SFOJi T IN ABYSSINIA. 1 09 



was oblong-shaped, and it could easily have held two 

 or three hundred people. The day was very hot, and 

 the sun beat down on the dry rocks, so I made the- 

 best of my way down the steep side of the hill into 

 the bed of the Mareb, which ran underneath. On the 

 way home I fired at a white eagle with my rifle, and 

 picked him off the top of the tree he was perched on, 

 but the bullet had so injured the bird that he was not 

 worth preserving. This was really a bad morning's 

 sport. H. had done no better^ than myself; and it 

 was a good deal owing to this that we determined to 

 move off the next day. This afternoon I presented 

 the hunters, who had been out with me, with three 

 common cotton pocket-handkerchiefs, of which I had 

 bought a good many at Bologna, in Italy, on my way 

 ouc. They seemed to be delighted with them, and 

 grinned and laughed, and passed them round for each 

 other to admire. 



After luncheon, H. and I determined to ride down 

 the Mareb and explore that line of country. We 

 had not gone very far before we saw our friends 

 the hunters sitting round a small pool of water, 

 then tying the handkerchiefs round their, heads and 

 admiring themselves, using the water as a looking- 

 glass. They looked very ridiculous, and seemed highly 

 delighted with their personal appearance, which they 

 evidently felt was greatly improved by the red cotton 



