1 86 LIFE WITH THE HAMRAN ARABS. 



Sheiks enter occasionally into regular contracts, of which 

 the Hamran Sheik has no cause to complain, for whilst his 

 men are hunting in Abyssinia both they and their horses 

 have to be fed by their host, and fresh horses found by 

 him if theirs fall sick, and an equal division is made of 

 all tusks and hides. We can answer for it that they 

 will have one horse unfit for work, for Roder Sheriff 

 managed to do a stroke of business with us by an ex- 

 change of one plus eight dollars, and now we have four 

 really sound horses for personal use. With all our care, 

 it is most difficult to keep their backs sound ; but we 

 find the native saddles the least injurious, and as in pur- 

 chasing a horse saddle and bridle are always included, 

 we have no lack of them. 



Essafi and Mohamed went off at a very early hour 

 in search of the strayed horses, so Vivian and myself 

 did a little hunting on our own account, in opposite di- 

 rections, though not straying very far from home, for 

 even with the assistance of a compass in times of doubt 

 it is a most difficult country to find one's way about in, 

 owing to the high table-land, the large woods, and the 

 absence of any specially defined hills. Beyond antelope 

 we neither of us found any game, but it has proved a 

 day in my calendar not likely to be soon forgotten. 

 Keeping my eyes fixed on the ground close in front of 

 me, I was deeply engrossed in my occupation of follow- 

 ing up the fresh track of a buffalo, in a path through the 



