198 SPORT IN ABYSSINIA. 



correct ; it struck me as being a good deal later, 

 Taiou, one of our coolies — a man who had been with 

 an Englishman named Flood that had lived in the 

 country some time before — lost the donkey on which 

 my bed was strapped, just before we came into camp. 

 It was very dark when we came to Maidarou, and 

 Goubasee, who was carrying my palanquin, and who 

 was in front, tumbled into a hole and shot me 

 and my gun and books on to the ground. This was 

 rather unpleasant, considering the state of health I 

 was in, but there was no alternative but to get up and 

 laugh and go on. At last I saw the twinkling light of a 

 fire, and I soon found myself at the top of the little rocky 

 hill where we had camped before. But although I had 

 arrived at the halting-place there was no bed for me 

 to sleep on ; so I bade them put all the skin bags I 

 had with me down at the end of the tent, then 

 I put some big stones alongside, and covered the 

 whole with some dry cut grass. This made a capital 

 bed, and I slept better than I had done for the last 

 two weeks, as I was completely tired and done up. 

 Curiously enough, the caravan that afforded me some 

 flour when my servants were almost starving had just 

 arrived, on their way back to Adiaboo with cotton from 

 Walkait. Zaroo, the man who behaved so kindly to 

 me before and gave me some bread of his own, said, 

 as I was so ill, he would induce some of the people of 



