ARRIVE AT Z EI LA 



Treasury and back again, so that when we embarked at 

 8.45 P.M. we were all very tired. Just before putting off, 

 Clarke had to take two or three astronomical observa- 

 tions, which seemed to puzzle the Somali boatmen and 

 coolies considerably. After a calm night we ran into a 

 rainstorm, when I, the worst sailor of the party, suffered 

 severely, and landed in a very limp condition, after a 

 sail of two miles in an open boat. A crowd of ex- 

 pectant retainers met us at Zeila, and by degrees all 

 our endless packages were carried up to the old 

 Residency, where in 1895 I was one of a hungry band 

 who descended on Lieutenant Harrington from the 

 I. M.S. Mayo and devoured everything he had in the 

 larder for our tiffin. We were lucky in securing this 

 house, instead of being obliged to live under canvas, 

 as the building is a relic of the Egyptian occupation, 

 and has some fine large rooms. Captain Harrington, 

 H.B.M.'s agent at Menelik's capital, had reached 

 Zeila a few days previously with Mr. Baird, the newly 

 appointed secretary and assistant to the British Agency 

 at Adis Ababa, and both were busy getting their caravan 

 together to start. In the evening, Harrison and I went 

 over to the new Residency, a two-storied stone house, 

 which forms part of a little cluster of buildings to the 

 east of the town, and on its wide verandah endeavoured 

 to catch what sea-breeze there was. Zeila, I may 

 mention, is not one of those places where one would 

 live for pleasure. Here we made the acquaintance of 

 Lieutenant Harold, the Vice-Consul, and talked over 

 our proposed journey with Captain Harrington, who 

 o-ave us some valuable hints, and informed us that 



