GUINEA-FOWL., 65 
depressed and grumbling, others doing what they could 
to keep the camp in good spirits. 
The climate seemed to be doing Dodson good, for he 
was getting fat, in spite of his being continually at work. 
He proved a first-rate fellow, skinning nine or ten birds 
daily, besides doing much to assist me in collecting. | 
had a false alarm sounded during the night, and found 
that the men fell into their places admirably. They had 
been quick to learn, and by this time were in fine 
order. 
The next day I was delighted to get a letter from Fred, 
dated October 4. 
DEAR DONALD,— Bad road. Hope to arrive at Ginea to-mor- 
row. Cannot be back in seven days. Will try to let you know 
by another note. Have crossed the Gillett range, sleeping on top 
last night. Very wet. Ground in swamp. Aneroids marked 
six thousand nine hundred feet, the highest peak being, I should 
think, nine thousand feet. We looked across plain, and saw the 
Daro and Hawatu hills. We must cross the river Darde to- 
morrow. Abyssinians are sending three oxen; one of them was 
brought to me to-day, very fat. 
Yours ever, 
FRED. 
So we were still to spend many more days here. The 
situation began to look serious, and it seemed that the 
General Wal-da-Gubbra had much larger forces with him 
than I had at first expected. 
- About the only sport that I indulged in was shooting 
vulturine guinea-fowl, of which there were large flocks in 
the neighborhood. These birds were the greatest boon to 
us on our journey, and were found almost everywhere 
where there was water. There are three species of guinea- 
fowl in Africa, the vulturine guinea-fowl being extremely 
handsome. It is much larger than the ordinary domesti- 
5 
