SFOJ^T IN ABYSSINIA. 193 



March 6. — Worse to-day. This horrid comphiint 

 sticks to me, symptoms of dysentery having returned. 

 I am afraid I must make up my mind to start for 

 home — a bad ending to a sporting expedition. I 

 shall have been ill now three weeks to-morrow. 1 

 took some chlorodyne last night, and I think it only 

 made me worse. 



March 7. — I am much better this morning, having 

 taken three doses of opium, which acted instanta- 

 neously, thank goodness ! There was a thunder- 

 storm last night with two very heavy showers, 

 and the most beautiful sunset I ever saw ; great 

 masses of clouds coming up from the south-east, and 

 vivid lightning, and the thunder rolling and echoing 

 through the mountains ; it was a very grand sight. 

 I was kept awake part of last night by the howling of 

 a hyena, about ten yards from the tent. 1 thought 

 at first it was a lion, but the servants assured me it 

 was a gib, which is their word for hyena. He stopped 

 about a quarter of an hour, making a hideous noise, 

 and at last retired. There was a new moon to-day, 

 so I was in hopes there might be a change in the 

 weather, which would have done me much good : it 

 was a great deal cooler this morning, after the 

 thunder-storm. I made Goubasee administer a slight 

 castigation to Ali, the cook, who had neglected to 

 boil my rice-water the night before, and, as it was the 



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