SPORT IN ABYSSINIA. 5 



provisions came out as fresh as if I had sent for and 

 got it that day from the stores. The boxes in which 

 the stores were packed I had made from an army 

 pattern ; it is the one used in the infantry to carry 

 the carpenters' tools. 



A day or two after I had reached Suez, the rest 

 of the party arrived from Shcppard's Hotel, Cairo. 

 The ship we had to go in to Massowah, the seaport 

 town of Abyssinia, was called the Dcssook — a ship 

 that had been running from Alexandria to Constan- 

 tinople. She possessed plenty of accommodation, 

 which is rather unusual for this line of steamers. 

 These vessels run every three weeks from Suez, taking 

 and bringing the Egyptian mails from and to Suez, 

 Souakim, and Massowah. It is an enterprise of the 

 Khedive's, and is called the Posta Khedive Company ; 

 scarcely, I should think, paying well, as the trade 

 from all ports of the Red Sea is very small. They 

 also carry pilgrims during the pilgrim season. 



We were a party of eleven on board the Dessook. 

 These vessels make no arrangements for providing 

 passengers with food ; so we formed a " mess " of our 

 own, with a president and a committee. Of course, 

 we had a great many cooks, as the party was large 

 and we were going to separate ; seven to disembark 

 at Souakim, and the remaining four at Massowah. 

 Nothing- could have been merrier than our little mess. 



