146 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap. 



that our second headman, Jama, accompanied by a dozen 

 men whom we were discharging, should take a caravan, 

 consisting of the three new camels, three old ones, and 

 twelve hired mules, with all the skins and horns of the 

 animals shot up to date, to the coast. I wanted to ask 

 for a special permit for these to pass through Harrar, but 

 H. thought it unnecessary. They started on the even- 

 ing of the I 7th, but returned next morning to exchange 

 the three old camels, which had already broken down. 

 On the 1 8th I was up at 4.30, and after three hours' 

 wrangling with the mule-carriers, got them started, by 

 agreeing to pay for an extra and quite unnecessary camel. 

 Then came good-byes, many of the natives following me 

 and insisting on shaking hands many times over. 



I set out on my return to the capital, carrying with 

 me a young oryx, which Mr. Baird's men had caught 

 alive ; but unfortunately it died before evening. Owing 

 to the fact that I was not with my mules when they 

 passed the Custom-house at Choba, my men were delayed 

 and had to pay toll. On the morning of the fifth day 

 from Tadechamalca, I decided to leave my baggage 

 behind and push on to the capital. On my way I passed 

 innumerable men, women, and beasts, laden with camp 

 equipment and supplies of all sorts. As I saw that 

 many of the loads consisted of parts of the royal tents, I 

 knew that the Emperor was leaving the capital, so 

 pushed on quickly. I reached Captain Harrington's at 

 tea-time, and found him just recovering from an attack 

 of influenza and feeling very weak. I was much dis- 

 appointed to find that my agents had only been able to 

 get three mules out of the twenty-two I wanted, so that 



