VII MEN REFUSE TO MARCH 69 



Shoa generally has the broad red band across it that 

 was originally peculiar to Tigre, is thrown over the 

 shoulders, and wrapped tightly round them. Every 

 Abyssinian wears round the neck a blue silk cord, the 

 symbol of Christianity, and on this is usually hung a 

 thick silver ring, or a cross, and occasionally an ear- 

 pick. 



At 5.30 in the afternoon, one of our men came in 

 with some plates, knives, and forks, and set to work to 

 cook some recently purchased fowls. A little later we 

 heard that the camels had arrived at the foot of the hill, 

 and that the men had unloaded, refusing to come further, 

 as they already had done more than double an ordinary 

 camel-march, and that over rough and hilly ground, to 

 which they were not accustomed. Mahomed proposed 

 carrying up the loads that we stood most in need of, but 

 H. was most anxious to get the camels and their drivers 

 up the hill that night, and ordered him and the other 

 Somalis to go down and fetch them. At 8.30 all the 

 camels, except one, arrived ; they had done over fifteen 

 hours' continuous travelling and were quite used up. 

 Mahomed had concocted a story, and told the Oderali 

 that one of us was terribly ill, and if he were to die it 

 would be on their heads. The Abyssinian who had 

 proved our friend lent us a tent and brought us bread, 

 eggs, fowls, and honey, so that we had quite a fair meal 

 before turning in. The night was a very cold one ; as I 

 had no bed, and the tent was of the usual Abyssinian 

 pattern (a pal with the sides well off the ground), I slept 

 outside, thinking it would be less draughty. The next 

 morning we tried to collect mules to take on our baggage, 



