134 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap. 



the care which Bradley, the English groom, had be- 

 stowed upon them. The hounds' troubles commenced 

 immediately on landing, and the hot journey over the 

 Maritime plain, and again in the Hawash valley, specially 

 tried them. The stony ground so cut their feet, that little 

 leather boots were tried, but were not a success. Duringr 



o 



the worst marches the dogs were carried in baskets, which 

 were slung on camels, and subsequently on mules. A 

 celebrated mongrel belonging to Mr. Baird, and called the 

 "Gudda," accompanied the Queen's dogs, and amused 

 every one by the way " he bossed the show " ; when he 

 found that the others were being carried, he promptly 

 shammed being lame in order to be put up too ! This 

 dog was the son of a fox-terrier bitch which Captain 

 Wellby took with him to Adis Ababa, by a Beni Shongul 

 dog. He was born just after Captain Welby's start from 

 the capital, and travelled with him round Lake Rudolf to 

 Fashoda and down to Cairo, where his owner presented 

 him to Mr. Baird. His second journey to Egypt was via 

 the Blue Nile, so he is likely to become a much-travelled 

 animal. None of the dogs reached the capital in good 

 condition, and Captain Harrington decided, before send- 

 ing them to the palace, to keep them at the Agency, 

 until they had picked up and got accustomed to their 

 new surroundings and food. One of the greyhounds, 

 which had received some injury on board ship, instead 

 of improving, gradually got worse and died ; but the 

 other three dogs, when they had got over the fatigue 

 of the journey, soon recovered and had been taken out 

 for a run or two, as already said, 



Tuesday, 9th January, was the day the Emperor 



