A POOR LUNCHEON. 129 



AVhen we had shaken hands and learnt 

 that the starchina had refused to let Simon 

 apply for a berth as guide and hunter with us, 

 and had instead given us one of his under- 

 lings, who admitted readily that he had never 

 killed anything larger than that liveliest of 

 insects, we at once appointed Simon hunter-in- 

 chief, and made ' the duffer ' pack-horse to the 

 expedition. We then suggested to Simon the 

 propriety of lunching, but though he had over 

 fifty cattle in the hills around, he could offer us 

 nothino' better than a mess of boiled beans in 

 a broken woodeu bowl, which he had been re- 

 serving for his own dinner. Unluckily for us, 

 whilst we were at Gebi all true believers were 

 keeping a very important fast ; and these poor 

 fellows, in spite of their hard work, were sup- 

 porting life in the keen mountain air on bread 

 and water. 



Having lunched just sufficiently to realise 

 how hungry we were, we sent ' the duffer ' 



VOL. I. K 



