62 SPORT IN ABYSSINIA. 



would use his best endeavours to get people of the 

 village to carry our baggage. We gave our Egyptian 

 soldiers a present, and they went back to Mas- 

 sowah. 



We here changed our plans, as K. said it Avas only 

 a waste of time going to Adowa on our way to 

 the shooting on the Mareb and Tackazzee, and we 

 might do it coming back. Eventually, after the 

 chief's soldiers and followers had hunted up the 

 villagers, and dragged them, kicked them, and beat 

 them, they were made to carry our baggage. We 

 started about one hour before sunset, the coolies 

 having gone in front. The reason that the soldiers 

 treated the villagers in this way was, that the king, 

 who was far away, had heard there were some 

 Englishmen coming into the country, and had given 

 orders to the chiefs or governors that we were to 

 be treated with respect, and everything that we wanted 

 done for us. 



We travelled across a large table-land with not a 

 vestige of foliage to be seen, and no sound to be 

 heard but now and then the bleating of the sheep as 

 they were driven to their pens near the villages for 

 the night. The moon rose, and we very soon found 

 ourselves near a village called Adouguada. All our 

 coolies had stopped ; the lazy fellows had scarcely 

 been travelling for two hours ; they had handed our 



