  made  with  an  ostrich-egg  and  apricot 
jam  ;  and,  to  have  everything  in  keeping,  our  lantern  is 
supplied  with  the  prepared  fat  of  the  lion.  The  Arabs 


238  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

declare  that  they  know  many  of  the  lions  by  sight 
which  frequent  the  Settite,  from  seeing  them  often 
follow  their  cattle  when  they  bring  them  up  the  valley 
after  the  rains,  and  say  that  my  fat  one  was  a  very  old 
offender,  having  robbed  them  of  many  a  cow,  and  that 
the  news  of  his  death  had  spread  through  all  the  villages. 
March  20. — Vivian  has  shot  a  maariff  with  a  most 
curious  pair  of  horns,  and  we  are  at  a  loss  to  know  whether 
their  condition  is  the  result  of  a  well-fought  battle  or  of 
abnormal  development.  One  horn  is  only  represented 
by  a  short  stump,  as  if  it  had  been  broken  off,  whilst  the 
other  is  so  completely  twisted  out  of  its  natural  position 
that  instead  of  curving  backwards  it  turns  directly  out- 
wards, and  is  otherwise  misshapen.  It  will  form  a 
valuable  addition  to  his  collection  of  heads.  On  our 
return  home  in  the  afternoon  we  ^heard,  much  to  our 
astonishment,  that  Gumming  had  been  to  the  camp  to 
see  how  we  were  getting  on,  and  then  returned  to  the 
Roy  an,  where  his  party  had  just  arrived  from  the  Salaam. 
All  quite  well,  but  they  have  shot  nothing  of  importance 
beyond  a  giraffe,  owing  to  the  almost  total  absence  of 
game  there,  excepting  tetel  and  mehedehet.  They  in- 
tend, therefore,  to  return  to  the  Settite  in  a  few  days,  and 
we  shall  then  be  able  to  hear  more  of  their  doings  since 
the  great  separation.  I  have  continued  to  keep  a  daily 
record,1  when  practicable,  of  the  maximum  temperature 
»  Vide  'Chart.' 


THE  HEAT  BECOMES   OPPRESSIVE.  239 

in  sun  and  in  shade  by  day,  and  the  minimum  by  night, 
and  all  gradually  tend  upwards  with  occasional  varia  - 
tions  ;  and  now  that  the  lowest  temperature  at  night  is 
only  65°  we  find  it  more  refreshing  to  have  our  beds 
outside  the  tent,  and  thus  get  the  full  benefit  of  any 
movement  of  air  during  the  early  part  of  the  night,  when 
the  heat  is  rather  oppressive.     The  maximum  in  sun 
and  shade  to-day  has  been  respectively  145°  and   100° 
Fah.     During   the   past   week   we   have  seen  frequent 
thunderstorms  over  Abyssinia,  and  this  afternoon  very 
dark,   ominous-looking  clouds  have  hung  directly  over 
our  heads,  whilst  we  have  had  thunder  and  lightning  in 
the  distance  on  all  sides  of  us.     At  one  time  it  appeared 
scarcely  possible  we  could    escape  a   good  drenching, 
but  not  a  drop  of  rain  fell  over  the  camp,  and  the  sky 
has  now  returned  to  its  usual  cloudless  condition.     We 
already  feel  the  effects  of  the  storms  in  Abyssinia,  by  a 
very  decided  rise  in  the  river  ;  and  if  this  continues  to 
increase,  our  fords  will  soon  become  impassable  on  foot. 
There  are  few  things  to  mar  the  pleasure  of  life  on  the 
banks  of  the  Settite,  and  the  threatening  approach  of 
the  rains  tells  us  but  too  truly  that  we  must  make  the 
most  of  the  time  still  left  us  for  a  safe  sojourn  here ;  but 
there  is  one  performance,  sometimes  repeated  three  or 
four  times  a  day,  which  is  far  from  agreeable,  and  the 
shorter  the  individual  the  more  he  has  cause  to  object 
to  it.     I  refer  to  wading  across  the  river  at  varying  depths, 


240  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 


from  above  the  knee  to  an  occasional  plunge  to  the 
waist  or  higher.  When  feel:ng  fresh  in  the  morning 
there  is  no  cause  to  find  fault  with  the  performance,  for 
it  is  then  rather  pleasant  than  otherwise,  and  the  sun 
very  soon  dries  the  wet  clothes  ;  but  in  returning  home 
after  a  long  day  on  foot  in  the  scorching  sun,  when  we 
are  more  or  less  fatigued,  the  water  strikes  very  cold, 
especially  if  it  reaches  the  waist,  and  it  requires  a  brisk 
walk  to  restore  the  circulation  properly.  Sometimes  I 
have  been  almost  surprised  at  no  ill  effect  being  pro- 
duced by  it,  but  nothing  seems  able  to  disturb  our  rest 
or  our  digestion. 

March  21. — Last  night,  just  before  we  were  going  to 
bed,  an  Arab  told  us  that  a  herd  of  buffaloes  were 
drinking  a  short  distance  above  our  camp,  and  dressed 
as  we  were  we  started  off  after  them  ;  Vivian  in  shirt- 
sleeves, pajamas  and  slippers,  and  myself  in  a  thin 
dressing  suit.  The  moon,  partially  obscured  by  clouds, 
only  gave  us  sufficient  light  to  allow  us  to  distinguish 
an  immense  black  mass,  until  we  crept  up  to  within 
perhaps  thirty  or  forty  yards  of  them,  when  we  could 
make  out  a  general  outline  of  the  nearest,  and  into  these 
we  fired  our  four  barrels.  Never  could  buffaloes  have 
been  more  startled  from  their  peaceful  occupations  than 
were  these,  on  seeing  such  volumes  of  fire  suddenly 
bursting  upon  them  ;  and,  leaving  two  wounded  com- 
panions behind,  they  tore  along  the  bank  in  headlong 


Ward  and  Co.,  Naturalists 


MALFORMED  MAARIFF  (tlippotragus  Bakerii}. 


We 


drop  him.    We  bad 


— 


i~->:   -  - '.:.j    — ~i    " ."•:;  - 
on  the  kgk  tabfe-bfl 

ayfromlfe  Arabs 


-   ;;.-    ;: 


'     :        :- 


242  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

we  all  escaped  without  being  shot,  or  otherwise  injured, 
is  somewhat  surprising.  The  Arabs  were  wild  with  de- 
light at  the  buffalo  slaughter,  and  from  the  numbers 
reported  to  be  wounded  we  ought  to  have  hit  about 
two  per  shot.  A  grand  search  was  made  for  these 
under  the  low  trees,  and  everyone  was  very  bold  at 
first,  even  Albert ;  but  directly  a  buffalo  was  found  and 
it  was  heard  to  move,  a  general  scamper  occurred  right 
across  our  guns,  leaving  us  in  a  much  more  uncom- 
fortable position  than  themselves  had  one  charged. 
Essafi  very  cleverly  drew  one  out  from  under  some  trees 
by  dancing  about  before  it,  and  making  thrusts  at  it 
with  his  sword,  whilst  we  stood  in  a  good  position  for  a 
shot,  and  as  it  charged  at  Essafi  he  kept  clear  of  our 
guns,  and  it  was  at  once  rolled  over,  most  probably  by 
Vivian's  ten-bore.  In  another  instance  we  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  with  what  great  accuracy  and  force  these 
Arabs  can  throw  their  spears,  for  having  found  a  wounded 
buffalo  in  open  ground,  a  deaf  and  dumb  Arab  be- 
longing to  another  camp  begged  to  be  allowed  to  finish  it 
off  in  his  own  way,  for  our  special  edification.  Having 
been  granted  this  privilege,  he  crept  up  stealthily,  and 
at  five  yards  distance  away  flew  his  spear,  and  striking 
the  buffalo  behind  the  shoulder  it  penetrated  the  chest 
to  a  depth  of  several  inches.  It  did  not  finally  suc- 
cumb to  its  persecutor  until  by  sundry  cuts  with  a 
sword,  lent  by  Essafi,  across  the  back  of  the  neck,  he 


A  DEAF  AND  DUMB  ARAB.  243 

severed  the  spine  there.  Though  it  was  far  from  any 
pleasure  to  us  to  aid  in  such  a  night  slaughter  of 
buffaloes,  it  was  one  not  likely  often  to  have  its  equal, 
for  in  nine  shots  we  brought  down  five,  and  we  have 
no  cause  to  regret  it,  for  our  people  will  take  care 
that  not  a  scrap  is  wasted.  It  has  proved  a  fine  oppor- 
tunity to  fulfil  a  promise  to  our  hard-working  Ibrahim, 
to  give  him  an  animal  all  to  himself,  for  one  of  the 
buffaloes  was  found  quite  dead,  and  the  Arabs  therefore 
did  not  grumble  at  his  having  the  whole  of  it  for  his 
friends  at  Kassala.  The  deaf  and  dumb  man  is  a 
splendidly-made  fellow,  and  is  quite  the  'Ibrahim'  of 
his  own  camp,  as  he  does  most  of  the  hard  work,  and  he 
is  considered  their  boldest  hunter.  By  various  signs 
his  friends  understand  him  perfectly,  and,  much  to  his 
delight,  he  finds  in  Albert  a  new  friend  with  whom  he 
can  hold  a  long  conversation  with  even  greater  ease. 
The  fact  of  Albert  being  able  to  talk  to  him  with  facility 
astonished  us  greatly  at  first,  and  it  proved,  if  proof  were 
wanting,  that  when  language  is  of  no  avail  the  minds 
of  human  beings,  of  whatever  race  they  may  be,  naturally 
turn  to  a  very  similar  method  of  giving  expression  to 
the  thoughts  ;  and  it  has  also  brought  to  light  another  of 
Albert's  numerous  talents.  At  Shepherd's  Hotel,  Albeit 
was  one  day  told  that  a  Russian  gentleman  wished  to 
see  him  in  his  room,  so  he  went  up  stairs  and  knocked 
at  the  door,  and  receiving  no  reply  came  down  again, 

R  2 


244  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

believing  that  no  one  was  at  home.  The  landlord  told 
him  to  go  up  again,  and  open  the  door  and  walk  in,  and 
having  obeyed  these  instructions  he  found  himself  in  the 
presence  of  the  Russian.  Apologising  for  thus  intruding, 
he  felt  annoyed  at  receiving  no  response,  and  was  about 
to  retire  when,  by  signs  made  to  him  to  sit  down,  he 
perceived  that  the  Russian  was  deaf  and  dumb.  The 
result  of  the  interview,  sustained  by  writing  in  French, 
was  that  Albert  agreed  to  travel  with  him  for  six  months, 
a  portion  of  the  time  to  be  spent  in  Cairo,  and  the  re- 
mainder in  Italy.  Albert  describes  this  engagement  as 
the  most  trying  of  any  he  has  accepted  in  his  career  of 
dragoman  or  courier,  and  especially  during  the  first  month, 
for  he  never  was  away  from  his  master's  side,  and  began 
almost  to  fear  that  he  also  would  lose  the  power  of  speech. 
As  time  went  on,  writing  gradually  gave  place  to  signs, 
and  so  completely  towards  the  end  of  the  engagement, 
that  they  could  hold  long  conversations  with  great  ease 
in  the  latter  way,  and  when  they  parted  Albert  consi- 
dered himself  quite  a  proficient  in  the  language  of  signs. 
He  now  finds  a  fine  opportunity  to  renew  his  experience, 
and  to  show  off  another  talent  to  us.  The  deaf  and 
dumb  Arab  lives  more  in  our  camp  than  in  his  own,  and 
is  always  delighted  if  allowed  to  assist  Ibrahim  in  clean- 
ing and  preparing  heads  and  skins,  and  returns  home 
quite  happy  if  given  an  odd  remnant  of  hide  to  make 
a  pair  of  sandals.  It  is  painful  to  watch  him  holding  a 


ALBERT  KNOWS  HIS  LANGUAGE. 


245 


conversation  with  Albert,  for  he  makes  during  the  whole 
time  a  peculiar  whining  noise,  and  sometimes  gets  so 
excited  that  he  looks  far  more  like  a  raving  lunatic  than 
a  sane  man.  Albert  runs  him  very  close  in  this  respect, 
by  the  distortion  of  his  features,  and  by  the  wild  and 
rapid  movements  of  his  arms.  It  is  quite  evident  that 
they  must  understand  one  another  perfectly,  or  they 
would  not  be  so  frequently  seen  going  through  their 
gymnastic  performances.  The  Arab  unfortunately 
thinks  that  because  Albert  understands  him  we  ought 
to  be  able  to  do  so,  and  is  rather  fond  of  a  chat  with  us 
on  our  return  home ;  and  as  we  have  paid  him  the  com- 
pliment of  learning  his  signs  to  represent  the  different 
animals  we  shoot,  and  whether  they  are  male  or  female, 
we  are  able  to  tell  him  some  news,  and  a  few  mutual 
nods  and  grins  help  out  the  conversation  wonderfully. 

Albert,  wise  in  his  generation,  takes  advantage  of 
having  been  born  in  Gibraltar,  and  registers  himself 
every  year  at  the  Consulate,  Cairo,  as  an  English 
subject.  For  this  he  pays  5^.,  and  by  so  doing  escapes 
other  taxes.  In  his  speech  he  might  be  mistaken  for 
an  Englishman,  excepting  for  an  occasional  mistake, 
such  as  one  last  night,  when  he  called  a  bee  a  honey- 
fly.  He  says  he  can  speak  seven  languages,  and  most 
of  them  fluently. 

March  22. — Surprised  as  we  were  the  other  day  to 


246  LIFE    WITH   THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

hear  of  the  visit  of  Gumming,  this  news  was  as  nothing 
to  the  announcement  of  to-day  that  Ranfurly  and 
Arkwright  had  arrived  at  Emhagga,  our  old  camping- 
ground  down  the  river,  so  in  a  few  days  we  shall  be 
quite  a  large  party  here. 


AN  UNPLEASANT  POSITION.  247 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

March  23. — I  went  out  early  with  Essafi,  and  came 
unexpectedly  upon  a  rhinoceros  in  some  jungle,  and  as 
he  looked  at  me  with  his  head  up  I  fired  at  the  front  of 
his  chest  with  the  '  Henry,'  but  without  producing  any 
apparent  effect.  We  then  tracked  him  for  some 
distance  by  observing  the  freshly-trodden  grass,  and 
walked  up  to  within  five  yards  of  him  before  he  was 
seen.  He  was  again  facing  us  with  head  up,  and  I 
fired  as  before,  and  to  my  unpleasant  surprise  the 
cartridge  missed  fire.  Keeping  my  eye  upon  him  I 
reloaded,  and  in  a  most  liberal  manner  he  allowed  me 
to  take  another  shot  at  him  without  moving,  and  this 
time  with  an  immediately  fatal  result.  The  bullets 
had  entered  the  chest  side  by  side,  the  last  being  a  little 
to  the  left  and  probably  striking  the  heart.  In  the 
afternoon  there  was  a  great  gathering  in  our  camp,  for 
Coke  and  Cumming  arrived  from  the  Royan,  being 
already  disgusted  with  it,  and  Ranfurly  and  Ark- 
wright  paid  a  '  morning  call.'  It  was  very  amusing  to 
compare  our  respective  experiences,  and  Vivian  and 


248  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 


myself  have  no  cause  to  find  fault  with  the  way  Fate 
has  treated  us. 

The  Massowah  party  give  a  very  unfavourable 
report  of  their  sport  in  the  Bogo's  country,  having  found 
no  elephants,  as  they  had  fully  expected,  nor  scarcely 
any  other  game,  excepting  buffaloes  and  gazelle.  They 
therefore  returned  to  Massowah,  and  having  heard 
from  the  Governor,  Arekel  Bey  (the  nephew  of  Nubar 
Pasha),  to  whom  they  had  received  letters  of  intro- 
duction, that  Munsinger  Pasha  had  telegraphed  to 
him  very  favourable  accounts  of  our  doings,  they 
decided  upon  coming  into  our  country,  and  engaged 
fresh  camels  for  the  desert  journey  to  Kassala.  This 
extended  over  two  months,  in  consequence  of  their 
making  excursions  into  the  Base  country  ;  and  owing 
to  the  almost  complete  absence  of  antelope,  they  ran 
very  short  of  their  meat  supplies.  Ranfurly  shot  a 
fine  lion  en  route,  and  between  them  they  killed  a  boa- 
constrictor  measuring  fifteen  feet,  which  they  found 
coiled  up  in  a  bush  and  believed  to  be  temporarily  blind, 
as  it  had  just  shed  its  skin  and  the  eyes  were  still  covered 
with  a  portion  of  it.  At  Kassala  they  accepted  a  guard 
of  six  soldiers,  and  after  arriving  at  the  Hamran  village, 
and  being  fleeced  by  Sheik  Aghill,  they  departed  for 
the  Salaam  river,  Arkwright  preferring  to  visit  a  new 
district  than  to  return  to  his  haunts  of  the  previous 
winter  on  the  Settite.  Having  decided  to  strike 


ARKWRIGHT  IS  ATTACKED   BY  ABYSSINIANS.  249 

the  Salaam  at  a  point  well  within  the  Abyssinian  fron- 
tier, they  took  a  line  of  country  between  the  Settite 
and  this  river,  until,  arriving  at  a  favourite  camping- 
ground  upon  its  bank,  they  pitched  their  tent  there 
for  a  time,  and  then  gradually  descending  the  river 
they  came  to  the  camp  of  Coke  and  Gumming,  where 
they  spent  a  week  before  proceeding  here.  Their  sport 
was  no  better  than  their  neighbours',  but  in  one  respect 
they  nearly  succeeded  in  having  a  very  different  ex- 
perience. 

Arkwright  is  very  partial  to  fishing,  and  one  day 
he  started  off  with  his  rod,  rifle,  and  Tokroori  attendant 
(a  Mahometan  negro  tribe  belonging  to  Darfur),  to  a 
pool  about  a  mile  above  their  first  camp  in  Abyssinian 
territory,  and  set  to  work  to  see  what  it  contained.  In 
a  short  time  his  man  suddenly  sprang  up,  and  in  a  wild 
state  of  excitement  cried  out  the  '  Hhabeshi '  (Abys- 
sinian) robbers  are  coming.  It  was  then  too  late  for 
escape,  so  seizing  his  rifle  he  quietly  allowed  the 
enemy  to  approach  him.  He  counted  thirty-six  men 
mounted,  all  armed  with  spear  and  shield,  and  he 
was  in  a  moment  surrounded  by  them ;  and  as  he 
looked  up  and  saw  all  their  spears  pointed  at  him  he 
felt  his  position  to  be  extremely  critical,  and  especially 
as  at  the  same  moment  one  of  the  party  seized  hold  of 
his  rifle  and  tried  to  wrench  it  from  him.  In  this 
emergency  he  found  in  the  Tokroori  a  faithful  friend, 


250  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

for  the  man  stepped  forward,  and  speaking  in  their  own 
language  told  them  that  they  dared  not  touch  his 
master,  for  beyond  a  tree  which  they  could  see  was 
their  camp  writh  a  party  of  Egyptian  soldiers  ;  and  if 
they  attempted  to  do  any  violence  to  him  they  would 
all  certainly  be  killed. 

The  effect  was  magical  upon  them,  for  they  at  once 
dropped  their  threatening  attitude,  and  declared  that  they 
meant  no  harm,  and  were  merely  hunting  for  buffaloes, 
and  they  rapidly  decamped  upon  being  pointed  out  by 
the  Tokroori  the  direction  in  which  he  said  he  had  seen 
some  fresh  tracks.  That  night  the  soldiers  kept  up  a 
careful  watch,  fearing  a  surprise,  but  without  cause,  for 
nothing  more  was  heard  of  them. 

Whilst  Arkwright  and  Ranfurly  have  decided  upon 
remaining  in  their  present  camp  below  us,  Coke  and 
Gumming  have  chosen  some  ground  about  a  mile  above 
us,  for  we  have  decided  that  it  would  be  better  for  us  not 
to  rejoin,  as  Vivian  and  myself  wish  to  turn  our  steps 
homewards  before  they  do.  They  give  a  most  favourable 
report  of  Emanuel,  Bob,  and  the  young  soldier  Ab- 
dullah ;  but  their  Arabs  have  given  them  much  trouble, 
and  Emanuel  has  been  occasionally  obliged  to  resort  to 
the  native  method  of  enforcing  obedience — the  koor- 
batch.  The  general  meeting  was  most  cordial,  and 
Emanuel  and  Bob  were  specially  demonstrative  in  their 
delight  at  finding  us  safe  and  well.  Gumming  has  been 


AGAIN,  NO   NEWS  FROM  HOME.  251 

attacked  with  dysentery,  but  it  only  lasted  a  few  days, 
thanks  to  the  careful  management  of  Emanuel,  who, 
after  administering  a  good  dose,  kept  him  very  quiet, 
and  fed  him  chiefly  on  rice-water  and  arrowroot.  He 
is  now  perfectly  well,  and  though  the  edge  of  the  wound 
in  the  leg  has  not  quite  healed,  it  has  caused  him  no  in- 
convenience. 

March  24. — Our  deaf  and  dumb  friend  came  early 
this  morning  to  ask  us  to  assist  his  people  to  kill  a  rhi- 
noceros which  had  been  caught  in  one  of  their  traps,  and 
had  travelled  a  long  distance  into  the  Base  country  with 
the  block  of  wood  attached  to  a  leg.  Vivian  being  in 
camp  went  off  with  them,  and  when  once  on  the  track 
it  was  very  easy  work  following  it  up,  owing  to  the 
trailing  mark  made  by  the  wood.  When  first  they  came 
within  sight  of  him  he  was  eighty  yards  off,  in  open 
ground,  and  much  to  Vivian's  surprise  he  galloped  off 
without  appearing  to  be  the  least  impeded  by  the  huge 
addition  to  one  hind-leg.  After  another  hour's  tracking, 
Vivian  was  able  to  creep  close  to  him,  whilst  the  Arabs 
took  good  care  to  keep  at  a  respectful  distance  ;  and 
though  the  first  shot  did  not  prevent  his  going  cff,  a  second 
one  settled  his  fate.  The  Kassala  post  arrived  this  even- 
ing, and  again  no  letters  from  England,  nor  even  papers 
on  this  occasion,  excepting  some  copies  of  the  '  Mail/ 
which  Munsinger  Pasha  has  most  kindly  let  us  have. 

The  mistake  about  the  letters  is  very  annoying,  as 


252  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

we  took  every  pains  at  Cairo,  where  it  probably  occurs, 
to  arrange  for  their  transmission  to  Souakim  by  the 
Egyptian  steamers,  and  a  friend  promised  to  keep  an 
eye  to  our  interests  there.  At  Souakim  we  left  a  money 
deposit  with  the  Egyptian  postal  agent,  to  ensure  their 
transfer  across  the  desert,  so  we  do  not  expect  the  delay 
arises  there,  and  now  there  is  little  hope  of  getting  home 
news  until  our  return  to  Cairo. 

Hadji  Basheer  does  not  bring  good  news  from  Kas- 
sala,  for  small-pox  has  broken  out  there,  and  is  so  rapidly 
spreading  that  the  inhabitants  are  leaving  the  town  as 
fast  as  they  can.  He  had  consequently  great  difficulty, 
and  in  some  instances  failed,  in  fulfilling  our  small  com- 
missions. The  camel  he  took  with  him  has  not  returned 
quite  unladen,  however,  as  he  managed  to  buy  about  two 
hundred  small  hens'  eggs — distinctly  of  the  '  cooking ' 
variety,  and  therefore  requiring  considerable  care  in  their 
selection — lemons,  onions,  coffee,  and  sugar  in  loaf. 
Emanuel  was  very  proud  to  be  able  to  lend  us  from  his 
stores  some  of  the  last  two  items,  to  show  how  careful 
he  had  been  with  his  half  of  our  original  division,  not- 
withstanding the  extra  drain  upon  them  by  the  visitors 
from  Massowah.  But  he  has  not  had  a  black  cook 
with  him  like  Mohamed,  who  from  morning  to  night  is 
drinking  coffee  as  strong  as  it  can  be  made,  and  as 
sweet  as  syrup.  The  lemons  are  very  small  and  have 
little  juice,  but  they  impart  some  flavour  to  the  water, 


MOHAMED   AND   IBRAHIM  FIGHT.  253 

and  when  to  this  is  added  a  little  honey,  a  refreshing 
drink  is  readily  made  for  our  daily  return  from  hunting. 
Honey  has  also  quite  taken  the  place  of  stewed  apricots 
as  an  addition  to  rice,  which  is  in  great  demand  both  at 
dinner  and  breakfast,  now  that  the  supply  of  our  best 
biscuits  (Lehman's)  is  consumed,  and  we  are  tired  of  the 
commoner  kind,  '  hard-bake.'  Rice  has  also  a  great  ad- 
vantage over  biscuits,  in  combining  better  with  the  large 
amount  of  milk  our  two  goats  kindly  supply  us.  There 
has  been  one  thunderstorm  at  Kassala.  Another  piece 
of  news  brought  by  the  old  soldier  is  that  the  Shu- 
koriah  Arabs,  who  are  under  the  Sheik  of  Khartoum, 
have  recently  attacked  their  neighbours,  the  Haden- 
dowa  Arabs,  and  after  killing  six  of  them  they  carried 
off  ten  herds  of  cattle. 

The  Hadendowas  are  consequently  in  a  very  excited 
state,  and  have  sent  a  deputation  to  Munsinger  Pasha, 
by  whom  they  are  immediately  governed,  to  beg  him  to 
leave  them  to  settle  the  matter  without  his  interference, 
for  they  wish  to  kill  their  enemies,  or  die  in  the  attempt. 
In  consequence  of  this  disturbance,  Munsinger  has  had  to 
return  to  Kassala  from  a  tour  of  inspection  that  he  was 
making  in  the  country  under  his  rule.  A  report  has 
spread  amongst  the  Hamrans  that  the  late  King  Theo- 
dore's son  has  been  brought  back  to  Abyssinia. 

March  25. — We  have  had  on  the  whole  good  cause  to 
be  satisfied  with  the  amicable  relations  existing  between 


254  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

the  members  of  our  establishment  (even  Albert  and 
Essafi  soon  forgot  their  bloodthirsty  intentions  towards 
one  another),  though  we  could  have  wished  that  Albert 
had  more  power  in  checking  Mohamed's  extravagance 
in  the  consumption  of  our  stores ;  but  lately  we  have 
seen  that  Mohamed  was  becoming  daily  more  jealous 
of  the  notice  we  took  of  Ibrahim,  and  to-day  it  cul- 
minated in  a  row,  which  would  have  had  a  very  serious 
termination  had  not  Vivian  returned  home  at  the  right 
moment.  It  began  by  Mohamed  claiming  a  large 
skinning-knife  from  Ibrahim,  which  undoubtedly  be- 
longed to  Ibrahim,  as  he  proved  by  a  private  mark,  and 
a  struggle  ensued  of  a  desperate  kind,  though  Ibrahim 
was  by  far  the  stronger  of  the  two.  Vivian  brought 
it  to  an  abrupt  conclusion  by  appearing  on  the  scene, 
though  a  moment  too  late,  for  the  plucky  old  soldier  in 
trying  to  separate  the  black  combatants  paid  the  usual 
penalty  of  getting  the  most  injured  ;  for  Mohamed  in 
drawing  the  knife  away  made  a  frightful  gash  across 
his  hand  between  the  first  finger  and  thumb,  from  which 
blood  spurted  in  torrents.  They  then  wisely  set  to  work 
to  bind  the  thumb  to  the  finger  as  tightly  as  possible, 
and  thus  partially  check  the  bleeding,  and  messengers 
were  sent  off  in  search  of  me.  I  was  fortunately  re- 
turning home,  and  aided  by  my  assistants  the  arteries 
were  tied  and  all  bleeding  arrested  ;  and  then,  faint 
from  loss  of  blood,  the  old  soldier  was  laid  quietly  down 


COKE   IS   CHASED   BY  A  RHINOCEROS.         255 

in  the  best  shade  to  be  found.  The  business  terminated 
with  a  severe  lecture  to  the  combatants,  and  a  warning 
that  if  there  was  any  more  fighting  between  them  the 
one  most  clearly  in  the  wrong  should  be  at  once  sent 
back  to  Kassala.  Afterwards  we  heard  from  Albert 
that  Mohamed  had  received  a  present  from  Kassala  of 
some  '  booza  '  (  a  kind  of  native  beer  made  from  dhurra), 
and  that  he  had  been  decidedly  '  boosy  '  the  whole  day. 
Last  night  we  dined  with  Coke  and  Cumming,  and  this 
evening  we  returned  the  compliment,  and  Coke  enter- 
tained us  with  an  account  of  a  most  spirited  adventure 
he  had  just  had  with  a  rhinoceros.  When  some 
distance  from  home  he  suddenly  came  upon  three  in 
some  low  grass,  and  was  able  to  creep  within  a  few 
yards  of  them  without  being  seen ;  and  conceiving  the 
bold  design  of  trying  to  bag  them  all  he  gave  two  a 
right-and-left,  and  reloading  rapidly  before  they  had 
discovered  their  enemy  took  a  shot  at  the  third.  The 
first  two  decamped,  but  this  one,  whilst  more  boldly 
looking  about  him,  received  another  ball  from  the  ten- 
bore  in  the  side,  and  then  catching  sight  of  Coke  charged 
straight  at  him.  Coke,  guided  by  the  current  belief  that 
a  rhinoceros  never  turns  when  he  has  once  made  off, 
stepped  a  little  on  one  side  to  give  him  plenty  of  room 
to  pass  on  ;  but  instead  of  doing  so  he  changed  his 
course  accordingly,  and  there  was  nothing  left  for  Coke 
to  do  but  to  run  for  his  life  to  the  nearest  mimosa-tree, 


256  LIFE    WITH  THE  PIAMRAN  ARABS. 

at  the  same  time  dodging  about  from  side  to  side  to 
elude  his  persecutor.  This  was  without  effect,  though 
the  rhinoceros  once  lost  ground  by  a  tumble  ;  so  upon 
reaching  a  small  mimosa-bush  he  made  a  wide  circle 
round  it.  Still  the  rhinoceros  followed,  and  round  and 
round  the  tree  he  chased  Coke,  the  circles  becoming 
gradually  smaller,  until  the  latter,  finding  that  the  dis- 
tance between  them  was  also  diminishing,  whilst  he  was 
rapidly  becoming  exhausted,  made  up  his  mind  that  his 
only  hope  of  escape  was  to  get  to  a  neighbouring  wood, 
and  he  therefore  made  a  push  for  it.  The  rhinoceros  now 
cut  off  a  corner  by  trampling  down  the  mimosa  in  con- 
tinuing the  chase,  but  Coke  reached  the  wood  first  of 
all,  and  falling  down  amongst  the  bushes  quite  exhausted 
he  managed  to  elude  the  eye  of  his  would-be  enemy  as 
it  passed  on.  After  a  short  rest  to  recover  his  breath, 
and  when  rejoined  by  his  hunter,  he  followed  up  the 
track,  and  very  soon  found  the  rhinoceros  lying  under 
a  tree,  and  then  with  one  shot  put  an  end  to  its  danger- 
ous propensity.  This  account  makes  us  look  upon 
rhinoceros-shooting  in  a  rather  different  light,  for  though 
often  warned  of  the  danger  of  shooting  them,  our 
experience  had  led  us  to  believe  that  it  was  more 
imaginary  than  real,  from  their  invariably  turning  on 
receiving  a  charge  in  the  face,  though  their  first  inten- 
tion might  be  to  assume  the  offensive.  It  is  necessary 
to  see  a  rhinoceros  in  its  native  home  to  realise  the 


HIPPOPOTAMUS  SHOOTING.  257 

rapidity  with  which  such  an  unwieldy-looking  creature 
can  spring  to  its  feet,  the  pace  it  can  go,  and  the  very 
quick  way  it  can  turn,  beating  some  say  in  this  respect 
a  horse. 

On  seeing  the  malformed  maarifFs  head  in  Vivian's 
collection,  Coke  at  once  recognised  it  as  one  of  an  old 
friend  he  had  unsuccessfully  stalked  five  miles  beyond 
the  Salaam,  as  lately  as  March  1 5,  so  it  must  have  crossed 
the  river  and  travelled  over  forty  miles  during  the  short 
time  that  elapsed  before  it  was  shot. 

March  27. — A  hippo  which  was  killed  last  evening 
by  Vivian  was  found  at  sunrise,  and  very  soon  after- 
wards it  was  surrounded  by  more  than  sixty  Arab 
hunters,  so  greatly  have  they  multiplied  of  late ;  and 
owing  to  the  large  amount  of  meat  we  have  in  camp, 
our  men  let  the  visitors  have  all  of  it  excepting  the  hide 
and  fat. 

This  is  the  third  hippo  we  have  killed  this  week 
for  the  Arabs'  benefit ;  and  with  our  experience  we 
seldom  require  to  expend  upon  each  more  than  one 
expanding  bullet,  small  as  it  is,  from  our  express  rifles, 
for  if  it  strikes  a  hippo  in  the  eye  or  within  two 
or  three  inches  below  it  death  is  sure  to  follow.  The 
programme  is  to  sit  near  the  edge  of  a  pool,  allowing  a 
little  intervening  space  if  the  bank  is  a  low  one,  to  check 
the  too  eager  advance  of  a  crocodile,  and  to  wait 
patiently  for  the  momentary  appearance  of  a  hippo's 

S 


258  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

nose  and  eye,  for  more  is  rarely  seen.  With  luck 
the  first  hippo  may  be  accommodating  and  remain 
up  long  enough  for  a  steady  shot,  but  after  the  first 
they  become  very  wary,  and  our  plan  then  is,  after 
seeing  the  spot  where  one  has  risen  to  breathe,  to 
keep  the  rifle  directed  to  it ;  and  when  the  hippo 
rises  again,  as  he  frequently  does  in  the  same  place  after 
two  or  three  minutes,  or  more  if  the  pool  has  been 
disturbed,  to  take  a  snap-shot  at  him,  and  if  he  is  hit 
his  desperate  struggles  under  water  generally  set  the 
whole  pool  in  commotion  ;  but  sometimes  death  is  so  in- 
stantaneous, judging  by  the  quickness  with  which  they 
float,  that  there  is  no  immediate  evidence  of  their  being 
mortally  wounded. 

Curiously  enough,  after  a  long  morning's  tracking, 
and  at  last,  guided  by  the  little  bird  already  referred  to, 
Essafi  and  myself  for  the  first  time  found  three  rhinos 
together.  Two  were  asleep  close  to  us,  and  another  was 
feeding  at  a  little  distance  off.  I  again  tried  the  effect 
of  a  double  discharge  from  the  twelve-bore  rifle  behind 
the  left  shoulder  of  one,  but  without  any  effect ;  and  as 
it  bolted  with  its  companion  it  was  so  hidden  that  I 
could  not  give  it  a  '  Henry '  bullet.  No.  3  stood  quietly 
looking  at  me,  so  I  fired  at  it  with  this  rifle,  and  in- 
stantly on  it  came  towards  me. 

Coke's  experience  of  yesterday  was  much  too  recent 
for  me  not  to  be  affected  by  it,  and  I  found  myself 


OUR  FISHING  EXPERIMENTS.  259 

rapidly  following  on  the  heels  of  Essafi,  until,  on  looking 
round,  I  saw  to  my  relief  that  the  rhino  had  not  changed 
his  course.  Reloading  quickly,  I  gave  him  a  parting 
shot,  and  afterwards  followed  him  for  a  time  ;  but  as  it 
was  getting  late,  we  had  ultimately  to  leave  him  in 
peace.  Arkwright  sent  us  a  very  large  '  baggar,'  weighing 
about  twenty  pounds,  this  evening.  He  is  the  only  one 
who  cares  for  fishing.  We  have  not  found  it  very  inte- 
resting, for  if  we  fish  with  a  rod  and  line  a  turtle  is 
just  as  likely  to  take  the  bait  as  a  fish,  with  a  result  not 
very  satisfactory  to  the  fisherman  when  his  supply  of 
tackle  is  limited,  for  something  has  to  yield,  and  the 
probability  is  that  it  is  not  the  turtle.  The  other  ex- 
pedient is  to  use  a  hand-line  of  considerable  thickness, 
having  a  monster  hook  on  it  baited  with  half  a  pound 
•of  meat  or  more,  according  to  fancy,  and  by  sundry 
whirls  over  the  head  to  throw  it  a  long  distance  into 
the  river,  and  wait  the  result.  As  a  precautionary 
measure,  after  allowing  for  plenty  of  slack  line,  it  is 
advisable  to  fasten  the  frame  on  which  the  line  is  wound 
to  something  immovable.  A  few  gentle  nibbles,  then  a 
jerk,  and  probably  a  turtle  is  again  hooked,  and  it  is 
merely  a  question  of  hauling  to  bring  it  to  the  bank, 
when  it  has  a  playful  way  very  frequently  of  making 
good  its  escape.  Possibly  a  turtle  is  not  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  bait,  then  woe  be  it  if,  when  hold- 
ing the  line  in  your  hand,  your  thoughts  stray,  for  before 

s  2 


26o  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

you  have  time  to  let  the  line  go  a  monstrous  fish  may 
have  darted  off  with  the  bait,  and  dragged  the  line  at 
such  a  rate  through  your  fingers  that  it  must  be  felt  to 
be  fully  appreciated.  On  one  occasion  I  had  a  nasty 
cut  in  this  way.  After  one  run,  if  there  is  one,  it  would 
be  just  as  amusing  to  pull  a  dead  weight  out  of  the 
water  as  to  catch  the  enormous  fish  that  inhabit  the 
Settite.  The  most  common  one  caught  by  our  fisher- 
men, Albert  and  Hadji  Basheer,  is  a  hideous  creature 
with  an  almost  black  skin,  called  by  the  Arabs  '  bayard.' 
The  head  is  very  large  compared  with  the  body,  and  it 
has  four  long  feelers  in  the  upper  jaw  and  two  in  the 
lower.  Though  ugly  it  is  very  good  to  eat,  and  we 
generally  have  it  sliced  and  fried.  The  finest  yet  caught 
probably  did  not  weigh  more  than  twenty-five  pounds, 
but  Baker  mentions  having  frequently  seen  them  from 
sixty  to  seventy  pounds'  weight. 


ARAB  CATTLE.  261 


CHAPTER   XV. 

March  28. — We  have  to-day  turned  our  steps  home- 
wards, leaving  the  special  home  of  the  rhinoceros  and 
lion  to  the  new  arrivals,  and  have  encamped  upon  our 
old  ground,  named  El  Effaara.  Approaching  it,  we  saw 
immense  herds  of  cattle  being  driven  into  the  country 
from  the  villages  to  feed  on  the  dry  grass,  and  our 
hunters  at  once  galloped  off  to  the  drivers  to  get  some 
milk.  This  entailed  our  following  them  for  some  dis- 
tance, until  the  halting-ground  across  the  river  was 
reached.  The  cattle,  parched  with  thirst,  on  approach- 
ing the  river  rushed  headlong  down  the  steep  bank  to 
drink,  and  afterwards  so  enjoyed  fording  the  river 
that  they  took  their  time  about  it,  wandering  up  and 
down  in  mid-stream  until  driven  out ;  whilst  the  calves, 
of  which  there  were  a  goodly  number,  finding  it  neces- 
sary to  swim,  lost  no  time  in  reaching  the  opposite  bank. 
These  cattle  are  very  varied  in  colour  and  shape,  and 
are  as  a  rule  about  the  size  of  an  Alderney.  They  have 
the  one  general  characteristic  of  marvellous  leanness, 
and  as  regards  their  milking  powers,  one  good  English 


262  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 

cow  would  be  a  match  for  twenty  of  them  as  to  quantity, 
and  as  to  cream  the  whole  herd  perhaps  would  not  produce 
so  much.  Still,  a  good  draught  of  milk  from  the  united 
efforts  of  sundry  Soudan  cows  is  not  to  be  despised  after 
a  long  ride  under  a  tropical  sun.  We  thoroughly  en- 
joyed it,  though  not  able  to  repeat  the  performance  so 
often  as  our  men  expected,  for  bowl  after  bowl  was 
brought  us,  until  we  were  obliged  to  point  to  our  throats 
to  prove  to  them  that  our  capacity  to  swallow  milk  had 
a  limit.  We  soon  arrived  at  our  old  camp,  and  then 
took  a  stroll  to  find  something  for  the  larder,  and  bagged 
two  Dorcas  gazelles. 

Vivian's  hunter  Mohamed,  surnamed,  we  find,  Fage- 
role,  has  obtained  three  days'  leave  to  go  to  his  village  to 
pray  for  his  father,  of  whose  death  he  heard  to-day  from 
the  cattle-drovers.  The  news  has  not  apparently  dis- 
tressed him,  nor  was  he  anxious  to  go  if  Vivian  wished 
to  keep  him. 

March  30. — Our  second  visit  to  El  Effaara  has  quite 
settled  the  important  fact  in  our  minds,  that  there  is  no 
game  to  be  obtained  here  excepting  by  very  long  journeys 
from  the  river,  and  then  only  antelope,  and  these  keep 
in  such  open  country  that  no  amount  of  stalking  is  of 
avail  in  its  present  burnt-up  state.  Even  our  very 
domestic  friends,  the  tetel  and  hind  koodoos,  keep  well 
out  of  shot,  and  indeed,  were  it  not  for  guinea-fowl,  we 
should  soon  find  ourselves  on  the  short  commons  of 


A  FINE  SPECIMEN  OF  THE  HAMRAN  ARAB.    263 

rice,  milk,  and  honey  for  dinner.  I  took  out  to-day  as 
guide  and  gun-bearer,  in  the  temporary  absence  of 
Essafi,  a  camel-man,  and  very  proud  he  was  to  be  so 
raised  in  the  social  scale  above  his  fellows,  though  a  man 
more  unsuited  to  this  work  could  not  be  imagined.  He 
is  our  finest  specimen  of  the  Hamran  Arab,  standing 
about  six  feet  three  inches,  and  splendidly  made  in  pro- 
portion down  to  the  knees,  but  in  calf  and  form  of  leg 
below  knee  he  shows  the  usual  defect  of  his  people. 
Notwithstanding  this,  his  carriage  is  very  perfect,  and 
his  head  is  protected  with  as  fine  a  crop  of  hair  as  the 
most  fastidious  Hamran  could  desire.  Walking  as  erect 
as  a  statue  in  front  of  me,  his  idea  seemed  to  be  that 
the  faster  he  got  over  the  ground  the  more  game  he 
could  show  me,  but  he  signally  failed  to  see  anything, 
and  three  times  I  had  to  pull  him  up,  though  too  late, 
to  let  me  get  a  standing  shot.  At  last  I  had  a  distant 
shot  at  a  mehedehet  and  wounded  it,  and  away  went  my 
giant  guide,  '  El  Minna,'  after  it  as  fast  as  he  could  run, 
and  he  so  successfully  drove  it  far  out  of  sight  that  it 
was  quite  hopeless  for  me  to  follow  one  or  other,  and  I 
therefore  returned  home.  Albert  says  '  El  Minna '  is 
very  proud  of  his  performance  as  a  hunter  to-day,  and  is 
anxious  for  a  re-engagement.  One  day  Albert  told  him 
that  if  he  would  go  to  London  with  us,  and  exhibit  him- 
'  self  in  his  war  costume,  with  the  addition  of  a  few 
ostrich  feathers  in  his  hair,  that  he  would  make  an  im- 


264  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

mense  fortune,  as  everyone  would  pay  a  dollar  to  see 
him.     At  first  he  liked  the  idea  very  much  of  earning 
dollars  so  easily,  but  when  he  heard  that  the  climate 
might  kill  him,  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would 
be  better  to  live  on  dhurra  in  his  native  home  than  run 
the  risk  of  inflicting  so  great  a  loss  on  Hamran  society. 
Ibrahim   had   also   a   great   treat   to-day   in   being 
allowed    to   take    a    gun   to   shoot   some   guinea-fowl. 
After  a  long  round  in  the  woods  and    a   rather   large 
expenditure  of  ammunition  he  brought  home  two,  and 
was  greatly  pleased  with   his  success.     Hadji  Basheer, 
however,  threw  cold  water  on  his  great  achievement  by 
declaring  his  conviction  that  he  must  have  found  one 
guinea-fowl  dead  and  the  other  stone-blind.     Joy  reigns 
supreme  in  the  camp,  for  no  less  important  news  was 
brought  this  evening  than  the  dethronement  of  Sheik 
Aghill  by  the  Khartoum  authorities,  and  the  appoint- 
ment of  an  uncle,  at  present  Sheik  of  a  small  village, 
in  his  place.     The  report  goes  on  to  say  that  the  new 
Sheik    has    already   been   to  Khartoum  to  be  adorned 
with  a  special  robe,  tarboosh,  and  turban,  and  is  now  on 
his   way   to    Gwayha   to   turn   Aghill   not  only  out  of 
office,  but  also  out  of  his  home.     Aghill,  on  the  other 
hand,    is     reported    to    have     sent    a    deputation     to 
Khartoum   to  ask  if  they  intend  to  deprive  him  of  his 
money  and  possessions,  for  if  so  he  will  at  once  go  to 
Abyssinia ;  but  if  left   alone  he  will  remain  quietly  in 


DETHRONEMENT  OF  AGHILL.  265 

his  own  village.  Aghill  has  the  credit  of  being  a  very 
rich  man,  for,  besides  having  saved  money,  his  father 
left  him  a  large  sum.  There  can  be  no  doubt  of  the 
pleasure  this  news  has  given  to  our  people,  who  hate 
as  much  as  they  fear  Aghill,  and  his  power  of  extort- 
ing money  from  them  was  well  exemplified  when  he 
took  away  all  the  dollars  we  gave  the  ostrich  man  be- 
cause he  had  kept  our  present  a  secret  from  him.  They 
speak  very  well  of  his  successor.  Essafi,  senior,  is 
especially  happy,  as  he  now  sees  a  prospect  of  his  son 
getting  back  the  twenty  dollars  he  lent  Aghill,  and  he 
intends  to  stay  with  us  till  next  pay-day  and  take 
Mohamed  Fagerole's  month's  wages  instead  of  allowing 
him  to  transfer  them  to  Sheik  Aghill  in  repayment  of  a 
debt  of  his  own. 

Hadji  Basheer's  hand  is  already  nearly  well,  and  never 
has  a  wounded  extremity  been  kept  more  quiet  or 
given  a  better  chance  of  healing,  for  whilst  tenderly 
nursing  it  in  the  other  hand  he  has  spent  nearly  all 
his  time  lying  down  in  a  semi-somnolent  state,  or 
perhaps  grieving  over  his  practical  lesson  on  inter- 
fering in  other  people's  quarrels. 

MarcJi  31. — Another  move  in  a  homeward  direction, 
and  our  tent  is  now  pitched  close  to  our  old  ground 
at  Emberaga,  but  beyond  hanging  up  our  rifles,  &c.,  in 
it  the  tent  is  no  longer  of  any  use  to  us. 

The  not  unusual  report  soon  after  arrival  at  a  place 


266  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

of  '  horses  strayed '  has  again  been  announced,  and  this 
time  all  six  have  walked  off,  but  their  tracks  have 
been  found  in  the  direction  of  El  Effaara,  and  early 
to-morrow  a  party  of  Arabs  will  be  sent  after  them. 
We  have  come  here  with  no  small  expectation  of  find- 
ing elephants,  as  large  herds  are  reported  to  be  in  the 
\voods.  Unfortunately,  the  moon  is  in  the  wrong 
quarter  for  night-shooting. 

April  i. — The  horses  being  absent,  Vivian  paid  the 
first  visit  to  the  supposed  elephant-haunts  on  a  camel, 
accompanied  by  an  Arab  similarly  mounted,  with  the 
intention  of  tying  up  the  camels  upon  arriving  there  and 
walking  through  the  woods.  If  the  camel  had  been 
told  that  it  was  the  first  of  April  he  could  not  have 
better  succeeded  in  adapting  himself  to  English 
customs,  for  directly  he  was  required  to  lie  down  he 
made  such  a  tremendous  row  that  no  elephant  would 
have  remained  within  miles  of  him,  and  he  also 
succeeded  in  driving  away  two  black  ostriches  at  which 
Vivian  thinks  he  might  otherwise  have  had  a  shot. 
We  have  not  often  seen  ostriches  in  our  rambles,  and 
then  only  on  the  high  table-land  at  half  a  mile  distance 
from  us. 

April  2. — At  Essafi's  special  request,  I  stayed  out  all 
night  near  the  river  to  watch  for  the  arrival  of  elephants 
at  a  favourite  drinking-place,  but  none  came,  and  we  had 
only  the  questionable  satisfaction  of  finding  this  morn- 


A    COMFORTABLE  BED.  267 

ing  by  some  fresh  tracks  that  elephants  had  drank 
about  a  mile  below  our  station.  Later  in  the  day  we 
heard  that  one  had  been  caught  in  an  Arab  pit,  and  this 
so  frightened  the  others  that  they  crossed  the  river.  I 
have  no  reason  to  grumble  at  my  night's  lodging,  how- 
ever, for  Essafi  made  me  a  very  comfortable  bed  by 
clearing  away  the  loose  stones  in  a  dry  part  of  the 
river  directly  under  the  bank,  and  covering  it  with  a 
thick  layer  of  partially  dry  reeds.  My  ever-useful 
water-bottle  became  my  pillow,  and  thanks  to  this 
glorious  climate  the  sky  was  the  only  coverlet  I 
required.  Essafi  then  performed  the  same  office  for 
himself,  making  his  pillow  pf  a  bent  branch,  and  soon 
fell  into  the  soundest  of  sleeps  whilst  I  took  the  first 
period  for  watching.  Essafi  has  his  own  particular 
pillow  in  camp,  which  consists  of  a  concave  piece  of 
wood  fixed  upon  a  stand  about  eight  inches  high,  and 
upon  this  he  rests  the  back  of  his  head,  whilst  his 
luxuriant  locks  hang  over  it  without  any  risk  of  being 
crushed.  The  short  time  left  to  me  before  the  sun  went 
down  and  darkness  supervened  was  well  taken  up  in 
watching  the  ever-changing  shadows  and  shapes  of 
objects  that  would  be  liable  to  deceive  the  sight  in  the 
absence  of  moonlight,  and  also  in  arranging  a  night- 
sight  to  my  rifle.  I  find  a  strip  of  white  paper 
fastened  by  elastic  bands  along  the  whole  length  of 
the  barrel  in  a  line  with  the  sight  answers  the  purpose 


268  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

better  than  a  piece  of  card  fitted  round  the  barrels 
near  the  sight.  During  three  hours'  watching  nothing 
was  heard  or  seen  to  move  near  us  excepting  two 
hippos  that  came  out  of  a  pool  above  us,  and  having 
walked  close  past  us  quite  leisurely  they  entered  the 
river  again  at  a  lower  point  to  pay  a  visit,  probably,  to 
their  next-door  neighbours.  It  being  then  too  late  to 
expect  any  elephants  to  do  us  a  similar  honour,  my 
bed  a  VArabe  looked  too  attractive  to  be  longer 
resisted,  and  having  warned  Essafi  not  to  disturb  me 
on  account  of  visitors,  unless  they  were  unpleasantly 
obtrusive,  I  was  quickly  lost  to  consciousness.  Awaking 
at  dawn  I  found  Essafi  had  also  retired  to  his  couch 
during  the  night,  so  it  was  as  well  that  no  visitors  did 
arrive.  After  sunrise  our  horses  were  brought  out  to 
us,  as  well  as  some  hot  breakfast,  and  the  day  was 
spent  in  the  elephant  woods.  We  found  numerous  very 
recent  tracks,  but  it  was  evident  that  the  herd  had 
gone  to  retreats  beyond  the  reach  of  a  day's  hunt.  I 
might  have  had  a  shot  at  a  small  leopard  in  our  path, 
but  I  did  not  wish  to  disturb  the  country  by  firing, 
so  after  looking  savagely  at  us  for  a  moment  it 
sprang  into  the  long  grass  and  disappeared.  Some- 
times we  ride  through  grass  far  above  our  heads,  but 
as  a  rule  it  does  not  exceed  three  or  four  feet  in 
height.  During  my  absence  last  night  from  camp 
a  few  Arab  guests  arrived,  and  by  special  request  a 


SAD  NEWS  FROM  RANFURLY.  269 

performance  was  given  by  Vivian  and  Albert  with 
the  galvanic  battery,  with  a  success  as  great  as  on  the 
previous  occasion. 

April  3. — Vivian  again  on  the  track  of  the  elephant, 
aided  by  Essafi.  A  new  hunter  volunteer  from  our 
Arab  party,  anxious  to  earn  a  few  dollars,  declared  with 
great  confidence  that  he  could  show  me  some  lions,  and 
to  my  cost  I  gave  him  a  chance,  for  with  the  activity 
almost  of  a  monkey  he  hunted  along  the  high  and  low 
ground  bordering  the  river  here,  following  now  and 
again  the  fresh  tracks  of  lions  until  midday,  when  he 
had  quite  tired  me  out,  and  I  was  obliged  to  tell  him 
that  we  must  return  home.  On  arriving  there  I  found 
a  note  from  Ranfurly,  asking  me  to  come  to  Coke's 
camp  to  see  him,  as  he  was  lying  ill  there  with  dysen- 
tery. It  did  not  take  long  getting  ready  to  start  on  so 
important  a  mission,  and  having  filled  my  haversack 
with  sundry  useful  things,  I  mounted  my  horse  and 
joined  the  bearer  of  this  sad  message,  the  young  soldier 
Abdullah,  who  was  accompanied  by  an  Arab  mounted 
like  himself  on  a  camel.  Keeping  on  the  high  flat  land 
away  from  the  river,  we  were  able  to  ride  very  rapidly,  a 
proceeding  rendered  necessary  by  the  lateness  of  the  day, 
but  the  pace  after  three  hours  began  to  tell  on  my 
back,  for  whilst  their  camels  were  apparently  trotting 
along  leisurely  my  unfortunate  horse  had  frequently  to 
gallop  to  keep  up  with  them.  Thus  for  four  hours  we  con- 


2;o  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

tiuued  on  our  way  with  scarcely  a  halt  until  sunset,  when 
we  again  approached  the  river,  and  after  crossing  this 
we  were  soon  at  our  destination.  Abdullah  en  route 
suddenly  left  us  and  galloped  off  to  an  Arab  we  saw 
to  our  right,  and  much  to  my  surprise  he  seized  hold  of 
the  terror-stricken  man's  spear  and  carried  it  off  in 
triumph.  This  was  evidently  thought  to  be  a  capital 
joke  by  Abdullah  and  his  companion,  as  they  rode  on 
side  by  side  and  examined  the  weapon,  and  it  gave  me 
the  chance  of  seeing  how  thoroughly  an  Egyptian  soldier 
appreciates  the  connection  between  might  and  right. 
On  my  arrival  I  found  that  my  haversack  with  its 
treasures  and  toilet  requisites  for  the  night  (a  tooth-brush) 
had  been  jolted  off  the  back  pommel  of  my  native  saddle 
during  some  part  of  the  journey. 

Ranfurly  has  without  doubt  a  sharp  attack  of  dysen- 
tery, from  which  he  has  been  suffering  for  a  few  days, 
but  he  has  been  very  well  looked  after  by  Emanuel,  in 
the  same  way  as  Gumming  was  on  the  Salaam,  and  we 
must  hope  that  this  attack  also  may  neither  prove  a 
long  nor  very  grave  one.  It  was  most  probably  pro- 
duced in  the  first  place  by  the  air  of  their  camp  at  Em- 
hagga  being  poisoned  by  the  decaying  meat  that  their 
men  had  left  lying  about  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood 
for  the  vultures,  and  which  had  not  been  found  out  by 
them.  Passing  the  camp  at  Emhagga  one  day  I  ob- 
served a  very  unpleasant  odour  from  this  source,  and  I 


CUM  MINGS  FIRST  RHINOCEROS.  271 

pointed  it  out  to  Ranfurly.  When  first  attacked,  he 
was  just  beginning  to  have  excellent  sport,  and  in  his 
anxiety  to  make  up  for  all  the  lost  time  before  his 
arrival  on  the  Settite,  he  would  not  give  in,  and  the  two 
last  days,  before  he  was  compelled  to  do  so  by  prostra- 
tion, he  devoted  to  rhinoceros-shooting  in  the  distant 
woods,  and  thus  greatly  over-fatigued  himself  by  long 
exposure  to  the  broiling  sun.  Yesterday,  Arkwright 
brought  him  to  this  camp  to  place  him  under  Emanuel's 
nursing,  and  it  was  then  thought  advisable  to  send  for 
me  without  delay.  He  is  very  cheerful,  and  is  now 
lying  comfortably  in  his  patent  hammock  near  us,  and 
joining  in  the  general  conversation  ;  and  Gumming  has 
fortunately  had  an  amusing  story  to  tell  us  of  his  day's 
experiences  with  the  rhinoceros  under  the  leadership  of 
the  renowned  'JahY 

'  Jali,'  like  the  rest  of  his  people,  singular  as  it  may 
be,  is  not  above  a  bribe,  and  by  an  offer  from  Gumming 
which  almost  amounted  to  promising  whatever  he  chose 
to  ask,  besides  half  the  spoil,  he  has  agreed  to  remain 
with  him  as  his  hunter  until  his  final  departure  from  the 
country.  With  the  assistance  of  the  veteran  to-day  a 
rhinoceros  was  in  course  of  time  found,  which  patiently 
submitted  to  receive  four  or  five  balls  from  the  twelve- 
bore  rifle,  and  then  falling  down  apparently  dead  they 
walked  up  to  him.  Rejoiced  at  his  success,  as  it  was 
his  first  rhino,  Gumming  sat  on  the  body  to  contemplate 


272  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

his  prize  and  examine  the  bullet-holes,  until  suddenly 
a  convulsive  movement  passing  through  its  huge  frame, 
made  him  spring  off  his  comfortable  seat,  and  with 
Jali  beat  a  speedy  retreat.  At  the  same  moment  the 
rhinoceros  also  sprang  up,  and  to  their  mutual  astonish- 
ment went  off  at  a  gallop,  and  on  being  again  found 
required  another  shot  before  he  finally  succumbed. 
Arkwright  and  Ranfurly  had  wonderfully  good  sport 
during  their  stay  at  Emhagga.  The  former  killed  a 
lioness  on  four  successive  days,  and  finding  them  all 
asleep  had  no  trouble  in  despatching  them.  His  pre- 
vious experience  of  that  portion  of  the  river  was  probably 
the  chief  cause  of  his  success,  for  he  knew  where  to  look 
for  them.  Ranfurly  has  been  equally  lucky  with  rhino- 
ceros, killing  two  in  one  day,  and  another  at  night  when 
watching  for  them  by  the  river's  side. 

Though  I  could  not  see  Vivian  before  my  hasty 
departure  yesterday,  I  expect  to  find  him  to-morrow 
evening  at  our  old  camp  near  here,  Hel-Egheeme,  as  we 
had  decided  upon  returning  to-morrow,  owing  to  the  total 
absence  of  game  lower  down  the  river. 

April  4. — A  slight  improvement  is  apparent  in  the 
condition  of  Ranfurly.  Men  were  out  to-day  searching 
for  my  valuables,  and  though  they  have  not  found  them 
they  will  be  sure  to  do  so  to-morrow,  with  their  marvel- 
lous powers  of  tracking,  stimulated  by  backsheesh,  and, 
if  necessary,  they  will  go  the  whole  distance.  The  loss 


THE    WART-HOG.  273 


I  most  regret  is  that  of  my  thermometer,  but,  even  if 
found,  the  maximum  one  for  registering  the  temperature 
in  the  sun  will  soon  be  of  no  use,  as  this  has  now  reached 
153°,  and  mine  is  only  graduated  to  160°.  Vivian  has 
arrived,  and  I  returned  with  him  this  evening  to  Hel- 
Egheeme,  but  Hadji  Basheer  has  been  left  behind  at 
Emberaga  to  wait  for  the  return  of  some  of  our  men 
from  the  Hamran  village. 

April  5. — Paid  Ranfurly  two  visits,  and  feel  satisfied 
that  there  is  a  diminution  of  the  grave  symptoms  of  his 
disease,  and  find  him  very  willing  to  carry  out  all  the 
orders  he  receives. 

It  is  certainly  very  pleasant  to  return  to  this  part  of 
the  river,  as  the  country  is  so  much  more  open  on  each 
side  ;  and  whenever  there  is  a  breeze,  and  this  is  by  no 
means  infrequent  now,  we  get  the  full  benefit  of  it.  Be- 
tween Emberaga  and  El  Effaara  the  river,  for  a  short 
distance,  flows  rapidly  through  a  very  narrow  channel 
between  high  and  precipitous  cliffs  of  a  dark-coloured 
stone,  producing  even  now  a  fine  effect,  and  when  it 
is  at  its  greatest  height  this  must  be  much  increased. 
There  is  one  animal  we  frequently  see  near  the 
Settite,  to  which  as  yet  I  have  made  no  reference. 
It  is  the  wart-hog.  The  body  is  like  that  of  a  small  wild 
boar,  but  the  head,  which  is  most  hideous,  has  several  big 
nodules  on  it,  from  which  it  derives  its  name,  and  it  has 
projecting  tusks  from  the  upper  and  lower  jaw.  It  is 

T 


274  LIFE   WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

comparatively  tame,  and  we  have  not  troubled  the 
species  much,  as  it  is  too  mangy-looking  to  add  it  to 
our  dinner  list :  the  Arabs  will  eat  it,  however,  readily 
enough,  and  Albert  says  they  get  over  the  difficulty  in 
connection  with  their  religion  by  saying  that  if  they 
have  the  Koran  in  one  hand  and  no  pig  in  the  other 
they  may  not  eat  it,  but  if  they  have  some  pig  and  no 
Koran  they  may  eat  it.  (N.B.  I  have  not  seen  Albert 
read  *  Baker.') 


RANFURLY  AND  ARKWRIGHT  SEPARATE.    275 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

April  6. — To-day  a  great  change  has  taken  place 
in  the  arrangement  of  our  several  parties.  Though 
Ranfurly's  dysentery  is  becoming  arrested,  he  is  so 
prostrated  by  it  that  its  effects  are  not  likely  to  pass  off 
immediately,  and  it  is  necessary  that  he  should  remain 
under  my  immediate  observation.  He  has  been  there- 
fore brought  down  quietly  on  horseback  the  short  distance 
to  our  camp  this  morning,  to  remain  with  us  until  he  is 
strong  enough  to  rejoin  Arkwright,  or  until  our  arrival 
at  Kassala,  where  a  general  reunion  is  to  take  place 
about  April  23  or  24. 

The  three  others  have  gone  some  hours'  journey 
together  up  the  river  to  see  what  game  is  to  be  found 
there.  Step  by  step  we  have  gradually  ascended  the 
river  in  spite  of  the  opposition  and  fear  of  our  men,  and 
as  we  have  found  more  game  the  higher  we  have  gone 
there  is  eveiy  reason  to  expect  that  the  latest  arrivals 
will  meet  with  great  success  in  their  new  ground. 
Hadji  Basheer  tells  us  the  rather  annoying  news  that 
during  the  night  after  Vivian's  departure  from  Embe- 

T  2 


276   :        LIFE   WITH  THE  HAMRAN'  ARABS. 

raga  elephants  passed  close  by  the  site  of  our  camp  on 
their  way  to  drink,  and  that  some  also  paid  El  Effaara 
a  visit  the  night  after  we  left  there,  and  one  was  caught 
in  an  Arab  trap.  This  trap  is  a  very  simple  contrivance, 
though  it  must  take  some  time  making,  for  it  consists  of 
a  pit  which  is  dug  in  one  of  the  main  approaches  to  the 
river  specially  favoured  by  elephants,  and  then  very 
carefully  covered  in  with  sticks,  straw,  and  the  surround- 
ing soil.  The  mouth  is  much  bigger  than  the  bottom  of 
the  pit,  so  when  an  elephant  falls  into  it  his  legs  become 
cramped  up  and  he  is  powerless  to  move,  and  as  he  is 
within  reach  of  their  spears  the  Arabs  can  kill  him  by 
inches  at  their  leisure.  The  Hamrans  are  making  the 
most  of  our  presence,  and  of  their  consequent  pro- 
tection from  the  Base  in  this  neutral  territory, 
by  driving  their  immense  herds  of  cattle  all  over  the 
country.  More  than  two  thousand  drank  at  the  river 
to-day,  almost  opposite  to  our  camp,  and  Albert  took 
it  upon  himself  in  our  absence  to  frighten  the  drovers 
away  with  the  discharge  of  a  few  cartridges,  and  by  telling 
them  that  the  next  time  they  came  near  us  they  would 
be  fired  upon  with  more  effect.  I  went  out  for  a  stroll 
along  the  river  this  afternoon  with  Essafi,  chiefly  to  find 
something  for  the  larder ;  but  my  thoughts  were  soon 
turned  in  a  different  direction  by  Essafi  pointing  me 
out  a  lion  sitting  close  to  the  water's  edge,  quietly 
gazing  on  the  mangled  remains  of  a  hippo  which  had 


ESSAFI-  GIVES  ME  AN  EASY  SHOT  AT  A  LION.  277 

been  drawn  yesterday  into  a  shallow  part  by  the  Arabs. 
From  a  high  bank  under  shelter  of  some  trees,  about 
fifty  yards  from  the  lion,  I  was  able  to  take  a  steady 
quiet  shot  at  him  without  being  observed ;  and  as  he 
was  half  facing  me  with  his  side  (the  right)  only  partially 
exposed,  I  calculated  that  the  most  fatal  spot  would  be 
the  lower  part  of  the  neck  on  that  side,  hoping  that 
from  my  elevation  the  bullet  would  take  an  oblique 
course  into  the  chest  and  reach  the  heart.  My  ana- 
tomical calculations  bore  no  practical  fruit,  for  with  a 
loud  roar  the  lion  sprang  up,  and  in  a  moment  dis- 
appeared up  the  bank  as  if  he  had  not  been  touched. 
The  old  business  now  commenced,  but  though  tracking 
a  lion  in  the  low  valleys  is  a  very  easy  matter,  it  is  quite 
the  reverse  on  some  of  the  stony  hills  bordering  them 
here,  where  the  pad  leaves  no  mark,  and  when  the  blood- 
track  ceases  to  be  found.  So  it  happened  in  this  in- 
stance, and  after  great  perseverance  Essafi  was  obliged 
to  give  it  up.  We  were  ascending  a  hill  at  the  time,  and 
no  sooner  had  he  said  the  word  '  mafeesh  '  than  our  lost 
friend,  giving  a  low  growl,  sprang  out  of  a  big  bush  just 
over  the  crest  of  the  hill,  and  had  quite  disappeared 
when  we  reached  the  top.  He  had  been  resting  in  an 
old  haunt,  and  a  patch  of  blood  showed  that  he  was 
wounded.  It  was  now  time  to  return  home,  and  Essafi 
gave  me  the  usual  comforting  information  of  our  hunters 
that  the  lion  would  be  found  '  bookra  '  (to-morrow).  We 


278  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

have  become  almost  too  careless  about  night  visitors  in 
doing  away  with  tents  and  camp-fires,  considering  the 
proximity  of  the  lion's  roar  and  the  cry  of  the  hyaena, 
which  is  almost  equally  loud ;  and  consequently,  both 
last  night  and  the  previous  one,  two  lions  took  advantage 
of  our  kindness  and  paid  us  a  visit  whilst  we  slept,  but 
they  did  not  approach  nearer  than  thirteen  yards  from 
Ranfurly's  bed,  so  far  as  we  could  see  by  their  tracks. 
Vivian  has  found  nothing  to-day,  and  of  late  our  game- 
list  has  had  no  important  additions  made  to  it,  so  it 
is  more  to  be  regretted  that  my  lion  was  not  bagged. 
Whether  we  have  driven  them  away,  or  whether  there 
were  originally  very  few  lions  on  the  Settite,  we  cannot 
say  ;  but  certain  it  is  that  we  hear  them  roar  much  less 
frequently  at  night,  and  seldom  see  their  tracks  now. 
Ranfurly  and  Arkwright  between  them  diminished 
their  number  by  one  near  Emhagga,  which  some  Arabs 
assisted  them  to  find,  by  telling  them  that  it  was  prowling 
about  near  a  herd  of  their  cattle. 

Ranfurly  still  improves  in  one  respect,  but  the  heat 
is  most  trying  to  him,  and  he  feels  very  disinclined  to 
take  any  nourishment.  He  has  unfortunately  an 
especial  aversion  to  rice  in  any  form,  and  to  milk  either 
in  the  fresh  state  or  prepared  in  any  way.  Still  in  our 
<  invalid '  box  we  have  plenty  of  arrowroot,  '  Liebig's 
Extract,'  and  brandy  if  required,  and  Mohamed  makes 
him  excellent  soup  from  fresh  meat,  which  is  always 


AN  EVENTFUL  DAY.  279 

carefully  strained ;  and  last,  though  not  least,  the 
medicine-chest  contains  all  that  is  required  from  it. 
His  favourite  drink  is  rice-water,  which  is  freshly 
made  every  day,  and  kept  very  cool  in  bottles  suspended 
under  trees  and  wrapped  up  in  wet  cloths.  The  op- 
pressive state  of  the  atmosphere  is  his  great  enemy,  for 
there  is  no  movement  of  air ;  and  though  he  lies  all  day 
under  a  big  tree,  and  has  waterproof  sheets  fastened  to 
the  branches  over  his  head,  it  is  very  difficult  to  keep  off 
the  sun  entirely,  and  the  tents  are  unbearable.  Vivian 
and  myself  find  that  we  can  now  keep  cooler  whilst 
walking  about  under  the  scorching  midday  sun  than  if 
we  remain  quiet  in  the  shade.  Our  heads  are  well 
guarded  by  helmets,  and  as  a  protection  to  the  spine  I 
always  wear  over  it  under  my  coat  a  long  pad  made  up 
of  numerous  folds  of  white  muslin. 

April  7. — To-day  has  been  an  eventful  one  to  me, 
and  long  will  it  be  impressed  on  my  memory.  After 
spending  an  hour  or  two  with  Ranfurly,  reading  a 
portion  of  my  diary  to  him,  I  went  off  with  Essafi  in 
search  of  yesterday's  wounded  lion  ;  and,  to  make  our 
success  more  certain,  Essafi  obtained  the  assistance  of 
the  best  tracker  amongst  our  Arabs,  who  was  promised 
a  dollar  if  we  found  our  friend,  and  we  adjourned  at 
once  to  the  place  where  we  last  saw  him.  The  track 
from  this  point  could  only  be  followed  for  a  few  yards 
owing  to  the  stony  ground,  and  having  decided  that  it 


280  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

was  useless  to  attempt  to  follow  it  up,  they  began  a 
regular  hunt  in  wide  circles  around  the  hill.  For  two 
hours  they  laboured  on  up  and  down  the  adjacent  hills, 
sometimes  finding  the  track,  but  almost  instantly  losing 
it  again,  until  their  patience  became  worn  out,  and  they 
had  to  give  up  the  hunt  in  despair.  Returning  home 
we  walked  in  line  at  intervals  of  thirty  to  forty  yards, 
and  thankful  I  was  that,  lion  or  no  lion,  the  day's  work 
was  drawing  to  a  close  ;  for  even  my  two  followers,  like 
myself,  were  quite  done  up  with  the  oppressive  heat, 
and  perhaps  even  more  by  the  reflected  heat  from  the 
"hard  ground  than  by  the  direct  sun's  rays.  We  had  not 
gone  far  in  this  way,  one  man  being  on  each  side  of  me, 
when  suddenly  I  heard  a  loud  roar  on  my  left,  and  on 
looking  in  that  direction  I  saw  Essafi  to  my  intense 
astonishment  running  like  a  hare  towards  me  down 
some  sloping  ground,  and  a  lion  bounding  over  the  low 
bushes  in  full  chase  after  him  and  every  moment  gaining 
upon  him.  Essafi  almost  touched  me  as  he  passed  on  ; 
and  before  this  time  he  was  so  exactly  in  my  line  that 
I  could  not  fire.  Now  was  my  chance  however,  and  as 
the  lion  came  to  the  ground  after  his  next  spring,  and 
when  only  ten  yards  from  me,  I  fired  at  him  with  the 
express  ;  and  it  is  hardly  needful  to  say  how  great  was 
my  relief  when  I  saw  him  make  a  feeble  attempt  to 
turn  and  then  fall  dead  before  me.  It  was  a  grand 
sight  to  see  him  advance  with  a  continuous  half-roar, 


THE  PENALTY  OF  EXPOSURE   TO    THE  SUN.   281 

and  making  a  succession  of  long  springs  ;  and  when  I 
stood  over  his  dead  body  I  felt  very  thankful  that  he 
had  been  the  victim  and  not  one  of  us.  The  bullet  I 
hit  him  with  yesterday  had  managed  to  glance  round 
under  the  skin  of  the  neck,  and  was  found  lying  quite 
superficially  near  the  left  shoulder.  The  last  bullet 
entered  the  left  side  of  the  chest  obliquely  through  the 
back  of  the  shoulder,  and  split  the  heart  into  two  pieces  ; 
and  it  is  therefore  a  good  instance  of  the  value  of  express 
rifles  with  expanding  bullets  in  lion-shooting,  and  in  this 
we  are  all  agreed.  I  was  too  much  done  up  at  the  time 
to  take  any  measurement  of  him,  and  I  am  now  very 
sorry  not  to  have  done  so  ;  for  since  the  head  and  skin 
have  been  brought  home  I  have  measured  the  latter  when 
laid  out,  and  find  it  is  ten  feet  nine  inches  from  nose  to 
tip  of  tail,  and  it  must  therefore  have  been  larger  than  my 
last  one,  whilst  equally  deficient  in  mane.  Ibrahim,  who 
says  he  thoroughly  understands  how  to  prepare  skins, 
only  takes  off  all  the  fat  carefully;  and  then  having 
washed  them  and  given  them  a  good  rubbing  in  with  the 
wood  ashes,  he  hangs  them  up  so  that  they  may  have 
the  full  benefit  of  the  sun  to  dry  them.  No  wonder  we 
felt  the  heat  of  to-day,  for  the  maximum  thermometer 
registers  150°  in  the  sun,  and  I  feel  this  evening,  for 
the  first  time,  decided  ill  effects  from  it. 

AprilS,  9,  10,  n,  12. — 'Mafeesh.' 

April  13. — The  morning  following  my  lion  adven- 


282  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

ture  I  awoke  only  to  realise  that  at  last  the  sun  had 
mastered  me,  and,  suffering  from  an  intense  headache, 
to  know  that  I  must  pay  the  penalty  of  exposure  to  it. 
From  that  time  to  the  present  I  have  been  completely 
prostrated   by   sunstroke,    suffering    almost   night   and 
day  very  great  pain  in  the  back  of  the  head  with  great 
throbbing,  and  with  general  nausea  ;  and,  to  add  to  my 
troubles,  there  has  been    much  painful  swelling  of  the 
glands  of  the  neck.     The  temporary  relief  obtained  by 
having  water  poured  from  a  height  over  the  back  of  my 
head  and  neck  enabled  me  to  attend  to  the  wants  of  my 
sick  friends,  now  two  in  number,  for  Hadji  Basheer  has 
been  attacked  with  dysentery,  and   in  so  grave  a  form 
that  it   is  a  very  doubtful  matter  if  he  will  ever  see 
Kassala   again ;  and  the  rest  of  the  day  I  have  been 
compelled  to  lie  perfectly  quiet  under  a  tree,  with  my 
head  enveloped  in  wet  cloths,  and  unable  to  read  or  even 
to  write  up  my  diary.     From  the  commencement  of  my 
attack  I   felt   sure  that  relief  might  be  obtained  by  a 
loss  of  blood.     But  who  was  to  bleed  me  ?     And  as  day 
after  day  passed  without  any  diminution  of  the  bursting 
sensation  in  my  head,  I  began  to  be  anxious  about  the 
future,  until  yesterday  afternoon,  when  the  happy  thought 
1  Why  not   bleed  yourself  ? '  became  too  strongly  im- 
pressed on  my  mind  to  be  resisted,  and  I  set  to  work 
to   carry  it  into    effect.     In   Vivian's   absence,   Albert 
became  chief  assistant ;  whilst  Mohamed  the  cook  and 


AN  UNPLEASANT  OCCUPATION.  283 

Ibrahim  stood  near,  to  have  a  finger  in  the  pie,  if  chance 
offered.  Now  bleeding  yourself  in  the  arm  is  a  very  much 
slower  performance  than  when  the  victim  is  some  one 
else,  and  when  I  had  succeeded  in  making  the  necessary 
puncture  in  my  left  arm,  it  was  cruelly  disappointing  to 
find  that  the  result  was  nil.  Still  there  was  the  right 
one  to  be  experimented  upon,  so  after  bandaging  up  the 
left  the  performance  was  reversed,  and  this  time  my 
efforts  at  self-relief  met  with  the  success,  I  think  it  may 
be  said,  they  deserved.  After  losing  eight  ounces  of 
blood  I  felt  very  faint,  and  asked  Albert  for  some  water  ; 
but  no  response  came  from  him,  and  after  repeating  my 
request  without  effect  I  looked  up  and  saw  him  as  white 
as  a  sheet,  and  the  next  moment  he  fainted  away. 
This  had  quite  as  good  an  effect  upon  me  as  water,  and 
arm  No.  2  having  been  tied  up  after  a  fashion,  the 
seance  was  closed  and  I  retired  feeling  decidedly  re- 
lieved, and  to-day  the  improvement  continues.  Ran- 
furly's  attack  is  quite  arrested,  but  it  has  left  him  so 
very  weak  that  I  fear  he  will  be  unable  to  resume 
shooting  again,  unless  it  be  near  the  camp. 

One  day  last  week  Vivian  paid  a  visit  to  the  island 
below  Emhagga  to  look  for  a  lion,  and  after  hunting 
amongst  the  bushes  for  some  time  the  sharp  eye  of 
Mohamed  discovered  one  lying  asleep  under  the  branches 
of  a  veiy  overhanging  mimosa.  More  than  a  minute 
elapsed  before  Vivian  could  make  it  out,  and  it  was  only 


284  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

by  lying  down  that  he  could  get  a  shot  at  it,  when  he 
fired  at  its  side  without  knowing  the  direction  of  the 
head.  On  being  hit  the  lion  sprang  up  and  disappeared, 
and  though  they  hunted  for  it  for  some  hours  they  could 
not  find  it  again.  The  search,  however,  gave  them  the 
valuable  information  that  the  lion  had  not  left  that  part 
of  the  island,  as  no  fresh  tracks  could  be  seen  in  the 
sand  surrounding  it,  and  the  next  day  they  resumed  the 
hunt.  Again  the  surrounding  sand  was  free  from  the 
track  of  a  lion,  so  a  diligent  search  was  commenced, 
and  every  bush  in  turn  examined,  but  owing  to  their 
great  thickness  it  was  quite  impossible  to  do  this  tho- 
roughly, and  at  last,  failing  to  find  the  lion,  they  were 
obliged  to  adopt  the  expedient  of  setting  fire  to  the 
grass.  The  result  was  so  far  satisfactory  that  it  soon 
brought  the  lion  into  view,  dead,  but  the  fire  had  so 
singed  the  skin  that  it  was  quite  spoilt.  This  is  par- 
ticularly vexing,  as  it  is  the  only  one  either  of  us  has 
shot  with  any  pretence  to  a  mane.  From  the  remnants 
brought  home,  it  must  have  been  a  very  fine  fellow, 
both  in  size  and  mane. 

Comparing  the  skull  with  that  of  my  last  lion,  there 
is  a  very  marked  difference  in  the  shape  of  them,  and 
whilst  Vivian's  has  a  greater  length,  mine  has  a  greater 
breadth.  Coupling  this  fact  with  the  absence  of  mane 
in  one,  and  its  presence  in  the  other,  are  they,  it  may  be 
asked,  distinct  species  ?  During  my  recent  attack  the 


OUR  SICK-LIST  INCREASES.  285 

temperature  charts  have  not  been  neglected.  The  heat 
has  continued  very  oppressive,  and  the  thermometer 
registers  to-day  102°  in  the  shade  and  155°  in  the  sun, 
and  there  has  not  been  a  breath  of  air.  Albert,  however, 
persists  in  ignoring  the  sun,  and,  though  strongly  and 
repeatedly  warned  of  his  folly,  will  wear  nothing  on  his 
shaven  head  beyond  a  white  skull-cap. 

April  14.— To-day  we  have  without  doubt  com- 
menced the  homeward  journey,  which  we  intend  to  con- 
tinue by  easy  stages,  and  this  evening  finds  us  en- 
camped on  a  very  small  island,  now  dry  on  one  side,  a 
few  miles  below  Emhagga,  named  '  Amaretakari.' 
Before  our  departure  Albert  complained  of  a  very 
severe  headache,  and  when  he  arrived  with  the  camels 
we  found  him  looking  more  dead  than  alive,  with  all 
the  symptoms  of  sunstroke.  Our  camp  has  therefore 
become  a  very  sick  one,  but  the  other  invalids  are 
improving ;  and  though  the  old  soldier  required  to  use 
his  utmost  strength  to  reach  here  on  horseback  he  is 
very  plucky,  and  as  if  he  were  determined  to  pull 
through  his  attack.  The  infusion  of  ipecacuanha-root 
has  had  a  very  beneficial  effect  upon  him.  The 
elephant-hunters  who  visited  us  at  the  Royan  when  on 
their  way  to  Abyssinia  have  had  great  success,  killing 
so  many  as  forty  elephants  in  this  short  space  of 
time.  Their  proper  chief  is  Essafi,  and  he  therefore 
regrets  that  he  has  lost  so  good  a  chance  of  gaining 


286  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

honour  and  glory,  though  the  dollars  would  not  have 
been  so  plentiful  as  in  his  present  enterprise.  He  says 
that  the  Abyssinians  are  afraid  of  the  elephants,  and 
won't  hunt  them  alone.  If  they  find,  however,  a  herd 
with  some  young  ones  they  will  give  them  chase,  and 
catching  up  with  the  small  fry  think  themselves  very 
clever  if  they  hamstring  one.  According  to  their 
calculations,  a  man  who  kills  an  elephant,  without  any 
limit  being  made  as  to  size,  is  equal  to  twenty  men, 
whilst  he  who  kills  a  lion  is  only  equal  to  five  men  ; 
and  there  is  a  rule  among  the  married  women  never  to 
wear  their  bracelets,  ear  or  nose  rings,  until  their 
husbands  have  killed  an  elephant.  Here,  as  along  the 
rest  of  the  river,  it  is  hopeless  to  look  for  antelope, 
for  the  country  has  been  so  disturbed  by  huge  droves 
of  cattle  ;  and  Vivian  will  soon  find  it  a  difficult  matter 
to  get  even  an  ariel  or  gazelle  for  the  larder.  I  tried 
one  shot  to-day,  and  do  not  intend  to  repeat  the 
performance  for  the  present,  as  it  caused  such  painfu 
vibration  in  my  head.  News  has  been  brought  this 
evening  that  an  Arab  fired  at  a  lion  the  other  day  near 
the  Hamran  village,  and  hit  it  in  the  shoulder,  and 
that  the  animal  instantly  turned  upon  him  and  with 
one  blow  with  his  paw  on  the  back  of  the  neck  struck 
him  down  dead.  Perhaps  this  will  be  a  useful  warning 
to  the  rising  Hamran  generation  not  to  attempt  lion 
shooting  with  single-barrel  rifles,  or  they  will  find  to 


A  FAVOURITE  PRACTICE.  AMONG  ARABS.       287 

their  cost  that  the  new  weapon  they  are  gradually  be- 
coming familiar  with  is  more  liable  to  lead  them  into 
danger  than  the  one  by  which  their  ancestors  made 
themselves  so  celebrated  as  hunters.  Sheik  Aghill 
is  not  yet  turned  out  of  office,  and  that  we  may  be 
kept  aware  of  the  fact  he  has  sent  us  a  present  of 
some  onions. 

April  15. — Albert  has  to  pay  the  penalty  of  his 
folly  in  ignoring  the  sun,  and  is  now  very  ill,  suffering 
intensely  in  his  head,  and  in  a  state  to  cause  some 
anxiety  for  the  future.  Even  our  dark-skinned  friends 
begin  to  find  the  heat  tell  upon  them,  and  at  their 
special  request  I  went  through  the  performance  to-day 
of  bleeding  Mohamed  the  cook  from  the  arm,  and  of 
cupping  Essafi. 

These  Arabs  bear  innumerable  marks  over  their 
bodies  where  incisions  have  been  made  to  draw  blood, 
as  it  is  a  very  favourite  practice  amongst  them.  Both 
Ranfurly  and  myself  find  it  a  difficult  matter  to  shake 
off  our  weakness,  and  feel  in  the  sun  a  common 
enemy.  The  moon  is  also  a  source  of  great  annoy- 
ance to  us,  for,  being  in  the  second  quarter,  the  light  is 
so  strong  that  sleep  is  rendered  almost  an  impossi- 
bility without  first  paying  a  visit  to  the  medicine-chest, 
for  that  most  invaluable  of  medicines  to  us,  *  chloral.' 
I  have  a  great  advantage  over  Ranfurly  in  being  able 
to  eat  my  food,  whilst  he  cares  for  nothing  beyond  soup 


288  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

and  arrowroot.  He  is  looking  forward  to  our  arrival  at 
Kassala  to  get  at  our  stores  of  Lehman's  captains' 
biscuits,  for  which  he  has  a  great  fancy,  and  they 
certainly  are  an  improvement  upon  the  more  common 
kind  left  in  our  present  supplies,  though  these  are  quite 
good  enough  for  all  practical  purposes.  Our  supply  of 
rice  holds  out  well,  and  the  goats  show  but  a  slight 
falling  off. 

This  evening  some  heavy  thunder-clouds  passed 
over  our  heads  from  the  east,  and  there  was  a  slight 
shower  of  rain  (the  first  we  have  had  here),  followed  by 
a  short  but  sharp  hurricane,  which  required  the  united 
efforts  of  some  of  our  party  to  save  our  tent  from 
being  carried  away  bodily.  Now  that  it  has  passed 
over,  we  derive  some  advantage  from  our  unwelcome 
guest,  for  it  has  made  the  air  feel  less  oppressive. 

April  17. — Owing  to  the  illness  of  Albert,  we  were 
obliged  to  postpone  our  departure  for  Emberaga  until 
to-day,  and  he  has  stood  the  journey  better  than  we 
might  have  expected.  I  hope  now  that  he  will  soon 
rally,  but  he  seems  to  have  so  completely  lost  all  power 
of  rousing  himself  that  I  fear  he  will  not  shake  off  the 
effects  of  this  attack  for  a  long  time  after  our  separa- 
tion at  Cairo.  Essafi,  after  a  great  chase  en  route,  caught 
a  young  baboon,  and  all  his  time  has  been  taken  up 
this  afternoon  watching  him,  koorbatch  in  hand,  to  pre- 
vent him  biting  through  the  rope  by  which  he  was  half 


A  LOSS  TO  LONDON  SOCIETY.  289 

strangulated.  We  remedied  this  defect  by  having  the 
rope  fastened  round  his  loins,  and  he  was  then  tied  to  a 
tree  and  left  to  his  own  resources.  His  chief  amusement 
now  appeared  to  be  to  try  how  many  times  he  could 
turn  round  a  branch  until  he  became  suspended  in  mid- 
air, though  he  frequently  almost  succeeded  in  committing 
suicide  involuntarily  before  he  could  be  untwisted.  At 
last  he  laid  down  exhausted  and  fell  asleep — a  sound 
sleep,  for  he  never  awoke,  and  rumour  has  it  that  too 
much  koorbatch  was  administered  after  he  was  caught. 
London  society  has  thus  lost  a  valuable  addition,  for 
already  a  most  noble  career  had  been  marked  out  for 
our  young  friend,  if  not  relative. 

The  temperature  to-day  has  been  the.  highest  yet  re- 
corded by  us — viz.,  156°  Fah.  in  sun,  and  110°  in  shade. 


u 


29o  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

April  1 8. — We  arrived  at  the  Hamran  village  Gwayha 
before  midday,  and  were  received  by  Sheik  Aghill,  who 
placed  at  our  disposal  a  mansion  consisting  of  strips  of 
matting  stretched  over  some  poles,  and  furnished  with 
two  angareps,  and  soon  afterwards  a  dish  of  meat,  cut 
into  small  pieces  and  stewed,  was  presented  to  us.  It 
had  quite  a  pleasant  taste,  but  this  was  rather  marred 
by  the  idea  that  it  was  probably  a  bit  of  an  old  cow  that 
had  died  from  disease  or  old  age. 

We  have  taken  for  Ranfurly  a  very  snug  straw  house, 
in  shape  like  a  beehive,  and  quite  new  ;  but  it  is  so 
valuable  in  the  eyes  of  its  fortunate  owner,  that  nothing 
will  induce  him  to  leave  it.  Two  extra  doors  added  to 
it  by  knocking  parts  of  the  circular  wall  down  have  made 
it  comparatively  cool  and  habitable  during  the  day. 
Albert  we  have  deposited  in  another  place,  and  Hadji 
Basheer  has  rolled  himself  up  comfortably  under  a  tree 
by  our  baggage.  Albert's  illness  renders  him  quite  in- 
capable of  giving  us  any  assistance,  not  even  as  an  inter- 
preter, for  we  can  hardly  get  him  to  open  his  mouth,  and 


RANFURLY  RAPIDLY  LOSES  STRENGTH.      291 

he  is  quite  indifferent  to  what  is  passing  around  him. 
Our  position  is  therefore  becoming  complicated,  having 
to  communicate  our  wants  through  Ibrahim  by  the  means 
of  the  little  French  he  knows,  and  through  Mohamed  the 
cook,  with  his  few  words  of  English  or  ours  of  Arabic. 
Though  Ranfurly  has  been  quite  free  for  a  week  from 
all  evidence  of  dysentery,  it  is  but  too  apparent  that  he 
is  almost  hourly  losing  strength — now  probably  from 
being  unable  to  eat  any  of  the  food  our  reduced  supplies 
can  afford  him,  excepting  Liebig's  Extract,  nor  will  he 
hardly  taste  some  chicken  we  have  obtained  here  for 
him.  In  this  respect  we  have  no  difficulty  with  Albert. 

Sheik  Aghill  has  tried  his  little  game  of  robbery 
again,  but  has  been  on  this  occasion  completely  beaten. 
In  fact  it  is  quite  evident  that,  though  nominally  Sheik, 
he  has  lost  all  power ;  for  when  we  refused  to  pay  his 
demand  of  four  dollars  per  camel  to  Kassala,  an  Arab 
from  a  neighbouring  village  offered,  to  supply  us  at  one 
and  a  half  dollars  per  camel,  and  finally  we  engaged 
our  own  camel-men  with  some  others  at  this  rate,  with- 
out Aghill  having  anything  to  do  with  the  arrangement, 
great  change  must  have  come  over  the  spirit  of 
his  dream  since  our  previous  visit  to  him. 

April  19. — Last  night  we  had  our  first  experience  of 
a  thunderstorm  breaking  over  our  heads,  and  a  very 
disagreeable  one  it  was.  The  lightning  had  been,  as 
usual,  forked  and  very  vivid,  and  sometimes  travelled  in 

U  2 


292  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

zigzags  to  a  great  distance  from  one  point  to  another,, 
but  from  past  experience  we  attached  no  importance  to 
it.  The  mansion  of  matting  was  found  much  too  stuffy 
to  remain  in,  and  we  therefore  had  the  tent  pitched  just 
outside  the  village,  and  Ranfurly  having  joined  us  before 
sunset,  he  and  I  took  possession  of  the  tent  for  the  night 
to  avoid  the  moonlight,  whilst  Vivian  preferred  remaining 
outside.  He  was  soon  disturbed  from  a  peaceful  slumber 
by  some  large  drops  of  rain  falling  on  his  face,  when 
he  sought  protection  under  the  common  roof  from  the 
coming  storm.  It  rapidly  burst  upon  us  with  all  its 
force,  and  just  as  we  began  to  feel  uncomfortable  about 
the  safety  of  our  tent,  the  question  was  settled  for  us 
by  a  sudden  squall  which  started  the  few  pegs,  and  down 
it  came  upon  our  heads.  Assistance  was  soon  at  hand, 
and  no  one  was  the  worse  for  the  disaster,  and  it  was 
repitched  before  the  rain  did  much  harm.  Most  for- 
tunately also  no  damage  was  done  to  our  weapons, 
though  they  were  suspended  from  hooks  round  the  pole,, 
and  consequently  came  down  with  a  crash.  Ranfurly  is 
doing  his  best  to  keep  up  his  pluck,  notwithstanding  his 
failing  strength,  and  indeed  he  is  now  so  weak  that  he 
requires  the  support  of  an  arm  to  enable  him  to  move 
about.  Albert,  on  the  other  hand,  is  continually  groan- 
ing, and  by  his  despondency  he  makes  his  prospect  of 
recovery  a  poor  one.  Hadji  Basheer  is  now  convalescent, 
and  his  rapid  recovery  has  been  a  source  of  astonish- 


OUR  PARTING    WITH  THE  HAMRANS.        293 

ment  to  us  all.  Vivian  and  myself  have  been  well 
occupied  in  sorting  the  horns  and  skins,  which  have 
gradually  increased  here  into  a  most  imposing  pile,  and 
deciding  which  we  will  leave  behind  ;  afterwards  in  clean- 
ing and  packing  up  all  weapons  no  longer  required,  and 
in  distributing  amongst  the  people  the  remaining  col- 
lection of  small  presents,  the  Sheik  receiving  the  lion's 
share.  My  labours  were  added  to  not  only  by  our  own 
sick,  but  by  constant  arrivals  from  the  village,  and  their 
confidence  in  my  powers  was  evidently  unbounded,  for 
they  brought  a  camel  to  me  with  a  huge  tumour  over 
the  left  hind-knee,  for  which  an  ounce  of  lead  in  the 
right  place  was  the  only  treatment  I  could  suggest, 
though  it  would  entail  the  death  of  the  sufferer.  Then 
came  the  final  partings,  first  with  the  Sheik,  who  at  the 
last  moment  tried  to  sell  us  a  donkey,  and  then  with 
some  of  the  men  we  leave  behind,  including  the  faithful 
Essafi.  Saying  good-bye  to  such  a  constant  companion 
of  one's  daily  rambles  brought  the  fact  more  definitely 
home  to  our  minds  than  anything  else  that  we  were 
really  turning  our  backs,  and  probably  for  ever,  on  the 
country  inhabited  by  the  splendid  race  of  Arabs  of  which 
he  is  such  a  good  representative  ;  and  in  the  expression 
of  his  face  on  the  last  shaking  of  hands  with  us  all, 
there  could  be  read  something  more  than  sorrow  for  the 
departure  of  the  well-known  dollar-bags.  The  other 
hunter,  Mohamed  Fagerole,  remains  with  us  at  present, 


294  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

as  his  home  is  near  Kassala.  As  we  left  Gwayha  several 
of  the  inhabitants  turned  out,  and  for  reasons  best  known 
to  themselves  showed  a  very  laudable  anxiety  to  have 
the  last  shake  of  hands.  It  was  then  just  after  sunset,  and 
as  there  was  fortunately  a  moon  we  were  able  to  con- 
tinue our  journey  for  five  hours,  chiefly  through  a  mimosa 
wood,  and  then  halt  at  an  uninhabited  village  of  straw 
huts.  All  the  invalids  were  mounted  on  horseback,  and 
Ranfurly  has  borne  the  journey  fairly  well,  and  the  pros- 
pect of  reaching  Kassala  forms  a  splendid  stimulus  to 
help  him  on  his  way.  Albert  has  arrived  here,  and  that 
is  something  to  say,  for  three  times  he  would  dismount 
and  lie  down  for  ten  minutes  or  more.  I  remained 
behind  with  him,  and  on  the  last  occasion  the  Arab 
guide  and  myself  had  the  greatest  difficulty  to  get  him 
on  his  legs  and  remount  him.  Somehow  or  other  on  he 
must  come  if  possible  to  Kassala,  for  to  have  left  him 
at  Gwayha  would  have  been  to  seal  his  doom.  At 
Kassala  he  has  friends,  and  will  have  every  care  taken 
of  him  if  we  can  only  get  him  there,  but  his  utter  want 
of  pluck  makes  this  far  from  certain. 

No  anxiety  about  fresh  meat  for  to-morrow,  for  we 
have  just  killed  a  kid  we  brought  from  Gwayha,  besides 
some  chickens.  As  nothing  will  keep  in  the  present 
heat  more  than  twenty-four  hours,  we  may  find  some 
difficulty  in  this  respect  as  we  proceed. 

April  20. — On  the  march  again  yesterday  soon  after 


AN  ANXIOUS  NIGHT   WITH  ALBERT.         295 


7  A.M.,  and  halted  at  10  A.M.  under  some  shady  mimosas, 
where  we  remained  till  4  P.M.  to  avoid  the  great  midday 
heat.  Ranfurly  has  exchanged  his  horse  for  a  camel, 
as  he  has  a  very  comfortable  saddle  for  the  latter ;  and 
from  long  practice  he  experiences  no  fatigue  from  the 
swinging  motion.  The  baggage  camels  were  given  an 
hour's  start  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  chief  Arab  was 
told  to  halt  earlier  than  the  previous  night.  It  was 
with  great  difficulty  that  Albert  was  induced  to  leave 
his  resting-place  and  remount ;  and  anticipating  much 
trouble  again  with  him,  Vivian  agreed  to  remain  behind 
with  me  to  make  sure  that  his  Arab  guide  did  not  leave 
him  to  the  hyaenas.  Ranfurly  found  it  better  to  keep 
steadily  on,  and  was  very  soon  within  sight  of  the 
advance  party,  and  never  pulled  up  until  3.15  A.M.  when 
they  voluntarily  came  to  a  halt. 

Were  we  to  live  for  a  hundred  years,  the  weary  and 
anxious  hours  passed  by  Vivian  and  myself  during  that 
night's  journey  would  remain  vividly  impressed  on  our 
memory.  After  a  few  hours'  progress,  Albert,  as  we 
expected,  dismounted  and  laid  down.  When  we  came 
up  to  him  we  compelled  him  to  remount  and  go  on, 
and  then  tried  our  best  to  cheer  him  ;  but  directly  we 
dropped  back  a  little  the  performance  was  immediately 
repeated.  We  then  kept  close  behind  to  prevent  a 
further  repetition,  but  he  signally  defeated  us  ;  for  his 
horse  starting  at  something  by  the  way,  poor  Albert 


296  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

was  shot  off  him ;  and  having  fallen  to  the  ground 
without  making  the  slightest  effort  to  save  himself,  lay 
stretched  out  like  a  dead  man.  In  fact,  for  the  first 
moment  we  thought  he  was  dead,  for  he  made  no 
attempt  to  move  or  speak  ;  but  on  finding  that  he  had 
a  good  pulse  and  that  no  bones  were  broken,  we  made 
him  drink  some  whisky-and-water  and  lifted  him  into 
his  saddle  ;  then  as  before,  with  one  man  leading  his 
horse,  and  another  by  his  side  to  hold  him  up  and  to 
supply  him  with  water,  which  he  kept  on  drinking,  we 
effected  another  start.  Now  our  anxiety  began  to  be 
great,  and  our  eyes  could  scarcely  be  taken  off  the  grey 
steed  in  front  of  us,  so  much  did  we  dread  another  halt. 
The  fall,  however,  appeared  to  rouse  him,  and  he  made 
his  horse  walk  at  so  good  a  pace  that  he  soon  distanced 
our  camels,  and  reached  a  huge  plain  some  time  before 
us.  Possibly  it  was  the  prospect  of  not  being  able  to 
cross  this  apparently  endless  expanse  as  seen  by  the 
light  of  a  full  moon  that  made  him  give  in  again,  for 
directly  we  came  to  it  we  could  see  the  horse  standing 
still,  and  a  few  moments  more  brought  us  to  Albert 
lying  on  the  ground  and  looking  almost  dead.  He  now 
implored  us  to  leave  him  there  for  the  night ;  but  as  to 
comply  with  his  wishes  was  to  leave  him  to  die,  we  were 
compelled  to  remount  him  and  force  him  to  move  on. 
But  where  were  the  rest  of  our  party  ?  Before  us  lay  the 
unmistakable  vast  plain  we  remembered  to  have  once 


OUR   TROUBLES  INCREASE.  297 

before  crossed,  and  if  they  had  not  already  halted  we 
felt  sure  that  they  would  not  do  so  until  they  reached  the 
other  side  of  it ;  and  then  the  anxious  question  came,  how 
would  Ranfurly  bear  the  fatigue  ?  Albert  again  soon  dis- 
tanced us  when  once  en  route,  and  though  we  frequently 
strained  our  eyes  in  looking  for  the  horse,  we  never  saw 
it  again  until  on  arriving  at  a  wood  some  hours  after- 
wards, we  found  it  tied  to  a  tree,  and  close  to  the  rest 
of  our  party.  Ranfurly,  though  much  exhausted,  was  very 
thankful  to  have  accomplished  so  much  of  the  journey  ; 
and,  after  a  little  food,  both  he  and  Albert  quickly  fell 
into  a  sound  sleep.  Vivian  and  myself  were  not  long  in 
following  their  example,  and  only  awoke  when  the  sun, 
by  shining  directly  on  our  heads,  aroused  us  to  the  fact 
that  he  was  up  for  the  day,  and  that  the  sooner  we 
sought  shelter  from  him  the  better.  Much  as  we  have 
had  cause  to  grumble  at  mimosa-thorns,  we  now  found 
them  most  useful  in  supporting  blankets  that  we 
stretched  between  the  trees  as  a  means  of  obtaining  the 
shade  which  the  trees  themselves  were  too  small  to  yield. 
Ibrahim  says  that  the  camel-men  would  not  halt  till 
they  arrived  here,  and  it  certainly  was  better  to  do  this 
than  stop  in  the  middle  of  the  plain.  With  two  such 
serious  cases  of  illness,  and  the  great  difficulties  we  have 
experienced  through  the  incapacity  of  Albert,  we  could 
not  well  afford  to  add  to  our  troubles  ;  but  an  unlucky 
cloud  is  hanging  over  our  heads,  for  Mohamed  the  cook, 


298  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

having  fallen  off  his  camel,  has  so  injured  his  foot  that 
he  can  scarcely  walk,  and  one  horse  has  a  large  swelling 
on  each  side  and  is  unfit  for  further  use.  Ibrahim  is 
now  the  only  man  we  have  to  do  everything  for  us.  He 
certainly  does  his  best  to  get  through  his  multifarious 
duties,  but  we  have  almost  come  to  a  dead-lock. 

April  22. — At  5  P.M.  yesterday  our  invalids  were 
much  refreshed  by  their  long  rest,  and  were  quite  ready 
for  a  start,  and  the  sight  of  the  Kassala  mountains, 
though  very  distant,  gave  them  a  fresh  stimulus.  To 
my  surprise  Albert  only  halted  once  to  lie  down  before 
we  terminated  the  night's  march  at  2  A.M.  On  arriving 
at  the  village  near  Kassala,  where  we  spent  the  first 
night  after  our  departure  from  that  town,  my  wish  was 
to  remain  there  until  the  afternoon,  but  both  Ranfurly 
and  Albert  begged  to  be  allowed  to  push  on  at  sunrise. 
Ranfurly,  after  three  hours'  rest,  was  the  first  to  be  up 
and  ready  to  proceed,  and  at  6  A.M.  we  were  again 
mounted  and  off.  When  within  one  hour  of  Kassala, 
Albert  utterly  collapsed,  and,  stretched  at  full-length  on 
the  ground,  declared  that  he  must  die  to-day,  and  then 
crying  like  a  child  implored  me  to  let  him  stay  there. 
The  sun,  however,  was  rapidly  rising,  and  it  being  there- 
fore of  importance  that  not  a  moment  should  be  wasted, 
it  became  necessary  to  remount  him  and  to  use  a  little 
force  to  overcome  his  feeble  powers  of  resistance,  to 
which  he  added  the  free  use  of  his  koorbatch  ;  and  at 


KIND   TREATMENT  OF  GREEKS  IN  K ASS  ALA.    299 

10  A.M.  I  was  indeed  thankful  to  be  able  to  seat  him  in 
a  chair  under  some  trees  in  Kassala  in  front  of  the  shop 
of  a  Greek  friend.  Here  he  was  made  as  comfortable 
as  possible,  cool  refreshing  drinks  were  given  him,  and 
douches  of  vinegar  and  water  applied  to  the  head. 
Shortly  Ranfurly  and  Vivian  arrived  at  the  shop,  the 
former  looking  almost  as  exhausted  as  Albert,  and  every 
attention  was  paid  to  him.  He  was  taken  into  a  dark 
quiet  room,  where  he  remained  till  sunset,  excellent  soup 
was  brought  to  him,  and  his  head  and  hands  were  bathed 
with  vinegar  and  water,  whilst  a  little  black  boy  con- 
tinuously fanned  him.  During  this  time  our  old  house 
was  rendered  habitable,  and  after  the  rest  and  kind 
treatment  of  our  Greek  friends,  Ranfurly  felt  so  re- 
freshed that  he  walked  '  home  '  with  us,  only  supported 
by  an  arm. 

Munsinger  Pasha  is  away,  much  to  our  disappoint- 
ment, but  his  representative,  the  Vakeel,  appears  anxious 
to  attend  to  all  our  wants.  Mr.  Cohen  is  also  very 
ready  to  help  us  through  any  difficulties,  and  as  he 
speaks  English  he  will  probably  not  lack  the  oppor- 
tunity. 

April  23. — Ranfurly  shows  decided  signs  of  increas- 
ing exhaustion,  and  he  is  losing  flesh  rapidly.  The 
journey  from  the  Hamran  village  was  a  hard  trial  of 
strength  for  him,  but  it  could  not  be  otherwise  than  a 
forced  march,  owing  to  the  total  absence  of  water,  and 


300  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 


now  we  feel  we  have  completed  by  far  the  worst  part  of 
the  desert  journey.  Our  reserve  stores  were  found  in 
good  order  and  have  been  duly  appreciated,  and  Ran- 
furly  has  enjoyed  this  morning  a  basin  of  bread  and 
milk.  (Lehman's  biscuits  with  cow's  milk.)  Our  difficult 
position  was  improved  last  evening  by  the  arrival  of 
Arkwright's  and  Ranfurly's  dragoman  '  Lorenzo,'  with 
their  heavy  baggage,  for  he  will  remain  with  us  and  take 
Albert's  place.  The  rest  of  our  party  arrived  this  evening, 
and  they  have  settled  down  in  another  house  near  us. 
About  two  hundred  and  sixty  camels  laden  with  ammu- 
nition left  Kassala  to-day  for  Darfour,  in  charge  of 
numerous  soldiers,  and  it  is  calculated  that  they  will  not 
reach  their  destination  under  two  months.  The  Egyp- 
tian Government  is  making  such  demands  upon  the 
camels  here  for  the  present  expedition,  under  Colonel 
Gordon,  that  it  is  only  with  very  great  difficulty  they 
can  be  obtained  for  private  individuals.  This  morning 
there  was  but  little  hope  of  our  getting  any,  but  fortunately 
some  arrived  to-day  from  Souakim  with  goods  for  the 
Greeks,  and  the  Vakeel  has  promised  to  let  us  have  the 
best  of  them,  so  that  we  may  start  to-morrow.  It  is  very 
important  that  we  should  not  lose  a  day,  as  we  have 
now  ample1  time  to  go  by  easy  stages  to  Souakim,  for 
the  steamer  of  May  9  or  10;  and  Ranfurly  thinks  he 
will  get  on  better  in  the  fresh  air  of  the  desert  than 
in  this  confined  atmosphere.  We  have  talked  over  the 


ALBERTS  SHOCK  ON  INSPECTING  HIS  FACE.    301 

question  of  his  remaining  here  a  little  while  longer  for 
the  following  steamer  of  May  30,  but  it  is  the  universal 
opinion  both  of  ourselves  and  the  European  inhabitants 
that  it  would  be  better  for  him  not  to  risk  exposure  to 
the  rapidly  approaching  rains,  when  the  climate  becomes 
very  unhealthy.  Arkwright  was  caught  by  them  last 
May  a  few  days  before  reaching  Souakim,  and  was  in  a 
great  plight  for  even  that  short  time. 

M.  Voight,  the  chief  of  the  telegraph-office,  has 
announced  to  us  the  victory  of  Oxford  over  Cambridge, 
on  the  Thames,  and  he  has  lent  us  three  '  Illustrated 
London  News  '  of  March  ;  so,  thanks  to  that  invaluable 
paper  to  the  traveller,  we  shall  be  able  to  learn  most  of 
the  home  news  of  that  month. 

Albert  asked  for  a  looking-glass  to-day,  and  after 
carefully  inspecting  his  dreadfully  altered  face  and 
bloodshot  eyes,  all  he  said  was, '  My  poor  teeth,  my  poor 
teeth  quite  spoilt ! '  So  whilst  his  remark  brought  to  light 
a  vanity,  it  also  gave  some  proof  of  his  being  more 
hopeful  of  recovery.  His  condition  is  rather  curious,  and 
though  he  is  undoubtedly  very  weak,  he  looks  as  if  he 
might  rouse  hiniself  a  little  if  he  would  only  be  less 
despondent,  and  the  more  notice  there  is  taken  of  him 
the  worse  he  is.  I  actually  succeeded  in  making  him 
laugh  by  telling  him  that  the  best  treatment  for  him 
would  be  a  good  dose  of  koorbatch  on  the  back. 

April  24. — The  night  has  come,  and  still  we  are  in 


302  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 


Kassala  ;  but  all  is  bustle  and  confusion  in  our  courtyard, 
for  the  new  men  could  not  be  collected  until  the  evening, 
and  they  are  now  busily  arranging  and  cording  up  our 
goods  by  candle-light,  to  enable  them  to  load  their 
camels  rapidly  in  the  morning.  The  delay  to-day  was 
owing  to  some  hitch  in  the  payment  of  their  wages  for 
the  last  journey.  We  would  have  been  only  too  glad  to 
keep  our  own  men,  but  the  Hamran  Arabs  cannot  safely 
travel  through  the  Hadendowa  country,  and  we  are  com- 
pelled therefore  to  return  to  the  latter  troublesome  tribe. 
The  new  camels  are  the  most  miserable  creatures  we 
have  yet  seen,  and  look  as  if  half  of  them  would  die  in 
the  desert.  Coke,  Gumming,  and  Arkwright  give  a 
most  satisfactory  report  of  their  visit  to  the  junction  of 
a  stream  with  the  Settite,  named  Hor  Mehetepe,  about 
four  hours'  journey  beyond  their  last  encampment  near 
us,  and  five  elephants,  three  rhinoceros,  two  giraffes,  and 
one  lion  were  numbered  amongst  the  killed.  Arkwright 
one  night  knocked  over  two  elephants  with  a  right-and- 
left,  and  they  laid  on  the  ground  near  him  for  an  hour 
trumpeting  ;  but  the  place  was  so  dark  that  he  could  not 
venture  to  approach  them  until  morning,  when  he  found 
one  dead  and  the  other  decamped.  He  killed  also  on 
that  night  a  giraffe.  Another  day  he  fired  three  shots 
at  an  elephant,  which  then  turned  upon  him  and  made 
him  escape  for  his  life  ;  afterwards,  when  riding  home 
without  any  ammunition,  he  found  himself  amongst 


GREAT  SPORT  OF  OUR  FRIENDS.  303 


a  herd  of  elephants,  and  one  of  them  gave  him  chase 
for  some  time,  until  his  horse  managed  to  distance  his 
pursuer.  Both  Coke  and  Gumming  also  shot  elephants, 
and  the  former  on  one  occasion  rode  close  to  a  herd  of 
from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  bagging  one  of  them.  Several  lions  were 
seen,  but  Coke  only  was  fortunate  enough  to  kill  one. 
They  all  agree  in  saying  that  far  more  game  is  to  be 
found  near  the  Hor  Mehetepe  than  lower  down  the 
Settite.  They  found  the  Hor  dry  for  three  miles 
above  its  junction  with  the  Settite,  but  then  they  came 
to  a  pool  which  proved  to  be  a  very  favourite  haunt  of 
the  elephant  and  rhinoceros.  Cumming  almost  walked 
on  to  two  sleeping  rhinoceros,  and  dropped  one  after 
another  with  a  right-and-left,  and  one  day  he  killed 
three  elephants. 

We  have  again  paid  a  visit  to  Mr.  Cohen's  live  stock, 
and  saw  several  new  additions.  Amongst  these  are 
two  young  lions,  which  played  about  the  yard  like 
kittens,  and  were  more  friendly,  for  they  did  not  attempt 
to  scratch  or  otherwise  show  their  disapproval  of  being 
handled  by  strangers. 

Mr.  Cohen  is  now  only  waiting  until  he  can  collect 
fifty  or  sixty  camels  to  take  a  large  portion  of  his 
zoological  collection  to  Souakim,  en  route  for  Europe, 
and  after  landing  at  Hamburg  he  will  visit  many  of  the 


304  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

capitals,  and  he  thinks  that  in  two  or  three  days  at 
latest  he  will  be  able  to  effect  a  start  from  here. 

Night  at  Kassala  is  certainly  not  favourable  to  the 
sleep  of  the  sick  man,  owing  to  the  never-ceasing  noise 
from  sunset  to  sunrise.  No  wonder  that  the  dogs  keep 
up  a  continual  barking,  for  the  cry  of  the  hyaenas  as 
they  prowl  round  the  town  is  quite  enough  to  keep  them 
on  the  alert ;  but  it  is  none  the  less  disagreeable,  and 
especially  when  combined  with  the  discordant  screeching 
of  women  and  the  braying  of  donkeys. 


DEPARTURE  FROM  K AS  SAL  A.  305 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

April  25. — 5.30  A.M.  actually  found  us  outside  the 
Kassala  gates  and  commencing  our  last  desert  journey, 
accompanied  by  two  soldiers  whom  we  have  taken  to 
keep  our  Hadendowa  Arabs  in  order,  remembering  the 
trouble  we  had  with  them  on  a  previous  occasion. 
Hadji  Basheer,  Mohamed  Fagerole,  and  Albert  are  num- 
bered amongst  the  absent  ones.  Albert's  prostrate  con- 
dition compelled  us  to  leave  him  behind  in  the  house  we 
occupied,  but  we  have  given  him  all  the  stores  we  could 
afford,  and  have  made  every  other  possible  arrangement 
for  his  comfort,  besides  engaging  a  man  to  look  after 
him.  Now  that  he  is  left  a  good  deal  to  his  own 
resources,  it  is  probable  that  he  will  see  the  necessity  of 
rousing  himself,  and  we  hope  that  he  will  be  able  to  ac- 
company Mr.  Cohen  to  Cairo.1  Lorenzo  has  under  his 
charge  seven  baggage-camels,  and  these  with  ours  make 
a  total  of  twenty-four.  We  have  now  no  horses,  for 

1  Albert  arrived  in  Cairo  about  the  middle  of  June  with  Mr.  Cohen, 
but  he  was  in  a  very  weak  state,  and  he  had  the  misfortune  of  being  robbed 
by  Arabs  in  the  desert  of  all  his  things. 

X 


3o6  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

Ibrahim  was  given  the  best,  Jali's  hunter,  which  he  has 
temporarily  exchanged  for  a  donkey  with  an  officer  of 
his  old  corps.  After  our  departure  from  Souakim  he  is 
to  have  it  again,  and  he  says  he  will  make  a  fortune  with 
it  selling  water  there.  Hadji  Basheer  was  presented  with 
the  next  best  horse,  and  the  other  two  collapsed  before 
arriving  at  Kassala.  The  goats  have  trotted  along  by 
the  side  of  the  camels  very  contentedly  to-day,  and  look 
as  if  they  meant  to  complete  the  journey  with  us.  So 
far  this  has  been  very  successful,  for,  travelling  faster 
than  our  baggage-camels,  we  arrived  at  a  good  shady 
halting-place  at  10.15  A.M.,  had  a  comfortable  luncheon 
cooked  by  Ibrahim,  and  did  not  leave  again  till  5  P.M., 
when  we  had  allowed  them  an  hour's  start,  and  finally 
joined  them  at  9  P.M.  as  they  halted  for  the  night  at  a 
regular  camping-ground  within  a  few  miles  of  water. 
The  other  division  of  our  party  will  leave  Kassala  to- 
morrow or  next  day,  if  they  can  get  camels  by  that  time, 
and  join  us  en  route.  Ranfurly  has  not  felt  the  day's 
journey  at  all  fatiguing.  Several  men  were  at  work 
yesterday  making  a  species  of  ambulance  for  him  with 
palm-leaves,  but  he  so  much  preferred  having  his  own 
saddle  that  it  was  not  completed. 

April  26. — Having  encamped  last  night  near  a  minute 
village  consisting  of  six  or  seven  mat  huts,  we  had  the 
full  benefit  of  the  barking  of  their  dogs,  and  one  of  them, 
with  a  keen  eye  to  business,  paid  us  a  visit  and  eat  up  a 


STRANDED  IN  THE  DESERT.  307 

basin  of  bread  and  milk  which  had  been  placed  by  Ran- 
furly's  bedside.  Awaking  at  4  A.M.,  I  roused  up  our 
.staff,  and  then  looked  round  the  camp  for  the  Arabs,  but 
neither  man  nor  camel  could  be  seen,  so  it  was  supposed 
that  they  had  remained  at  the  water  last  night  and  that 
they  would  return  at  sunrise,  and  we  all  laid  down  again. 
Soon  afterwards  I  saw  one  Arab  quietly  arrive,  and  I 
told  the  soldier.  He  at  once  jumped  up  and  seized 
hold  of  the  man,  but  could  obtain  no  information  from 
him  with  regard  to  his  companions.  The  soldier  then, 
as  a  useful  precaution,  tied  him  up  hand  and  foot  to  a 
tree,  and  a  native  of  the  village  was  sent  to  the  water  to 
look  for  the  others.  He  returned  with  the  bad  news  that 
they  were  not  there,  and  then  it  became  only  too  appa- 
rent that  they  had  gone  off  with  their  camels  and  had 
left  us  stranded  in  the  desert.  Our  prisoner  then  became 
more  communicative,  and  said  that  his  comrades  had 
gone  on  to  Souakim  or  to  some  village  two  or  three 
days  from  here,  because  their  camels  were  so  tired 
after  their  journey  from  Souakim  to  Kassala  that  they 
felt  sure  they  could  not  return  to  Souakim  laden.  They 
have  carried  off  two  water-barrels  and  some  skins,  but 
have  left  most  of  their  saddles  and  ropes  with  us,  and 
when  we  caught  the  Arab  it  is  supposed  he  was  about 
to  take  away  some  of  the  ropes  when  he  imagined  we 
were  asleep.  Ibrahim's  donkey  has  now  become  a 
useful  friend  to  us,  for  we  have  been  able  to  despatch  a 

x  2 


308  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

soldier  upon  it  to  Kassala  with  all  speed,  the  distance 
being  about  twenty-five  miles,  as  the  bearer  of  a  letter 
to  the  Vakeel  explaining  our  position,  and  begging 
him  to  send  us  more  camels  without  a  moment's  delay. 
Now  as  I  write  we  are  sitting  patiently  under  a  tree  to 
await  his  return,  whenever  that  may  be,  but  probably 
another  morning  will  dawn  upon  us  before  our  minds 
can  be  put  at  rest. 

April  27. — A  careful  watch  was  kept  last  night  over 
our  prisoner  and  property,  as  it  was  feared  that  our 
deserters  might  not  be  far  off,  and  that  they  might  take 
advantage  of  the  darkness  to  pay  us  a  visit  and  carry 
off  their  property ;  but  no  one  came,  and  the  morning- 
did  dawn  upon  us  without  our  receiving  news  from 
Kassala.  When  we  returned  after  an  early  breakfast  to 
our  shady  tree  our  position  was  not  altogether  bright, 
and  we  felt  quite  helpless  to  take  any  further  steps  to 
improve  it  We  had  at  least  to  thank  the  Arabs  for  not 
postponing  their  departure  one  more  day,  for  had  they 
done  so,  and  thus  left  us  several  miles  from  water,  our 
position  would  have  been  critical.  Now  provided  that 
the  soldier  did  not  follow  suit,  we  knew  that  we  should 
only  suffer  from  loss  of  time,  though  this  was  serious 
enough  so  far  as  Ranfurly  was  concerned.  He,  however, 
took  the  matter  very  quietly,  and  joined  Vivian  and 
myself  in  trying  to  kill  time  by  watching  the  domestic 
occupations  of  the  women  and  children  in  the  huts  close 


OUR  IMPRISONMENT  TERMINATES.  309 

to  us.  The  latter  had  no  impediments  to  freedom  of 
movement  in  the  way  of  clothes,  but  their  mothers  were 
so  enveloped  in  a  huge  dirty  brown  sheet  that  half  their 
time  was  taken  up  in  keeping  it  wrapped  .round  them. 
One  family  was  on  the  move  to-day,  and  the  mansion 
was  packed  up  before  our  eyes  by  the  simple  process  of 
pulling  down  three  strips  of  matting,  rolling  them  up, 
and  then  collecting  the  wooden  supports  over  which 
they  were  stretched.  At  II  A.M.  our  imprisonment 
terminated,  for  there  arrived  three  mounted  soldiers, 
with  our  own  soldier  on  the  donkey,  and  seventeen 
camels.  It  was  indeed  a  joyful  sight,  though  the 
number  was  far  too  limited  for  our  wants  ;  and  now 
with  no  future  contretemps  we  shall  still  be  able  to  reach 
Souakim  by  the  Qth,  without  any  forced  marches.  M. 
Voight  writes  that  great  regret  was  felt  for  our  mis- 
fortune, and  that  the  Vakeel  at  once  put  into  prison  all 
the  relations  of  our  deserters  who  could  be  found,  and 
had  handed  over  their  wages  to  our  new  men.  At 
6  P.M.  we  renewed  our  journey,  but  with  great  difficulty, 
for  our  new  camels  are  so  weak  that  some  of  them  could 
not  rise  from  the  ground  when  laden,  and  were  obliged 
to  have  their  burdens  lessened  and  rearranged.  The 
deficiency  of  seven  camels  compelled  us  to  leave  a  great 
portion  of  our  baggage  in  the  desert  in  charge  of  one  of 
the  soldiers,  with  the  understanding  that  two  of  the 
others  should  return  to  Kassala  for  more  camels,  and  that 


3io  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

on  their  return  they  were  to  pick  it  up  and  join  us  on  or 
before  our  arrival  at  Souakim  ;  and  we  stimulated  them 
to  extra  exertion  by  the  promise  of  good  backsheesh. 
Owing  to  the  slipping  first  of  one  camel  and  then  of 
another  our  progress  was  so  ridiculously  slow  that  in  two- 
hours  we  could  barely  have  accomplished  so  many  miles  ; 
then  a  camel  playfully  shook  off  the  whole  of  his  load, 
which  fell  with  an  ominous  crash  to  the  ground,  two  or 
three  more  immediately  laid  down,  and  the  confusion,  at 
last,  became  so  complete  in  the  total  darkness  that  we 
were  compelled  to  call  a  halt  for  the  night.  At  this  rate 
our  prospect  of  reaching  the  coast  has  again  become  poor 
indeed.  The  prisoner  was  taken  back  to  Kassala  by  the 
soldiers ;  and  as  he  had  to  keep  up  with  them  on  foot, 
whilst  being  dragged  along  by  a  rope  fastened  round 
his  neck,  he  is  not  likely  to  have  on  the  whole  a  pleasant 
journey.  Our  present  feeling  is  that  we  wish  his  friends 
could  be  similarly  treated  ;  for,  so  far  as  they  were  con- 
cerned, we  might  have  died  where  they  left  us.  The 
country  is  so  open  here  that  we  have  little  chance  of 
killing  game,  and  we  therefore  bought  a  respectable- 
sized  sheep  at  the  village  to-day  as  a  temporary  measure. 
Ranfurly  has  added  to  our  live  stock  two  young  black 
ostriches,  as  well  as  two  paroquets  which  he  exchanged 
for  some  cartridges  with  Mr.  Cohen.  The  ostriches 
when  sitting  look  much  more  like  porcupines,  and  they 
are  only  about  the  size  of  hens.  The  aviary  is  a  large 


IBRAHIM  SUPPLIES  THE  LARDER.  311 

deal  box,  closed  in  on  one  side  only  by  wire  network, 
and  it  is  carried  on  top  of  a  camel-load,  much  to  the 
apparent  discomfort  of  its  inmates.  Lorenzo  is  their 
guardian,  and  he  thinks  he  will  be  able  to  bring  them 
with  us  to  Cairo. 

April  28. — Leaving  the  baggage  party  to  follow  us 
so  that  we  might  make  the  most  of  the  early  morning, 
we  were  able  to  start  at  5.30  A.M.,  halt  from  10.30  A.M. 
to  4  P.M.  under  the  shade  of  some  mimosas  assisted  by 
blankets,  have  luncheon  and  a  nap  in  the  interval,  and 
then  go  on  again  until  7.30  P.M.  Ibrahim,  who  accom- 
panied us  on  his  donkey,  gave  us  good  proof  of  his 
powers  of  usefulness.  He  first  caught  some  goats  and 
milked  them  for  our  especial  benefit ;  and  even  Ran- 
furly  was  able  to  enjoy  the  refreshing  draught,  having 
quite  got  over  his  objection  to  it,  though  rice  unfor- 
tunately is  as  repugnant  to  him  as  ever.  Further  on, 
he  snatched  up  a  sheep  from  a  flock  wandering 
about  unguarded  ;  and  having  carried  it  in  his  arms  to 
his  donkey  he  hoisted  it  upon  the  saddle-bags,  and  then 
mounting  himself  behind  he  trotted  up  to  us  looking 
very  proud  of  his  performance.  In  a  country  where 
food  is  so  scarce,  it  is  just  as  well  not  to  be  too  par- 
ticular how  it  is  obtained,  so  we  congratulated  him 
accordingly. 

After  a  separation  of  several  miles  from  the  flock, 
Ibrahim  thought  that  his  prize  might  carry  itself,  so 


312  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 

after  tying  a  rope  round  one  leg  he  let  it  down,  but  fall- 
ing with  a  jerk  the  rope  broke,  and  away  went  the  sheep 
with  all  our  happy  calculations  of  stolen  cutlets.  Ibra- 
him was  not  to  be  so  easily  defeated,  so  gave  it  chase, 
and  after  the  lapse  of  half  an  hour  we  found  him  resting 
under  a  tree  holding  his  recent  companion  by  the  leg. 
Another  escape,  a  little  later,  though  cleverly  planned, 
was  even  less  successful,  for  having  made  a  bolt  to 
another  flock  the  shepherd  at  once  caught  it  and 
gave  it  up,  as  he  supposed,  to  its  rightful  owners.  At 
midday  the  baggage-camels  passed  us,  and  finding 
that  Mohamed  had  also  added  a  sheep  to  our  live 
stock  by  some  means  or  other  we  sent  ours  on  with 
him  as  it  appeared  resigned  at  last  to  its  fate  of 
marching  on  till  otherwise  wanted.  When  about  two 
hours  from  our  night  halting-ground  we  saw  one  of  our 
Arabs  resting  under  a  tree  with  both  sheep  and  goats. 
He  implored  us  to  give  him  some  water,  as  he  said  he 
was  dying'  from  thirst ;  and  as  he  looked  in  great 
distress  from  this  cause  we  gave  him  a  good  draught, 
and  he  then  promised  to  follow  us  immediately  to  the 
next  camp. 

The  goats  preferred  joining  our  party,  and  so 
thirsty  were  the  poor  brutes  that  they  would  scarcely 
allow  the  Arab  to  drink  from  his  bowl ;  and  after  he 
had  had  his  fill  we  were  still  able  to  spare  our 


OUR  LIMITED    WATER  SUPPLY.  313 

faithful     friends     a     little    from     our     nearly     empty 
skins. 

Throughout  our  journey  we  shall  be  obliged  to  be 
very  sparing  of  the  water,  owing  to  the  loss  of  half  of 
our  barrels  and  skins  through  the  desertion  of  the 
Arabs  when  they  went  off  for  the  presumed  purpose  of 
filling  them.  If  the  Arabs  ever  return  to  the  place 
where  they  left  us,  they  will  have  the  pleasure  of  see- 
ing a  pile  of  ashes  to  indicate  what  we  did  with  their 
property  to  ensure  their  not  having  it  again.  Unfor- 
tunately they  can  replace  their  ropes  and  simply  made 
saddles  far  more  easily  than  we  can  our  water-barrels. 

Lorenzo  tells  us  this  evening  the  bad  news  that  the 
camels  are  so  weak  they  constantly  come  down  with 
their  loads,  and  that  he  does  not  believe  they  can  reach 
Souakim.  He  therefore  suggests  that  \ve  seize  any 
camels  we  meet,  and  compel  the  owners  to  make  an  ex- 
change. 

A  cattle-drover  reports  that  our  other  division  was 
here  yesterday,  so  it  must  have  passed  our  camp  in  the 
darkness  of  the  previous  night. 

April  29. — 5.30  A.M.  sees  us  again  en  route,  but  no 
thanks  to  any  of  our  men,  Lorenzo  and  Ibrahim 
included,  for  they  sleep  like  pigs.  In  this  respect  more 
almost  than  in  any  other  we  miss  Emanuel  in  the 
desert  journey,  for  he  was  always  up  before  sunrise ; 
now  I  have  to  go  round  every  morning  and  shake  the 


314  LIFE    WITH  THE  H AMR  AN  ARABS. 

men  till  they  wake  up,  in  which  performance  our  solitary 
soldier  gives  a  willing  hand,  and  sometimes  foot,  if  I 
can  only  find  him  out  first  ;  but  they  coil  themselves  up 
so  much  amongst  the  baggage  that  it  is  difficult  very 
often  to  distinguish  sacks  from  human  beings.  Arrived 
at  a  well  at  7.30  A.M.,  where  we  were  able  to  enjoy  the 
luxury  of  washing  hands  and  faces.  Soon  afterwards 
we  met  some  Arabs  with  unladen  camels  returning  from 
Souakim,  and  they  agreed  to  let  us  have  seven  of  them 
at  the  six-dollar  rate  we  paid  at  Kassala. 

Vivian  then  remained  behind  with  them  to  wait  for 
the  arrival  of  our  baggage  party  to  complete  the 
arrangements,  and  Ranfurly  and  myself  pushed  on. 
Thanks  to  a  fresh  breeze  every  morning  from  the 
south-east,  the  heat  before  n  A.M.  is  far  from  being 
oppressive,  and  it  is  therefore  very  favourable  for 
Ranfurly,  who  begins  to  show  signs  of  some  improve- 
ment in  strength,  and  quite  enjoys  his  morning  rides. 
Towards  evening  the  wind  generally  goes  round  to  the 
north-west,  and  becomes  so  light  that  the  heat  is  felt 
proportionately  greater.  At  n  A.M.  we  halted  at  the 
dry  bed  of  a  river,  and  found  excellent  shade  under  a 
clump  of  dome-palms.  Here  a  general  halt  took 
place  later,  as  there  were  good  wells,  and  green  trees  for 
the  camels  to  feed  upon,  and  we  did  not  move  on 
again  till  6  P.M.  The  time  was  not  altogether  lost  upon 
us,  for  we  were  able  to  indulge  in  a  bath,  to  the 


HADENDOWA  ARABS  AGAIN.  315 

apparent  amusement  of  some  natives  who  looked  on 
from  a  respectful  distance  ;  then  drink  milk  to  our  hearts' 
content,  and  buy  a  sheep.  The  Arab  with  our  two  sheep 
did  not  come  into  camp  last  night,  so  that  we  must  hope 
that  he,  at  least,  found  his  way  to  some  cattle-drovers, 
whatever  became  of  our  doubtful  property.  At  10  P.M.  we 
encamped  for  the  night,  and  therefore  so  far  we  are 
dividing  the  day's  work  into  easy  stages.  This 
unfortunately  cannot  depend  upon  our  will,  but  on 
the  nature  of  the  ground,  for  where  there  is  water 
or  food  for  the  camels  there  we  must  break  the 
journey. 

April  30. — The  Hadendowa  Arabs  are  at  their  old 
games  again.  Though  they  were  called  at  4  A.M.  no 
camels  were  ready  before  9  A.M.,  and  the  oft-repeated 
story  that  their  camels  had  strayed  and  could  not  be 
found  was  all  that  we  could  obtain  from  them  as  a 
reason  for  the  delay.  There  was  certainly  some  truth 
in  it  this  morning,  for  one  camel  could  not  be  found, 
and  the  unfortunate  owner  on  his  return  to  camp 
after  a  long  unsuccessful  search  received  a  good 
thrashing  from  the  soldier  with  a  koorbatch,  possibly 
as  a  warning  to  the  others  to  be  more  careful  in 
future.  The  man  appeared  to  accept  without  a 
murmur  the  justice  of  his  sentence,  for  he  laid 
himself  down  on  his  face  very  quietly  and  bore  the 
severe  punishment  without  flinching.  We  have 


316  LIFE   WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 


gained  a  great  acquisition  in  the  Arab  who  joined  us 
yesterday  as  chief  in  charge  of  the  additional  seven 
camels,  for  he  is  very  industrious,  and  though  he 
won't  assist  the  others  much  he  gets  his  camels  ready 
in  good  time.  To  encourage  him,  we  have  promised 
him  three  extra  dollars  if  he  will  bring  us  into 
Souakim  on  the  /th.  His  great  anxiety  is  to  arrive 
there  in  the  evening,  so  that  he  may  be  off  again  before 
daybreak,  for  if  he  is  seen  by  any  officials  he  expects 
to  be  forced  into  the  Government  service  to  carry 
ammunition  to  Kassala.  The  rest  of  our  men  sent  from 
Kassala  are  under  orders  to  report  themselves  on 
their  arrival  at  Souakim  for  this  duty,  and  we  therefore 
intend  to  keep  a  sharp  look-out  after  them  when  near 
Souakim,  fearing  that  they  also  may  leave  us  stranded 
in  the  desert. 

So  far  we  have  not  come  upon  our  original  camel 
track,  and  believe  we  are  more  to  the  east  and  more 
amongst  the  mountain  ranges.  Desolation  on  all  sides 
is  even  more  complete  than  before,  excepting  in  the 
occasional  small  valleys  where  dry  river-beds  are  seen, 
and  on  each  side  dome-palms  and  other  signs  of  vege- 
tation. In  some  of  these  hollows,  where  water  can  be 
obtained  by  sinking  wells,  Arabs  are  generally  found 
surrounded  by  their  flocks  and  herds.  It  is  fortunate 
for  us  that  such  is  the  case,  for  ariel  and  gazelle  are  very 


A  NIGHT  HURRICANE.  317 

rarely  seen,  and  our  fresh  meat  supply  depends  upon 
what  sheep  we  can  buy,  or  otherwise  obtain.  Our  walk- 
ing dairy  is  daily  diminishing  its  supply,  but  we  have  a 
good  substitute  in  our  reserve  store  of  Anglo-Swiss  milk, 
which  remains  quite  unaffected  by  the  heat ;  and  a  tin 
of  Australian  meat  is  even  found  a  pleasant  change  to  a 
chop  from  the  desert.  Ranfurly  still  gains  ground,  and 
is  able  to  eat  some  solid  food  now. 

May  i . — A  strong  wind  to-day  from  the  north-east,  and 
therefore  in  our  faces,  has  made  camel-riding  very  fatigu- 
ing, and  especially  as  in  many  parts  of  the  desert  it  blew 
up  clouds  of  sand.  We  divided  the  journey  as  usual, 
and  Vivian  having  shot  a  dik-dik,  we  had  it  roasted 
whole  a  V Arabe  for  luncheon.  Since  our  arrival  in  camp 
at  sunset  Ranfurly  has  complained  of  great  pain  in  the 
right  side  and  shortness  of  breath.  It  is  a  most  unfor- 
tunate night  for  him,  as  there  is  quite  a  hurricane  blow- 
ing, but  he  is  tolerably  well  protected  from  it  by  having 
his  angarep  placed  against  a  big  mimosa,  and  we  have 
managed  to  dine  in  a  way,  whilst  lying  on  a  rug,  by  the 
light  of  the  kitchen  fire. 

May  2,  6  A.M. — The  gale  continued  all  night,  and 
rendered  sleep  almost  impossible.  No  tent  could  have 
withstood  it,  and  in  the  more  exposed  position  of  Vivian 
and  myself  we  had  to  keep  a  very  firm  hold  of  our  bed- 
clothes to  prevent  their  being  whisked  off  to  Kassala. 
Ranfurly  has  more  pain  in  the  side,  and  there  is  dis- 


3i8  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

tinct  evidence  of  his  being  attacked  with  pleurisy.  This 
is  indeed  a  serious  complication,  weakened  as  he  is 
already  by  disease.  The  young  ostriches  died  in  the 
night,  but  as  the  men  had  left  the  open  side  of  the  cage 
exposed  to  the  wind,  it  is  only  surprising  that  the  paro- 
quets retained  any  life  in  them. 

9  A.M. — The  day's  journey  has  again  been  well  di- 
vided, and  a  halt  was  made  for  the  night  soon  after  sunset 
at  our  first  telegraph  station.  Our  midday  rest,  from 
11.15  A.M.  to  3.45  P.M.,  was  under  a  very  fine  clump  of 
dome-palms.  Vivian  and  myself  were  making  some  bread 
and  milk  there  for  Ranfurly,  and  stooping  down  at  the 
time,  when  a  dome-nut,  blown  off  by  the  wind  from  the 
top  of  a  high  tree,  whizzed  past  my  ear  and  struck 
Vivian  directly  on  the  spine.  So  severe  was  the  shock  that 
it  made  him  almost  faint  away,  and  he  had  to  lie  down 
for  a  time  to  recover  himself,  and  throughout  the  after- 
noon he  has  felt  much  pain  in  the  injured  part.  The 
gale  has  continued  with  almost  increasing  force  all  day, 
and  the  Arabs  had  such  great  difficulty  in  making  the 
baggage-camels  face  it,  that  their  progress  was  con- 
sequently very  slow.  The  afternoon's  ride  has  been  a 
most  trying  one  for  Ranfurly  from  the  same  cause,  and 
this  evening,  with  an  increase  of  pain  in  the  right  side, 
the  breathing  has  become  very  short.  The  medicine- 
chest  is  fortunately  at  hand,  and  contains  some  useful 
appliances  besides  drugs,  from  which  he  is  able  to  ob- 


RA.\7FURLY'S  CONDITION  BECOMES  CRITICAL.  319 

tain  some  relief.  Whilst  the  camels  were  feeding  during 
the  midday  halt,  we  now  learn  that  one  Arab  took 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  decamp  with  two  of. 
them.  This,  however,  is  not  of  much  consequence,  as 
our  camels  are  very  lightly  laden,  and  we  hear  that  we 
shall  arrive  to-morrow  at  a  telegraph  station  where  we 
can  replace  them  by  others.  According  to  the  state- 
ment of  our  Arab  chief  we  are  now  more  than  half-way 
to  Souakim,  and  ought  to  reach  it  easily  in  five  days. 

May  3. — The  gale  greatly  abated  last  night,  and 
Ranfurly  preferred  the  shelter  of  a  tree  to  a  hut  that 
the  soldiers  of  the  station  placed  at  our  disposal,  and  as 
the  minimum  night  temperature  is  now  as  high  as  62° 
there  could  be  no  objection  to  his  wish  being  carried 
out.  During  the  night  he  became  so  much  worse  that, 
had  not  a  slight  improvement  taken  place  towards 
morning,  it  seemed  hardly  possible  that  he  could  reach 
the  coast ;  and  though  a  decided  change  for  the  better 
can  now  again  be  seen,  his  condition  has  become  the 
source  of  the  greatest  anxiety. 

Our  calculations  about  the  desertion  of  the  Arabs 
have  already  proved  but  too  true,  for  during  the  night 
two  of  them  went  off  with  four  camels.  No  one,  of 
course,  had  seen  them  depart,  not  even  the  soldiers  of  the 
station  ;  but  these  came  forward  very  readily  to  assist  us 
to  obtain  other  camels  from  the  local  Arabs.  At  8.30 
A.M.,  however,  none  had  been  found,  and  as  the  morn- 


3:0  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAM  RAN  ARABS. 

ing  was  rapidly  advancing,  Ranfurly  and  myself  thought 
it  advisable  to  make  a  start  with  all  the  available  camels, 
whilst  Vivian  preferred  remaining  behind  to  assist  Lo- 
renzo in  guarding  the  baggage  left  for  the  future  arrivals. 
It  was  with  no  small  difficulty  that  even  we  two  were  able 
to  be  off,  for  when  we  told  our  paragon  of  a  camel-man  that 
we  required  two  of  his  camels  to  ride,  he  looked  dread- 
fully distressed,  and,  what  was  more  to  the  point,  he 
decidedly  objected  to  our  proposal.  After  much  labour 
we  discovered  that  he  did  not  like  being  separated  from 
any  of  his  camels,  and  when  he  found  that  he  might 
follow  us  with  his  portion  of  our  baggage  as  soon  as  he 
liked,  he  was  quite  willing  to  give  them  up  to  us.  After 
two  hours'  ride,  accompanied  by  our  soldier,  besides 
Ibrahim  and  a  guide,  we  arrived  at  a  great  feeding 
ground  for  camels,  and  found  several  there.  Ibrahim 
instantly  seized  one,  and  having  tied  up  one  leg  to  keep 
it  quiet  he  went  after  others,  and  then  came  upon  a 
small  boy  who  was  watching  him.  This  individual  be- 
gan screaming  most  lustily,  and  quickly  brought  to  his 
side  a  youth  somewhat  older  than  himself.  A  long 
parley  ensued,  and  ended  in  five  more  being  led  up  to  us 
and  taken  back  to  our  station  by  the  soldier.  We  then 
resumed  our  journey,  and  halted  at  1.45  P.M.  under  some 
mimosas  ;  at  3  P.M.  our  advance  baggage  party  passed 
us,  and  after  giving  them  an  hour's  start  we  purposed 
following  them  to  the  next  telegraph  station.  Having 


OUR   GUIDE  LOSES  HIS   WAY.  321 

timed  our  camels  to  walk  at  over  three  miles,  and  the 
baggage-camels  at  two  and  a  half  miles  per  hour,  we  cal- 
culated upon  catching  up  with  them  before  sunset,  but 
when  darkness  set  in  they  were  not  within  hail.  As 
time  went  on  we  began  to  think  that  our  guide  must 
have  lost  his  way,  and  our  fears  of  this  increased  pro- 
portionately as  he  changed  his  course  constantly  from 
side  to  side,  until  the  barking  of  several  dogs  far  in 
the  distance  to  our  left  proved  that  they  had  been  well 
founded,  for  he  at  once  turned  off  in  that  direction,  and 
at  last,  to  our  great  relief,  we  caught  up  with  the  others 
when  wending  their  way  up  a  hill.  On  the  summit  of 
this  hill  we  found  the  telegraph  station,  where  all  under- 
stood we  should  pass  the  night.  It  is  a  great  comfort 
that  Ranfurly  finds  camel-riding  so  little  fatiguing,  and 
on  his  arrival  here  after  six  hours  in  the  saddle  he  was 
certainly  less  exhausted  than  myself.  The  soldiers 
stationed  here  have  been  most  willing  to  lend  us  any 
aid,  and  wanted  us  to  sleep  in  a  straw  hut,  but  we  find 
that  placing  our  angareps  outside  one  is  more  conducive 
to  comfort  and  to  obtaining  air.  Coke  and  party  only 
left  here  at  midday,  owing  to  the  weak  condition  of 
their  camels,  and  as  we  found  a  camel  lying  in  our 
path  which  had  recently  died  it  probably  belonged  to 
them.  A  few  thunderstorms  have  passed  over  the 
desert  lately,  which  have  made  a  great  change  in  the 
appearance  of  the  mimosas  since  we  last  saw  them,  for 

Y 


322  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

most  of  them  are  budding,  and  in  sheltered  nooks  are 
quite  green,  affording  a  very  pleasant  contrast  to  the 
general  desolation  surrounding  them.  The  rain  must 
have  been  heavy,  and  must  have  rendered  the  ground 
very  slippery  for  camels,  judging  by  the  sliding  marks 
made  by  their  hoofs  at  the  time. 

May  4. — Another  dilemma  has  arisen,  for  Vivian's 
party  did  not  arrive  during  the  night,  and  as  they  must 
have  had  time  to  do  so  by  sunrise,  it  is  supposed  that 
they  missed  the  station  in  the  darkness  and  waited 
in  the  neighbourhood  for  daylight.  Ranfurly  passed  a 
very  restless  night,  owing  to  his  difficulty  of  breathing 
making  it  necessary  for  him  to  sit  up  very  often,  but  he 
was  so  anxious  not  to  lose  the  morning  that  I  decided 
at  8  A.M.  to  comply  with  his  wishes  and  continue  on  our 
way.  Before  doing  so  I  gave  an  order  to  Ibrahim  to  put 
sundry  requisites  into  the  donkey's  saddle-bags  for  our 
luncheon,  dinner,  and  breakfast  to-morrow,  and  told 
Mohamed,  whom  I  left  in  charge  of  our  stores,  that  he 
was  to  wait  till  midday  at  the  station,  and  then,  whether 
or  not  the  others  had  arrived,  he  was  to  follow  us  to 
the  next  station,  a  ten  hours'  journey  for  the  baggage- 
camels. 

For  two  or  three  hours  our  course  lay  in  a  valley,  and 
we  were  thus  protected  from  the  strong  and  rapidly 
rising  wind,  but  after  this  time  we  entered  upon  a  vast 
stony  plain,  over  which  it  blew  in  such  hot  blasts  in  our 


PAINFUL  DESERT-TRAVELLING.  323 

faces,  as  if  it  had  come  direct  from  a  furnace  and  would  dry 
up  our  very  blood,  that  poor  Ranfurly  could  not  endure 
it,  and  we  were  compelled  to  seek  the  shelter  of  a  very 
small  mimosa,  aided  by  a  bank  under  which  it  grew  and 
by  a  waterproof  sheet  fastened  under  its  branches.  Be- 
fore arriving  here  I  shot  a  gazelle,  and  so  supplied  our 
small  party  with  a  good  luncheon  and  some  strong  soup 
for  Ranfurly,  and  then  carefully  preserved  the  rest 
against  future  emergencies.  At  4  P.M.  the  wind,  though 
still  amounting  to  a  gale  from  the  north-east,  was  much 
cooler,  and  having  resumed  our  journey  we  progressed 
very  well  for  a  time ;  but  then  a  new  trial  came  upon  us, 
almost  greater  that  the  last,  for  we  suddenly  found  our- 
selves in  the  midst  of  a  sand-storm  which  made  every 
thing  invisible  beyond  the  radius  of  a  few  yards,  and 
rendered  it  almost  impossible  to  keep  the  eyes  open  a 
moment.  Now  there  was  no  chance  of  escape  from  the 
blinding  storm,  not  even  a  stunted  mimosa  to  give  us 
partial  protection  from  it,  so  on  and  on  we  went  over  the 
desolate  plain,  hoping  constantly  that  we  might  reach 
some  place  of  shelter,  until,  after  two  hours  had  elapsed, 
we  partially  escaped  it  by  entering  upon  more  rocky 
ground.  I  had  a  pair  of  gauze  spectacles  and  a  green  .( 
veil  for  Ranfurly,  which  were  a  great  protection  to  his 
face,  and,  holding  on  to  the  pommels  of  our  saddles  to 
prevent  being  blown  off,  we  continued  silently  on  our 
way.  The  wind  showed  no  signs  of  abatement  at  sun- 

y  2 


324  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

set,  and  our  camels  had  so  much  difficulty  in  making  any 
way  against  it  that  we  did  not  arrive  at  our  station  till 
9.30  P.M.,  and  we  were  both  then  almost  equally  fatigued. 
Fortunately  we  have  a  little  water  left  in  our  skins,  for 
the  soldiers  here  declare  they  have  none  and  cannot  get 
any  before  the  morning,  as  the  mountain  where  it  is 
found  is  some  distance  off,  and  is  frequented  by  robbers, 
who  would  steal  the  camels  if  they  went  there  at  night. 
Having  had  the  best  dinner  our  supplies  will  admit  of, 
we  intend  sleeping  on  the  waterproof  sheet  under  the 
protection  of  a  hut,  and  as  we  have  two  pillows  and  three 
blankets  we  ought  to  manage  pretty  well.  No  chance 
of  Mohamed's  party  arriving  to-night,  but  I  hope  by 
to-morrow  morning  we  shall  all  be  together  again,  for  the 
non-appearance  of  Vivian  this  morning  has  added  much 
to  my  anxiety. 


A    GRAVE   QUESTION  TO  DECIDE.  325 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

May  5. — Ranfurly  has  passed  a  very  bad  night,  and 
spent  a  great  portion  of  it  sitting  on  a  camel-saddle  with 
his  head  resting  on  pillows  placed  against  the  hut  wall. 
Towards  morning  the  breathing  improved,  and  he  was 
able  to  lie  down  and  have  a  short  sleep,  which  so  re- 
freshed him  that  he  wanted  to  lose  no  time  before 
being  in  the  saddle  again.  A  necessary  delay,  however, 
occurred  to  get  our  water-skins  filled,  and  in  the  mean- 
time I  trusted  that  our  party  Avould  arrive.  At  8.30  A.M. 
they  were  not  even  in  sight,  and  if  it  was  difficult  for  me 
to  decide  how  to  act  for  the  best  yesterday,  it  became 
doubly  so  now,  for  further  delay  would  mean  the  loss  of 
a  day  and  of  our  steamer,  whilst  going  on  implied  say- 
ing good-bye  to  our  baggage  and  depending  upon  the 
few  stores  we  have  with  us  for  three  or  four  days.  On 
examination  of  these  stores  I  found  we  had  the  follow- 
ing : — One  and  a  half  half-pint  tins  of  Anglo-Swiss  con- 
densed milk,  two  tins  of  cocoa  milk,  two  small  pots  of 
'  Liebig,'  one  small  tin  of  arrowroot,  one  box  of  sardines, 
one  pound  of  rice,  eight  '  hard-bake'  biscuits,  a  few  dates 


326  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

and  figs,  a  handful  of  tea,  and  half  a  pint  of  whisky 
in  our  old  friend  the  '  telescope '  barrel.  Two  pint 
saucepans,  with  spoons,  knives,  forks,  and  cups  com- 
pleted the  list,  excepting  the  important  items  of  two 
water-skins  and  a  leathern  water-bottle.  In  fact  it 
amounted  to  this,  that  there  would  be  about  enough 
food  for  Ranfurly,  a  limited  supply  of  rice  for  the  two 
men  and  myself,  and  that  for  our  meat  we  must  trust  to 
the  rifle  ;  and  as  we  had  saved  half  yesterday 's  gazelle, 
there  was  something  to  start  upon.  Taking  therefore 
into  consideration  the  very  great  importance  of  not  losing 
a  day,  I  decided  upon  carrying  out  Ranfurly's  wishes, 
and  at  the  hour  named  we  again  turned  our  steps  home- 
wards. Ranfurly  is  now  fully  aware  of  the  grave 
character  of  his  illness,  but  we  say  little  about  it,  for  all 
our  thoughts  are  centred  in  the  hope  that  we  may 
reach  Souakim,  and  this  makes  him  keep  up  his  pluck 
wonderfully.  Frequently  I  turned  round  yesterday  to 
look  at  him,  expecting  each  moment  that  he  would  tell 
me  he  could  no  longer  face  the  storm,  but  the  never-fail- 
ing smile  of  patient  endurance  was  his  silent  response. 
No  sand  of  importance  blown  up  this  morning,  but  the 
wind  has  been  almost  as  violent  as  yesterday,  and  it 
was  so  fatiguing  to  face  it  continuously  that  we  were 
obliged  to  call  a  halt  after  four  hours.  Gazelle  soup 
and  half  a  pint  of  '  bread  and  milk '  flavoured  with 
whisky  made  a  good  luncheon  for  Ranfurly,  whilst  the 


WE  KEEP    WATCH  OVER   OUR  LAST  ARAB.     327 

soup-meat  with  some  rice  supplied  my  wants,  and 
toasted  gazelle  Ibrahim's  ;  but  what  was  to  be  done  for 
the  Arab,  for  he.  refused  to  eat  meat,  as  it  gave  him  a 
pain  in  the  stomach  ?  We  could  not  let  him  starve, 
so  a  little  rice  and  a  biscuit  had  to  be  given  him  from 
our  precious  stores,  and  with  the  promise  that  we 
would  buy  some  dhurra  for  him  on  arrival  at  the  station 
he  fell  asleep  quite  contentedly.  But  his  weak  diges- 
tion has  rather  complicated  our  position,  for  when  we 
did  arrive  at  our  destination  the  soldiers  declared  that 
they  had  not  an  atom  of  dhurra,  and  that  they  were 
entirely  dependent  upon  what  they  could  seize  from 
passing  caravans.  About  sunset  we  stopped  for  half  an 
hour  to  let  Ranfurly  rest  and  have  a  cup  of  chocolate, 
and  then  went  on  again  till  11.30  P.M.  The  same  diffi- 
culty again  about  water  as  at  last  station,  but  we  had 
enough  to  cook  our  dinners,  and  afterwards  Ranfurly 
laid  down  on  an  angarep  inside  a  hut.  Our  guide  to- 
day begged  us  to  try  to  save  his  two  camels  from  being 
taken  by  the  soldiers  at  Souakim,  and  his  alarm  for  their 
safety  was  probably  much  increased  by  our  passing  a 
large  caravan  laden  with  ammunition,  and  under  a  very 
strong  escort.  Whatever  may  be  in  store  for  him  or  them, 
one  thing  is  certain — viz.,  that  they  shall  go  to  Souakim, 
and  to  prevent  .any  chance  of  escape  I  make  him  stay 
close  to  me  during  the  midday  halt  whilst  Ranfurly 
sleeps,  and  whilst  I  occupy  my  spare  time  in  writing 


328  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

up  my  diary,  and  watching  the  fettered  camels  as  they 
feed ;  and  at  night  he  remains  at  my  side,  and  his 
camels  are  kept  fettered  within  the  enclosure.  No 
gazelle  seen  to-day,  and,  should  this  high  wind  continue, 
it  would  be  almost  impossible  to  hold  a  rifle  steady, 
much  less  aim  straight  with  eyes  blinded  by  sand. 

May  6.— Whatever  advantage  there  may  be  in 
halting  at  telegraph  stations,  the  distance  they  are  from 
water  is  one  great  drawback.  Early  this  morning  I 
sent  off  the  Arab  on  a  camel  with  some  soldiers,  and 
he  did  not  return  for  five  hours.  In  the  meantime, 
some  Arabs  arrived  and  told  us  that  Vivian  (by  their 
description)  with  the  baggage  was  not  far  behind,  so 
our  minds  are  now  relieved  from  anxiety  about  him. 
Shortly  afterwards  an  Arab  came  to  ask  for  the  assist- 
ance of  the  soldiers  to  bury  a  man  who  was  lying  dead 
close  by,  having  been  robbed  and  murdered  by  some 
Arabs  during  the  night.  Ibrahim  accompanied  them, 
and  told  us  afterwards  that  he  remembered  our  passing 
this  man  mounted  on  a  camel  just  before  we  arrived  at 
the  station.  Ranfurly  had  a  bad  night,  being  unable  to  lie 
down,  but  towards  morning  his  breathing  became  again 
relieved,  and  he  was  able  to  sleep.  *On  the  return  of  our 
camel-man  with  the  water  we  were  off  without  further 
delay,  rested  from  2  P.M.  to  4  P.M.,  and  after  a  short  halt 
at  7  P.M.  we  arrived  at  our  station  at  10.30  P.M. 

The  violent  gale  must  have  driven  the  gazelle  to  the 


ARE   OUR   TROUBLES  NOW    TO  END?         329 

mountains  for  protection,  for  again  none  have  been  seen  ; 
but  as  it  has  gradually  abated,  I  live  in  hope  that  the 
larder  may  be  replenished  to-morrow.  Tis  time  it 
should  be  so,  for  our  remnant  of  gazelle  would  not 
keep  over  yesterday ;  our  men  have  therefore  been  on 
very  short  commons.  Having  bought  a  fowl  in  the  morn- 
ing from  an  old  woman  before  starting,  Ranfurly  has 
been  able  to  have  some  soup  without  touching  our 
store  of  Liebig,  and  the  pickings  came  in  very  well  for 
me.  An  excellent  lot  of  soldiers  are  at  this  station, 
and  they  are  very  ready  to  help  us,  bringing  us  at  once 
water  from  a  well  close  by,  fire-wood  and  an  angarep, 
but  to  our  request  for  dhurra  we  have  only  received 
the  same  reply  as  before,  adding  that  they  have  received 
no  rations  for  two  months,  and  were  entirely  dependent 
all  this  time  upon  passers-by. 

Our  thoughts  are  now  so  much  taken  up  with  look- 
ing forward  to  the  much-desired  arrival  at  Souakim  that 
the  fine  desert  mountain  ranges  and  glorious  sunsets  are 
almost  passed  unnoticed.  Not  so  the  moon,  however, 
for  with  her  coming  began  our  troubles ;  she  remained 
with  us  throughout  them,  and  as  I  have  watched  her 
career  I  have  tried  to  be  superstitious  enough  to  hope 
that  with  her  present  decline  a  brighter  era  might 
commence  for  us. 

Dream  on  as  we  may,  the  fact  of  our  crossing  the 
desert  is  ever  forced  upon  our  attention  by  the  con- 


330  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

stantly  recurring  skeletons  or  bodies  of  camels  in  our 
path,  to  some  of  which  we  have  to  give  a  very  wide 
berth.  Though  we  may  not  enter  Souakim  to-morrow 
night,  our  journey  will  then  be  to  all  intents  and  pur- 
poses over,  for  we  shall  encamp  so  close  to  the  town  that 
we  shall  be  able  to  get  there  early  the  following  morning  ; 
and  this  will  be  the  better  plan,  for  if  we  arrived  there 
at  night  we  could  not  cross  to  the  Governor's  house  on 
the  island,  and  should  be  obliged  to  encamp  on  our  pre- 
vious most  insanitary  ground. 

May  7. — Before  our  departure  we  bought  a  stout 
water-skin  from  an  Arab  to  ensure  a  sufficient  supply, 
and  Ibrahim  received  orders  that  this  was  not  to  be 
touched  till  night.  No  poultry  atthis  station.  Ranfurly 
had  his  usual  breakfast  of  bread  and  milk  and  cocoa- 
milk,  and  just  before  starting  a  cup  of  arrowroot ;  the 
Arab  and  I  divided  the  remnant  rice,  and  Ibrahim  was 
content  to  wait,  as  he  was  sure  I  should  shoot  a  gazelle 
for  luncheon.  At  7  A.M.  we  were  off,  and  for  a  time 
passed  over  some  very  rough  irregular  ground. 

Determined  not  to  miss  a  chance  of  a  shot  I  would 
not  mount  my  camel,  but  kept  well  ahead  of  my  party. 
At  last  in  the  distance  I  could  see  what  I  supposed  was 
an  ariel  just  disappearing  over  the  crest  of  a  hill  without 
having  observed  us,  so  I  ran  as  fast  as  possible  to  this 
point,  hoping  then  to  get  within  shot  of  it.  Unfortunately 
I  miscalculated  its  movements,  for  it  had  not  gone  on,  and 


UNPLEASANT  MISGIVINGS  AS  TO  FOOD.      331 

as  breathless  I  reached  the  top  of  the  hill  I  saw  it 
scampering  off  from  a  point  close  to  me  ;  and,  to  add  to 
my  annoyance,  I  found  that  instead  of  its  being  an  ariel 
it  was  the  first  ibex  seen  by  any  of  our  party.  Three 
hours  passed,  and  still  nothing  for  the  pot,  and  I  was 
almost  beginning  to  despair  of  finding  any  gazelle  when 
the  Arab  pointed  some  out  to  me  about  two  hundred 
yards  off,  and  then  by  a  lucky  shot,  having  to  allow  for 
a  strong  wind,  I  knocked  one  over.  Seldom  have  men 
enjoyed  a  luncheon  more  than  we  did  ours  on  this 
gazelle,  and  even  Ranfurly  found  himself  equal  to  eating 
a  good  portion  of  the  '  roasted '  liver  whilst  his  soup 
was  undergoing  a  slower  process  of  cooking.  The 
Arab  had  quite  forgotten  his  objections,  but  from  the 
quantity  he  consumed  he  ought  to  have  every  reason  to 
remember  them  again. 

Still  it  is  not  to  the  quantity  of  gazelle  he  chooses  to 
eat  that  we  have  any  objection,  but  to  the  amount  of 
water  he  drinks,  for  if  he  gets  his  mouth  to  the  neck  of 
a  full  skin  he  nearly  empties  it  unless  compelled  to  give 
it  up  ;  and  if  a  careful  watch  had  not  been  kept  over  our 
skins,  he  would  have  soon  exhausted  our  daily  supply. 
Four  hours'  rest  during  the  heat  of  the  day,  which  of 
late,  owing  to  the  wind,  has  not  been  at  all  oppressive, 
and  another  of  half  an  hour  before  sunset,  enabled 
Ranfurly  to  proceed  without  experiencing  much  fatigue 
until  10.30  P.M.,  when,  finding  a  moderately  good  tree 


332  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 


to  protect  us  from  any  wind  that  might  arise  in  the 
night,  we  settled  down  to  cook  and  eat  our  last  desert 
dinner,  and  to  rejoice  over  the  news  that  when  there 
would  be  sufficient  light  we  should  be  able  to  see  Souakim. 
A  dreadful  blow  then  occurred  to  our  happiness  and  to 
our  prospect  of  dinner  on  Ibrahim  telling  us  that  the 
new  water-skin  which  was  slung  from  Ranfurly's  saddle 
had  been  burst  by  a  blow  in  the  darkness,  and  was  quite 
empty.  Collecting  then  the  remnant  of  the  other  skins, 
it  only  amounted  to  a  pint  and  a  half.  With  a  portion 
of  this  Ranfurly  was  able  to  have  a  cup  of  chocolate 
and  some  arrowroot,  and  myself  some  of  the  latter, 
whilst  our  men  had  to  content  themselves  with  the 
prospect  of  arriving  early  in  the  morning  at  Souakim. 
A  cup  of  bread  and  milk  was  then  placed  by  Ranfurly's 
side  for  the  night,  and  he  soon  fell  into  a  sound  sleep. 
He  finds  one  great  comfort  in  an  excellent  pillow  belong- 
ing to  Vivian,  and  it  is  his  constant  companion  by  night 
and  by  day.  The  stores  have  lasted  very  well,  for 
though  Ranfurly  has  always  had  some  light  food  five  or 
six  times  in  the  twenty-four  hours  there  still  remains  a 
little  which  would  be  quickly  consumed  now  but  for  the 
want  of  water,  and  for  the  same  reason  the  gazelle  is 
left  unroasted. 

May  8. — The  desert  journey  is  over,  Souakim  is 
reached,  and  our  long-desired  goal  is  won,  and  not  an 
hour  too  soon ;  for  beyond  a  cup  of  chocolate  for 


THE  DESERT  JOURNEY  IS   OVER.  333 

Ranfurly,  no  fluid  could  pass  our  lips  before  leaving 
our  resting-place  at  6  A.M.,  and  when  we  reached  our 
haven  of  rest  soon  after  8  A.M.  the  sun  was  becoming 
unpleasantly  felt  by  men  who  had  been  so  many  hours 
without  water.  As  we  entered  the  town  several  soldiers 
followed  us  to  the  pier,  to  carry  off  our  two  wretched 
camels  so  soon  as  we  should  dismount.  Our  Arab 
besought  us  to  protect  him  from  them,  and  they 
promised  not  to  take  possession  of  his  camels  until 
after  we  had  seen  the  Governor  concerning  them. 

Directly  after  we  landed  on  the  island  we  met  Coke 
and  Gumming  on  their  way  to  a  boat  to  be  taken  on 
board  the  mail  steamer,  as  she  had  arrived  a  day  sooner 
than  was  expected,  and  was  then  starting  for  Suez.  As 
another,  now  in  harbour,  had  been  advertised  to  leave 
to-morrow,  Arkwright  preferred  postponing  his  de- 
parture that  he  might  if  possible  rejoin  his  old  com- 
panion Ranfurly  ;  and  I  was  very  glad  to  hear  them 
all  say  that  they  thought  he  was  looking  better  than 
when  we  left  them  at  Kassala.  Arkwright  introduced  \ 
us  to  his  friend  Ali  Effendi,  the  Steam  Packet  Company's 
agent,  who  had  kept  open  house  for  the  first  arrivals  I 
since  yesterday,  and  now  wished  to  extend  his  hospitality 
to  us.  Words  cannot  fully  express  how  thankful  we 
were  to  find  ourselves,  after  our  long  and  anxious  desert 
journey,  lying  on  comfortable  Persian  carpets  and 
cushions  in  a  cool  and  airy  room ;  and  it  seemed  nowl 


334  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

as  if  our  troubles  had  really  terminated,  and  that  we 
might  rest  mind  and  body,  and  look  forward  with  more 
hope  to  the  future.  The  day  had  not  far  advanced, 
however,  before  Ranfurly  began  to  wish  himself  in  the 
saddle  again  ;  for  though  we  had  a  constant  relay  of 
boys  to  fan  off  the  flies,  they  were  a  source  of  great 
annoyance  to  him,  and  his  breathing  was  more  oppressed 
than  usual.  When  the  wind  was  moderate,  he  always 
had  said  that  he  preferred  the  swinging  motion  of  the 
camel  to  sitting  still,  as  it  somehow  appeared  to  assist 
his  breathing. 

At  6  P.M.  Vivian  arrived,  and  he  was  in  such  an 
exhausted  state  that  he  could  barely  walk  the  few  yards 
distance  from  the  boat  to  our  house  without  support,  and 
he  then  threw  himself  down  on  an  angerep  and  almost 
fainted  away.  When  he  had  been  allowed  a  little  time 
to  recover  himself,  he  declared  he  had  never  felt  so  done 
in  his  life  ;  and  that  had  his  day's  journey  required 
another  hour  to  accomplish  it,  he  must  have  spent 
another  night  in  the  desert.  On  arriving  at  the  second 
telegraph  station  from  Souakim,  he  heard  that  we  were 
just  in  front  of  him  ;  and  at  once  pushed  on,  hoping  to 
catch  us  up  and  add  something  to  our  supplies,  which 
Mohamed  reported  to  be  most  limited  ;  and  at  the  last 
station  he  left  the  baggage,  and  rode  on  with  an  Arab 
guide  expecting  momentarily  all  day  to  see  us.  We  had 
been  more  fortunate  in  our  riding  camels,  and  had  latterly 


WHAT  COMFORT  IN  THAT  PRAYER!         335 

exceeded  our  ordinary  three-mile  rate  per  hour,  whereas 
his  own  had  to  be  changed  twice  ;  and  on  one  occasion 
they  so  completely  broke  down  that  he  was  compelled, 
on  meeting  a  mounted  native,  to  force  him  to  make  an 
exchange  of  animals.  Ali  Effendi  gave  us  an  excellent 
dinner  at  sunset,  besides  having  sent  us  some  good  soup 
and  boiled  chicken  during  the  day ;  and  Ranfurly  was 
able  to  sit  at  the  table  for  a  short  time,  and  have  soup, 
omelettes,  and  '  mishmish,'  all  of  which  he  appeared  to 
enjoy. 

May  9. — When  I  laid  down  last  night  near  Ran- 
furly I  looked  forward  to  our  both  having  a  few  hours' 
sound  sleep  ;  but  my  hopes  were  destined  to  be  soon 
disappointed,  for  hardly  had  he  closed  his  eyes  before 
he  showed  a  tendency  to  delirium.  Towards  midnight 
he  dozed  off  quietly,  and  being  myself  very  weary  I, 
also,  fell  asleep.  Suddenly  I  woke  up  with  a  start,  and 
found  him  seated  up  in  bed  and  praying  aloud.  Almost 
breathless,  I  listened,  fearing  to  disturb  his  thoughts  ; 
until  having  repeated  slowly,  and  with  intense  earnest- 
ness, the  Lord's  Prayer,  he  became  silent.  I  then  went 
to  his  side,  and  after  a  few  moments'  conversation  with 
him  he  leant  his  head  on  my  shoulder  and  fell  into  a 
deep  sleep.  This  morning  there  was  such  a  manifest 
improvement  in  his  breathing,  and  he  has  felt  so  much 
better  all  day,  that  we  have  become  far  more  hopeful 
about  him.  There  has  been  much  to  arrange.  First  of 


356  LIFE    WITPI  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

all,  Ali  Effendi  positively  refused  to  allow  us  to  go  on 
board    the    steamer   till    the  passage-money  was   paid, 
which  could  not  be  done  till  the  arrival  of  our  baggage. 
We  therefore  had  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Governor  to  ask 
him  to  give  an  order  to  that  effect,  and  we  at  the  same 
time  reported  the  infamous  conduct  of  the   Hadendowa 
Arabs,  the  delay  of  our  baggage,  and  our  desire  con- 
sequently that  the  departure  of  the  steamer  might  be 
delayed  a  few  hours  so  that  we  might  take  it  \vith  us. 
As  the  Governor  could  speak  no  other  language  than 
Arabic,   we   were    obliged   to   take    as   our  interpreter 
Ibrahim,   upon  whose  slight  knowledge  of  French  we 
have  had  so  long  to  depend  ;  but  he  got  so  drunk  last 
night  with  Arkwright's  cook  that  he  continues  in  a  most 
muddled   state,    and   when   he   was   brought    into   the 
august   presence  of  the   Governor  he  could  not  speak 
from  fright,  and  we  had  to  turn  him  out.     It  so  hap- 
pened that  at  the  time  of  our  visit  a  Maltese  was  present, 
who  speaks  English  and  Arabic  equally  fluently,  and  he 
veiy  kindly  acted  as  our  interpreter. 

The  Governor,  whom  we  reminded  of  the  original 
firman  from  the  Khedive  presented  by  us  to  his  represen- 
tative on  our  arrival  here,  promised  all  the  assistance  in  his 
power.  He  gave  us  an  order  for  the  payment  of  our  pas- 
sage, if  necessary,  after  our  arrival  at  Suez,  and  at  once 
despatched  a  soldier  on  a  fast  dromedary  to  meet  our 
baggage,  and  then  to  come  back  as  quickly  as  possible 


SOUAKIM  AND  ITS  INHABITANTS.  337 

and  report  the  probable  time  of  its  arrival.  Our  Maltese 
interpreter,  Emanuel  Chassaro,  is  the  captain  of  a  small 
Egyptian  gunboat  stationed  here.  He  served  for  some 
years  in  the  English  navy,  and,  amongst  other  men-of- 
war,  on  board  the  '  Agamemnon '  when  commanded  by 
Captain,  now  Admiral,  Sir  Thomas  Symonds,  of  whom 
he  has  evidently  the  happiest  recollections  ;  and  when 
he  found  that  we.  knew  his  late  master  he  became 
doubly  anxious  to  serve  us. 

The  next  proceeding  was  to  lay  in  a  good  stock  of 
provisions  for  the  sea  voyage,  having,  as  before,  to  find 
our  own  supplies  on  board. 

The  chief  Greek  stores  are  on  the  island,  and  after 
obtaining  there  nearly  all  that  we  required,  we  crossed 
over  to  the  mainland  and  inspected  the  small  shops  on 
each  side  of  the  chief  thoroughfare  without  being  able  to 
add  anything  beyond  some  very  good-tasting  bread  and 
a  few  eggs,  for  Mohamed  had  the  commission  to  buy 
our  live  stock  of  sheep  and  poultry  there.  The  bazaar 
was  well  thronged  with  people  in  very  varied  costumes. 
Some  men  were  very  gorgeously  attired  after  Eastern 
fashion,  and  though  most  of  them  had  their  splendid 
heads  of  hair  coated  with  a  white  layer  of  fat,  a  few 
had  it  dyed  a  bright  red  colour. 

All  the  women  were  unveiled  and  enveloped  more  or 
less  in  a  white  robe,  and,  besides  numerous  bracelets  of 
silver,  wore  the  usual  ornament  of  a  ring  in  the  right 

z 


V 


338  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

nostril.  Some  of  the  young  girls  whom  we  saw  squat- 
ting round  their  small  stores  of  seed  had  features  that, 
minus  the  colour  of  their  skin,  many  a  European 
girl  might  with  good  cause  envy.  But  of  all  hideous 
forms  of  living  humanity,  it  is  impossible  to  imagine 
anything  could  exceed  that  of  the  almost  naked  old 
woman  water-carrier,  as  she  toils  along  bent  nearly 
double  to  support  the  well-filled  skin  she  carries  on  her 
back.  On  our  return  to  Ali  Effendi's  house  we  received 
a  visit  from  a  most  sickly-looking  Greek,  who  tried  to  be 
on  very  familiar  terms  with  us,  but  when  he  began  to  give 
a  minute  account  of  his  illness  to  Ranfurly  we  gave  him 
more  than  a  hint  to  be  off,  and  then  we  discovered  that  the 
purport  of  his  visit  was  to  ask  for  money  to  pay  for  his 
passage  by  our  steamer.  Considering  the  state  of  our 
finances  his  trouble  was  clearly  to  no  purpose,  but  he 
was  not  at  all  disposed  to  believe  that  our  position  was 
exactly  similar  to  his  own,  so  far  as  want  of  cash  was 
concerned.  The  Vakeel,  or  Under-governor,  who  first 
received  us,  is  still  alive  and  wTell,  notwithstanding  our 
liberal  present  of  medicine,  and  he  even  asked  for  more. 
This  time  we  gave  him  in  addition  six  bottles  of  whisky 
in  return  for  his  kindness  in  taking  charge  of  the  stores 
we  left  here,  consisting  of,  amongst  other  things,  cham- 
pagne, claret,  and  soda-water,  and  with  these  no  one  feels 
disposed  to  find  fault  now.  Besides  constant  relays  of 
coffee,  our  host  Ali  Effendi  has  given  us  two  excellent 


OUR  HOST,  A  LI  EFFENDI.  339 

feeds  per  diem.     In  the  centre  of  the  table  round  which 
we  all  sat  was  placed  a  large   metal  tray  laden  with 
sundry  dishes,  whilst  others  were  laid  on  the  floor  under 
the  charge  of  a  domestic,  whose  time  was  fully  occupied 
in  whisking  off  the  thousands  of  flies  and  keeping  several 
•cats  at  a  distance.     Our  late  habits  of  life  made  it  easy 
for  us  to  fall  in  with  those  of  our  host  and  dip  our  spoons 
into  the  common  bowl  of  soup,  and  afterwards  to  practi- 
cally accept  the  doctrine  that  fingers  were  made  before 
knives  and.  forks  by  diving  into  the  several  plates   of 
mutton,  beef,  and  poultry  cut  into  small  pieces,  and  free 
from  an  excess  of  '  butter/  garlic,  or  other  horrible  addi- 
tion.    Besides  these,  we  had  rice,  mishmish,  olives,  bread 
soaked  in  '  butter,'  and  bread  dry,  bread  new,  and  bread 
old,  but  the  piece  de  resistance  to  all  was  a  pile  of  pan- 
cakes, very  heavy  and  rather  cold,  which  began  and 
ended  each  repast,  and,  though  sufficiently  palatable  to 
attract  more  than  a  passing  notice,  it  was  not,  we  found 
afterwards  to  our  cost,  the  most  digestible  food  we  had 
eaten  for  some  months.     Ali  Effendi  is  almost  turned 
out  of  his  house  by  our  large  party,  but  he  does  not 
appear  to  mind  it.     About  sunset  yesterday,  and  again 
early  this  morning,  twenty  to  thirty  poor  people  collected 
near  his  house,  to  each  of  whom  he  gave  one  or  two  small 
loaves  of  bread  from  a  basket  which  a  small  boy  carried 
on  his  head  in  front  of  his  master  as  he  walked  amongst 
them,  and  whatever  motive  may  influence  him  in  this 

Z   2 


340  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

system  of  charity,  it  was  evidently  not  got  up  for  our 
special  observation.  Another  kind  act  he  does  for  the 
poor  is  to  have  a  large  tank  outside  his  house  well  filled 
with  water,  where  they  can  always  drink  or  fill  their  jars  ; 
but  somehow  the  man's  expression  belies  his  acts,  and 
gives  the  impression,  however  false  it  may  be,  that  they 
have  something  beyond  charity  for  their  basis.  Still  he 
does  good  in  his  generation,  and  probably  few  other 
men  here  follow  his  example.  The  heat  has  been  op- 
pressive to-day,  owing  to  the  absence  of  any  wind,  so< 
Ranfurly  remained  in  a  darkened  room  until  near  sunset, 
when  we  took  him  on  board  the  steamer  '  Coffeet '  lying 
at  anchor  in  the  harbour  just  outside  the  town.  We  had 
previously  chosen  a  comfortable  cabin  for  him,  and  he 
went  directly  into  it,  and  appeared  much  pleased  with 
the  change,  as  a  pleasant  breeze  rising  at  the  time  made 
it  cool  and  airy.  The  first  engineer,  named  Bock,  is  an 
Englishman,  and  he  is  very  anxious  to  serve  us  ;  and  if 
neither  our  baggage  nor  servants  arrive  before  our  de- 
parture to-morrow,  he  will  be  a  valuable  acquisition,  and 
especially  as  the  whole  crew  from  the  captain  down- 
wards are  Egyptians,  excepting  the  second  engineer, 
who  is  also  an  Englishman. 


RANFURLY  SLEEPS.  341 


CHAPTER   XX. 

May  TO  (noon). — Ranfurly  has  passed  a  very  restless 
night,  but  now  and  again  he  fell  into  a  sound  sleep, 
especially  towards  morning,  when  he  awoke  feeling  much 
refreshed,  and  after  having  had  some  chocolate  and  soup 
he  came  on  deck,  and  is  now  lying  on  a  sofa  in  Mr. 
Bock's  cabin. 

The  departure  of  the  steamer  has  been  put  off  from 
hour  to  hour  by  Ali  Effendi,  but  he  is  puzzled  to  know 
how  to  act  for  the  best  without  involving  himself  in  any 
risk.  The  main  portion  of  our  baggage  arrived  late 
last  night,  but  as  Lorenzo,  a  little  way  behind  it,  is 
still  absent  with  Ranfurly's  baggage,  and  as  he  is 
particularly  wanted  for  Ranfurly  now  that  Ibrahim  has 
left  us,  Ali  Effendi  has  at  last  yielded  the  point,  and  to 
allay  his  fears  Arkwright  has  given  him  an  explanatory  \ 
letter  to  the  Admiral  of  the  Fort. 

Night. — Ranfurly  is  dead,  and  it  is  well  therefore 
that  the  departure  of  the  '  Coffeet '  was  postponed,  for 
now  can  be  performed  on  land  the  last  sad  office  for  his 
remains,  which  may  be  a  source  of  some  small  com- 


342  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

fort  to  the  relatives  who  have  to  mourn  his  loss. 
Throughout  the  day  he  suffered  from  the  most  profuse 
perspiration,  but  he  was  able  to  hold  a  long  conversation 
with  Mr.  Bock,  and  spoke  to  him  hopefully  of  the  future.. 
In  the  afternoon  I  took  him  by  his  request  to  his  cabin, 
when,  complaining  of  feeling  very  weak,  he  laid  down.  In 
a  few  minutes  he  dozed  off,  but  wandered  very  much  at 
times  until  the  evening,  when  on  being  raised  by  his 
wish  to  have  some  food  he  instantly  turned  deadly  faint, 
and  after  being  laid  down  again  at  once  he  was  with 
difficulty  revived  by  stimulants  and  by  rubbing  the 
extremities.  Lorenzo  arrived  just  at  this  time,  and 
Ranfurly  became  sufficiently  conscious  to  be  able  to 
give  him  a  look  of  recognition,  though  he  did  not  attempt 
to  speak  ;  and  then  so  gradually  and  tranquilly  did  he 
fall  into  his  last  sleep,  that  it  was  impossible  to  fix  by 
some  moments  the  exact  time  about  sunset  when  the 
dread  words  had  to  be  said  that  all  was  over  for  him 
whom  we  had  so  much  loved. 

Vivian  shortly  went  on  shore  to  make  arrangements 
with  the  Governor  for  the  funeral  to  take  place  early  to- 
morrow morning,  and  received  from  him  the  promise 
that  men  should  be  kept  at  work  all  night.  Our  first 
idea  was  to  bring  poor  Ranfurly's  remains  to  England, 
but  we  found  that  this  was  impossible  from  the  means 
not  being  at  hand  ;  and  we  have  therefore  consented 
to  their  being  laid  in  some  ground  on  an  island  near  the 


HIS  BURIAL.    ALLI  ADDEEN  BEY.  343 

ship's  anchorage,  which  has  been  set  apart  for  the  burial 
of  Europeans,  of  whom  a  few  already  rest  there. 

May  ii. — The  coffin  was  brought  at  sunrise,  and 
very  soon  all  preparations  were  completed  and  the 
mournful  ceremony  commenced.  The  Governor  of 
Souakim,  Alii  Addeen  Bey,  and  all  the  other  officials 
were  present  and  joined  the  procession,  which  included, 
besides  Vivian  and  Arkwright,  Mr.  Bock,  who  has 
rendered  us  some  special  service,  the  second  engineer, 
and  the  two  engineers  of  the  Egyptian  steamer,  j 
'  Samanood'  (a  troop-ship  waiting  in  harbour  for  the 
arrival  of  the  young  Prince  of  Darfour),  these  being  the 
only  Englishmen  here,  and  upon  me  fell  the  painful 
duty  of  performing  the  last  office  for  the  dead,  whilst  the 
crew  were  formed  up  in  line  on  either  side  of  us. 

Our  utmost  thanks  are  due  to  Alii  Addeen  Bey  for 
the  promptitude  with  which  he  has  come  to  our  aid.  He 
has  taken  all  the  necessary  arrangements  for  the  burial 
entirely  into  his  own  hands,  and  by  having  about  fifty 
men  at  work  all  night  a  grave  was  dug  out  of  a  bed 
of  chalk,  and  walled  in  by  this  morning.  In  fact, 
though  a  perfect  stranger  to  us,  he  has  not  only  given 
us  every  assistance  in  his  official  capacity,  but  has  also 
made  us*  feel  that  his  heart,  as  that  of  a  true  friend,  has 
been  in  the  work,  and  from  which  he  never  rested  until, 
after  heading  the  procession  to  the  grave  and  remaining 
there  till  the  service  was  completed,  he  shook  hands 


344  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

with  us  and  bade  s  farewell,  whilst  we  attempted  as 
best  we  could  to  thank  him  for  all  he  had  done  for  us. 
Ranfurly's  head  rests  on  his  favourite  pillow,  which  is 
covered  with  black  satin,  and  the  tomb  is  situated  next 
to  one  bearing  the  name  of  Dr.  Simpson  on  a  stone  slab, 
and  as  a  temporary  measure  a  stone  cross  will  be  placed 
over  it. 

It  is  a  curious  coincidence  that  it  was  on  this  small 
island  that  Ranfurly  first  set  foot  on  arriving  in  this 
country.  How  little  could  he  have  thought  that  over 
the  ground  upon  which  he  then  stood  his  lifeless  body 
.would  so  soon  be  carried  ! 

The  Governor  has  telegraphed  to  the  Khedive,  and 
we  have  done  so  to  General  Stanton,  as  we  cannot  send 
a  message  farther  than  Cairo  by  the  only  available  route 
— viz.,  via  Kassala. 

The  '  CofFeet '  left  harbour  about  1 1  A.M.,  and  this 
evening  finds  us  far  away  from  Souakim,  now  so  pain- 
fully associated  in  our  minds  with  the  events  of  the  last 
two  days.  . 

The  '  Coffeet  *  is  an  old  English  screw  steamer,  the 
'  Sydney/  which  for  many  years  ran  between  England 
and  Australia.  There  are  no  passengers  excepting 
ourselves  and  the  sickly  Greek  youth,  who  we  find  is 
just  recovering  from  a  fever.  His  passage  was  paid  for 
by  a  general  subscription.  Our  Maltese  friend  at  Soua- 
kim, Captain  Chassaro,  says  that  a  consul  is  sadly  wanted 


HOW  TO  REGAIN  STOLEN  PROPERTY.        345 

there  to  represent  the  chief  nationalities,  for  from  one 
hundred  and  fiftyt'to  two  hundred  Europeans  arrive  there 
annually,  and  many  are  much  in  need  of  assistance, 
pecuniary  or  otherwise.  A  fresh  breeze  directly  ahead 
of  us,  though  very  pleasant  as  yet,  promises,  according 
to  the  Egyptian  captain,  a  rough  passage  to  Suez. 

May  12. — The  wind  has  greatly  increased,  and  the 
sea  has  been  running  so  high  all  day  that  we  have  spent 
the  greater  part  of  it  on  our  backs.  Thanks,  however, 
to  the  Greek,  we  have  had  something  to  interest  us,  for 
he  told  Arkwright  this  morning  that  he  had  seen  one  of 
the  crew  stealing  the  claws  from  the  package  of  our 
lions'  skins.  This  is  a  very  old  grievance,  and  one  that 
we  have  always  done  our  best  to  guard  against,  knowing 
what  great  value  the  natives  attach  to  both  nails  and 
whiskers  as  charms.  Arkwright  at  once  wrote  to  the 
captain  to  complain  of  the  theft,  adding  that  if  they 
were  not  returned  the  matter  should  be  reported  to  the 
Viceroy,  and  Mr.  Bock  translated  the  note  to  him.  This 
so  frightened  him  that  he  set  to  work  with  a  will  to  find 
out  the  culprit,  whom  unfortunately  the  Greek  could  not 
recognise,  and  failing  to  do  so  he  adopted  the  following 
plan  to  obtain  the  lost  property — viz.,  to  muster  the 
crew,  and  tell  them  that  basins  containing  sawdust 
would  be  placed  on  each  deck,  so  that  the  claws  might 
be  dropped  into  them  at  night  without  the  thief  being 
observed  ;  and  if  they  were  found  there  in  the  morning 


346  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

nothing  more  would  be  said,  but  if  not  found  every  man 
would  be  flogged  in  turn  until  they  were  given  up.  Mr. 
Bock  says  that  the  captain  is  very  anxious  about  this 
matter,  for  on  a  recent  occasion  of  a  somewhat  similar 
kind  the  Viceroy  summarily  dismissed  every  man  from 
the  ship,  not  excluding  the  captain. 

Vivian  some  time  ago  found  some  claws  in  a  curious 
way.  The  paws  of  his  burnt  lion  had  been  left  by  the 
river's  side  to  be  cleaned,  and  they  disappeared.  It  was 
naturally  supposed  that  our  Arabs  had  stolen  them,  but 
they  threw  the  blame  on  the  Marabou  storks,  and  as 
one  was  near  at  the  time  it  was  shot,  and  upon  opening 
the  throat  two  claws  were  found  inside  it.  Now  that  it 
is  too  late  we  regret  we  did  not  kill  a  few  more  of  these 
birds,  and  collect  the  beautiful  feathers  that  are  under 
their  tails. 

May  13. — After  breakfast  the  captain  came  to 
Arkwright  with  a  grave  face,  and  presented  him  with 
some  minute  objects  which  he  said  had  been  found  in 
the  basins,  and  asked  him  if  they  were  the  lost  property, 
though  they  were  only  the  points  of  the  claw  of  a  very 
small  crab  or  other  shell-fish,  and  required  a  close  in- 
spection of  the  palm  of  his  hand  to  see  them  at  all.  The 
night's  experiment  having  therefore  signally  failed,  the 
crew  were  assembled  and  the  flogging  process  com- 
menced. 

It  had  not  proceeded  far  before  Mr.  Bock  reported  it 


AN  UNPLEASANT  ROLL.  347 

to  us  and  begged  us  to  stop  it,  for  he  declared  that  the 
captain  would  go  right  through  the  crew  if  necessary, 
so  we  then  made  him  promise  to  postpone  the  opera- 
tion until  to-morrow,  and  give  the  crew  another  chance 
by  a  repetition  of  last  night's  experiment.  The  mode  of 
flogging  was  to  make  the  victim  lie  down  on  his  face  with 
his  hands  crossed  behind  him,  when  one  man  sat  on  his 
shoulders,  and  another  on  his  legs,  whilst  the  boatswain 
vigorously  applied  a  knotted  rope-end  to  that  part  of  the 
body  which  nature  has  so  well  adapted  to  this  purpose. 

It  has  been  blowing  a  gale  nearly  all  day  from  the 
north-west,  and  our  speed  not  having  been  more  than 
two  knots  an  hour,  the  captain  wanted  to  anchor  and 
wait  for  better  weather,  but  the  engineers'  advice  ta 
struggle  on  against  it  prevailed  with  him. 

In  the  afternoon  a  sudden  crash  startled  us  all  very 
much,  and  nearly  frightened  the  Greek  out  of  his  life.  It 
was  caused  by  the  rudder-chain  breaking,  and  the  result 
was  general  confusion  amongst  the  crew,  in  which  shouts 
of '  Stop  !  stop  !'  as  they  rushed  about  were  heard  in  every 
direction.  The  engines  having  been  at  last  stopped,  the 
steamer  for  a  few  moments  became  motionless,  and  then 
in  swinging  round  she  caught  the  full  force  of  the  wind 
and  sea  against  her  side  and  heaved  over,  first  on  one 
side  and  then  on  the  other,  to  such  an  extent  that  it  was 
only  by  holding  on  with  all  our  might  to  anything  within 
reach  that  we  escaped  from  being  hurt  by  a  little  too- 


348  LIFE    WITH  THE  HAMRAN  ARABS. 

rapid  travelling  over  the  deck,  whilst  the  general  break- 
age of  everything  movable  was  the  inevitable  result. 
Mr.  Bock  told  me  in  the  morning  that  he  thought  the 
chain  would  break  owing  to  the  great  pitching  of  the 
steamer  from  her  having  no  cargo  beyond  two  or  three 
hundred  tons  of  gum  and  hides.  A  priest  (?)  came  this 
evening  to  tell  us  that  he  had  had  a  dream,  and  had  dis- 
covered by  it  that  two  men  were  implicated  in  the  theft 
of  lions'  claws  and  that  he  could  give  their  names.  Upon 
further  questioning  him,  he  declared  them  to  be  two  of 
Mr.  Bock's  best  men  who  were  on  duty  at  the  time,  and 
therefore  could  not  have  been  absent.  It  was,  however, 
a  happy  dream,  for  Mr.  Bock  would  certainly  not  have 
quietly  allowed  these  men  to  be  flogged,  so  by  the 
general  wish  the  matter  was  allowed  to  drop. 

May  1 6. — The  l  CofFeet'  has  arrived  at  Suez,  and  as 
there  is  a  mail  train  starting  immediately  with  Indian 
passengers  for  Alexandria,  I  have  decided  upon  accept- 
ing this  chance  of  travelling  with  all  speed  to  England, 
as  the  bearer  of  our  sad  news,  whilst  Arkwright  and 
Vivian  remain  behind  to  look  after  the  baggage.  Our 
goats  are  still  with  us,  and  Mohamed  has  been  given  one, 
and  an  engineer  the  other. 

May  17. — I  have  joined  Coke  and  Gumming  on 
board  the  P.  and  O.  steamer  '  Malta.'  Captain  Hyde, 
who  is  in  command  of  her,  has  been  most  kind  in 
making  all  the  arrangements  he  can  for  my  comfort  on 


OUR  EXPEDITION  IS  AT  AN  END, 


349 


deck,  as  there  is  no  berth  vacant ;  and  a  lady  on  board 
has  given  me  the  most  useful  present  of  a  felt  hat  to  re- 
place my  completely  worn-out  helmet.  Our  telegram 
from  Souakim  reached  Cairo  in  three  days,  and  now  we 
are  already  far  away  from  the  land  where  we  have  left  a 
valued  friend  to  pay  the  penalty  of  our  rash  venture  in 
'  Life  with  the  Hamran  Arabs/ 


APPENDIX. 


WEATHER   REPORT. 


Temperature 

Date 

Locality 

Weather  Report 

4      111? 

=. 

dS  '^!^i 

Wjj 

1874 

°F. 

i 

°F. 

Dec.  13 

Cairo 

—                    — 

44 

H 

—                    — 

41 

15 

—                    — 

42 

16 

—                    — 

42 

17 

—                 .   — 

41 

20 

—                    — 

43 

21 

to  Suez 

—                    — 

47 

22 
23 

Suez  to  Souakim 
Red  Sea 

Cloudy  —  fresh  breeze  S.E. 
light 

57 
69 

82 

24 

?) 

Cloudless     , 

75 

25 

>f 

Cloudy         , 

76 

84 

26 

5) 

55                       5 

78 

86 

27 

Souakim 

55                         5 

76 

89 

28 

„ 

Cloudless    , 

76 

90 

29 

5> 

—                — 

3° 

Souakim  to  Kassala 

Cloudy  —  heavy  dew 

66 

?J 

,,          two  slight  showers 

70 

1875 

at  night 

Jan.     i 

Cloudy  —  wind  N.E. 

67 

2 

68 

3 

65 

4 

65 

5 

Cloudless 

65 

6 

55 

7 

55 

8 

57 

9 

heavy  dew 

44 

10 

wind  \V. 

53 

352 


APPENDIX. 


WEATHER    REPORT— continued. 


Date 

Locality 

Weather  Report 

Temperature 

.5  «     .~ 
•J       x'Z  ,  *  5 

*  a*  a- 

Temp,  two  to 
four  hours, 
after  sunset 

1875      1 

°F. 

°F.  '°F. 

op. 

Jan.   ii 

Souakim  to  Kassala 

Light  clouds  —  wind  N.W. 

47 

12 

» 

,    N.E. 

44 

13 

,,          (arr.) 

,    N.E. 

54 

14 

Kassala 

Cloudless              ,    N.W. 

5i 

81 

H5 

15 

»> 

,    N.W. 

53 

80 

16 

Kassala  to   Hamran 

,    N.W. 

55 

81 

village. 

17 

»» 

Light  clouds          ,    N.E. 

49 

85 

18 

»> 

,    N.E. 

5i 

19 

„        (air.) 

,    N.W. 

5i 

20 

Hamran  village 

,    N.E. 

49 

81 

21 

Hamran    village    to 

,    N.E. 

43 

83 

Zahani 

22 

Zahani  to  Gadamur 

Cloudless  —  wind  N.E.,  very 

5i 

light 

23 

Gadamur 

„    N.W.     „ 

45 

85 

24 

» 

„    N.W.     „ 

33 

81 

25 

»» 

„    N.E.       „ 

53 

83 

26 

Gadamur  to  Emberaga 

„    N.W.     „ 

47 

27 

Emberaga 

„    N.W.     „ 

35 

28 

Emberaga  to  El  Effa- 

„    N.W.     „ 

47 

ara 

29 

El  Effaara 

„    N.W.     „ 

55 

89 

127 

3° 

J> 

„    N.W.     „ 

5o 

9i 

118     76 

31 

)  i 

»              »  »    •^  •          )  > 

54 

92 

130 

78 

Feb.   i 

El    Effaara    to    Em- 

„    N.W.toE. 

48 

hagga 

2 

Einhagga 

„     N.W.,  very 

50 

light 

3 

„    N.E. 

52 

9i 

131 

80 

4 

Light  clouds  ,,    variable 

55 

95 

133 

80 

5 

Cloudless        „    N.W. 

52 

94   135 

80 

6 

„    N.W. 

49 

90    134 

78 

7 

„    N.W. 

47 

93 

135 

79 

8 

„    N.W. 

49 

94 

137 

79 

9 

„    N.W. 

47 

94 

145 

82 

10 

„    N.W. 

50 

93 

139 

80 

ii 

„     N.E. 

5i 

9i 

137 

75 

12 

„    N.E.  to 

5i 

97 

142 

83 

• 

S.E.     „ 

APPENDIX. 


353 


WEATHER   REPORT— continued. 


Temperature 

Date 

Locality 

Weather  Report 

c 

£3 

d 
"t  c 

ill 

SJf 

&£ 

do  ^ 

£CO 

•<    1?   J-i 

5  £  +* 

1875 

°F. 

OF 

°F. 

°F. 

Feb.    13 

Emhagga 

Cloudless  —  wind  N.E.,  hot 

50 

96 

137 

75 

blasts 

14 

„ 

Cloudy  in      ,,      S.E.       „ 

47 

93 

I31 

73 

evening 

Itj 

M 

Light  clouds,,      S.W.     „ 

50 

92 

130 

73 

16 

,, 

Mist—  wind  S.  to  S.E.      ,, 

60 

87 

122 

73 

17 

59 

Occasional  clouds  —  wind  N. 

40 

89 

"5 

78 

to  N.E.,  gusty 

18 

}  s 

Very  cloudy  morning  —  wind 

52 

91 

117 

75 

19 

Emhagga  to  Henna 

N.  to  N.E.,  gusty 
Cloudless—  wind  N.E. 

43 





78 

20 

Henna      to      Berket 

,,               „     S.S.E.  to  S. 

47 

— 

133 

Johda  (Royan) 

21 

Berket  Johda 

,      S.E. 

48 

— 

125 

22 

S.W. 

48 

23 

Berket  Johda  to  Im- 

„ s. 

47 

mam 

24 

Immam 

„    S.W. 

47 

95 

25 

Immam     to     Berket 

,,              „    N.W. 

49 

Johda 

26 

Berket  Johda  to  El- 

„    N.E. 

48 

la-Mab 

27 

El-la-Mab 

„    N. 

48 

28 

?j 

„    N.W. 

43 

90 

130 

Mar.   I 

>f 

„  s.w. 

39 

90 

130 

2 

M 

„    N.E. 

44 

130 

3 

El-la-Mab   to   Edde- 

»               »    N. 

47 

91 

132 

babeha 

4 

Eddebabeha  (Settite) 

,,              ,,    E.S.E. 

5° 

93 

130 

5 

M 

„    E.S.E. 

55 

93 

130 

6 

M 

Thunderstorm    over    Abys- 

59 

94 

125 

sinia  —  wind  N.E. 

7 

?J 

Cloudless  —  wind  N.,  strong 

60 

93 

120 

breez 

8 

' 

„    N.W.     „ 

60 

90 

115 

at  night 

9 

p 

„    N.W. 

60 

90 

118 

10 

}> 

„    N.W. 

62 

90 

120 

ii 

}> 

„    N.W. 

60 

92 

I25 

12 

M 

„    N.W. 

59 

92 

128 

A  A 


354 


APPENDIX. 


WEATHER    REPORT— continued. 


Date 

Locality 

Weather  Report 

Temperature 

* 

II 

.5 
"t  c 

Temp,  two  to 
three  hours 
after  sunset 

1875 

°F 

°F. 

°F. 

oF 

Mar.  13 

Eddebabeha  (Settite) 

Cloudless  —  wind  N.W. 

65' 

93 

135 

14 

,, 

„     N.W. 

66 

95 

130 

15 

,, 

—                — 

16 

„ 

Cloudy           ,,    N.W. 

65 

97 

135 

17 

Eddebabeha  to   Hel- 

—                — 

65 

Egheeme 

18 

Hel-Egheeme 

Thunderstorm    over    Abys- 

63 

— 

145 

sinia—wind  N.W. 

19 

, 

Cloudy       „     N.E. 

65 

— 

140 

20 

, 

Thunderstorm  on  all  sides  — 

65 

IOO 

H5 

wind  N.E.  to  S.W. 

21 

t 

Cloudless 

67 

IOO 

148 

22 

, 

Light  clouds—  wind  N.W. 

62 

IOO 

143 

23 

, 

„     S.W. 

62 

102 

H7 

24 

i 

„     S.W. 

65 

IO5 

152 

25 

j 

„     S.W. 

62 

105 

153 

26 

t 

„     N.W. 

60 

105 

152 

27 

, 

„     N.W. 

60 

IOO 

140 

misty  morning 

28 

Hel-Egheeme  to  El- 

Mist  all  day  —  wind  N.W. 

62 

Effaara 

29 

El-Effaara 

Light  clouds             ,, 

48 

95 

128 

30 

,, 

»                     >» 

52 

101 

134 

31 

El-Effaara  to  Embe- 

„                    ,, 

60 

raga     . 

Apr.     I 

Emberaga 

,,                     ,, 

70 

105 

140 

2 

ft 

»                     » 

— 

105 

140 

3 

,, 

»»                     )> 

66 

1  08 

140 

4 

tt 

Cloudless 

5 

Emberaga    to     Hel- 

„ 

60 

Egheeme 

6 

Hel-Egheeme 

58 

97 

150 

7 

— 

45 

99 

150 

8 

— 

58 

IOO 

150 

9 

— 

60 

IOO 

148 

10 

— 

55 

IOO 

140 

ii 

— 

52 

IOO 

150 

12 

55 

99 

148 

13 

— 

52 

102 

155 

He'-Egheeme  to  Am- 

— 

58 

aretakari 

APPENDIX. 


355 


WEATHER   REPORT— continued. 


Tempt 

:ratur( 

» 

Date 

Locality 

Weather  Report 

_c 

.2    4) 

c 
'".  a 
|OT 

Temp,  two  to 
three  hours 
after  sunset 

1875 

°F. 

°F. 

°F. 

°F. 

Apr.  15 

Amaretakari 

Cloudless 

— 

105 

148 

16 

tf 

— 

65 

1  08 

150 

17 

Amaretakari  to  Em- 

— 

68 

no 

156 

beraga 

18 

Emberaga  to  Hamran 
village 

,,         Heavy  fall  of  rain 
with       thunder 

68 

at  night 

19 

Hamran     village     to 

— 

Kassala 

20 

,, 

„ 

74 

21 

M 

)}                         — 

22 

n 



— 

102 

I25 

23 

Kassala 

M                         — 

— 

IOO 

125 

24 

5> 

» 

65 

IOO 

130 

25 

Kassala  to  Souakim 

>  j 

62 

IOO 

125 

26 

M 

i 

58 

98 

125 

27 

.  . 

62 

28 

,, 

\       windS.KtoN.W. 

58 

29 

fj 

»                     ?> 

55 

IOO 

130 

30 

,, 

„    S.E.  toN.E. 

52 

98 

132 

May   i 

?) 

„    N.N.E.toS.E. 

98 

125 

2 

,, 

„    E.  to  N.,  a  gale 

62 

92 

117 

3 

,, 

,,    E.  to  N.,  gale 

62 

stronger 

4 

,, 

,           ,,     E.  to  N.,  gale 

63 

5 

ji 

„    N.  to  N.E.  ,, 

68 

6 

,, 

,           ,,     N.E.,     strong 

62 

92 

118 

gale 

7 

,, 

„    N.E.,  fresh 

56 

92 

125 

8 

M 

„    N.,  slight 

62 

9 

Souakim 

— 

89 

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