CHAP. XXXVII A HEARTY WELCOME 431 



goes on across the Mareb, but beyond his immediate 

 staff and a small native guard, there are no troops 

 stationed there. After passing through the village, I 

 found Captain Mulazzani, the frontier officer, and his 

 lieutenant, Teodorani, waiting to receive me at the gate 

 of the compound. What a thing it was to see a white 

 face again and to be surrounded by neatness and order ! 

 for everything in and about the compound was as bright 

 as a new pin. After greetings exchanged through our 

 interpreters, I was led to the tucul prepared for me, and 

 told ddjeuner would be ready immediately. From my 

 window I espied a telegraph-wire, and went over to a 

 hut near by, which proved to be the telegraph-office, but 

 was unable to discover from the clerk whether I could wire 

 to England or not. So off he went to fetch Captain 

 Mulazzani, who, when he arrived, was delighted to find 

 I could speak a little indifferent French, which language 

 neither of us had thouf^ht of at our first interview. 

 Having sent off my telegram home, we sat down to a 

 meal which will long live in my memory, not only on 

 account of its recherche quality, but also from the fact 

 that here, for the first time since leaving Dungoler, I 

 obtained news of the outside world, I need not say that 

 in the course of the repast I plied my hosts first with 

 questions about the war, and next about the affairs of 

 the world in general. The taking of Pretoria, the flight 

 of Kruger, the Queen's visit to Ireland, the reported 

 massacre of the embassies in Pekin, the huge armies 

 preparing to enter China, and the siege of Coomassie, 

 all was news to me. 



Just after d(^jeuner, a native soldier returned in 



