4 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap. 



forthcoming was, that it had probably missed the con- 

 nection in Paris and would arrive by the next train, 

 due half an hour after our steamer, the Victoria, was 

 timed to sail. Having driven to the docks with our 

 hand-baggage, Harrison interviewed the captain, and 

 showed such a good case, that the latter agreed to await 

 the arrival of the train. We arranged for a special 'bus 

 to meet it and to drive to the ship as quickly as possible. 

 Luckily the baggage did arrive in time, and as the port- 

 manteaux were bundled on board, the hawsers were cast 

 off and the usual shipboard life began. Except for an 

 annoying wait of a day at Port Said for the Brindisi 

 mails, the voyage to Aden had nothing to distinguish 

 it from my eleven previous trips through the Red Sea. 

 We landed at Steamer Point at ii p.m. on Sunday, 

 5th November, and heard that the Zeila mail steamer 

 was due to sail early next morning. As we did not want 

 to wait a week for the next boat, we arranged (by paying 

 the rather high sum of Rs. 300, in addition to passages 

 and freight) for the vessel to wait for us until the 

 evening. The following day some of us collected such 

 personal stores as rice, flour, onions, potatoes, etc., 

 bought cotton-cloth, and such like, for purposes of barter, 

 and counted out bags of Maria Theresa dollars ; whilst 

 the rest called on the Resident and received his per- 

 mission to buy Snider rifles and ammunition from the 

 Arsenal. We then interviewed headmen, cooks, boys, 

 shikaris, and syces, taking the most likely with us to Zeila 

 for final selection. This necessitated much discussion and 

 arrangement, besides long journeys from Steamer Point 

 to the Residencv, and from there to the Arsenal and the 



