2 1 6 SPORT IN ABYSSINIA. 



jungle; Petros assured me he slept very little, as he 

 was afraid the lions would eat him. The natives, who 

 had heard I was ill, very kindly brought some milk 

 and eggs. We were close to a village called Aila 

 Mareb, and I determined, after about an hour or so, 

 to push on to Gundet, so as to complete the march 

 that I had intended to do the day before. I was so 

 bad I could scarcely sit on my mule, but at length we 

 arrived at Gundet. I lay here under a tree for most 

 of the day, completely exhausted and worn out, and 

 I managed to get a little sleep. During most of the 

 day the tree which I was under w'as surrounded by 

 great numbers of cattle, w'hich seemed to think I 

 was occupying their favourite resting-place : there was 

 water close by. They w^ere remarkably fine beasts 

 for this part of the world, and I should think at least 

 a thousand head passed by the place where I was 

 lying. A little short Abyssinian came and squatted 

 down close by me ; he seemed inclined to converse, 

 so I sent for Petros, and we held a long conversation 

 on different subjects, which ended by my inducing 

 him to go for some preparation which is called Shirou, 

 and is made from a bean pounded up with red pepper. 

 The Abyssinians eat this as a sort of relish with their 

 bread or meat. I do not suppose it was the best thing 

 I could have eaten, but still I had a fancy for it, as 

 in illness one often has for some questionable dainty. 



