SKETCHES IN THE SOUDAN 47 



gives them the liberated female slaves for wives. Their bath 

 over, they came to see us in various neglige costumes, some 

 with only a cloth round their loins, others clad in their white 

 tunic, others again enveloped in an enormous blue overcoat with 

 hood, all with a tarboosh in a variety of shades of red, to ask 

 where we came from and what we wanted. We always found 

 these black soldiers very good-humoured, and with the aid of 

 a little tobacco or coffee, made many friends among them. 

 These men formed part of the garrison of Fort Tschabab, one 

 of the Egyptian outposts against Abyssinia, from the frontier of 

 which it is but a very few miles distant, the mighty mountains of 

 the Habesh approaching quite closely. The fort overlooks the 

 Anseba river, whence it draws its supply of water, and is in 

 communication with Keren and Massowah by telegraph. After 

 a short rest G. and our dragoman start off en route to Keren, 

 while I get the camels together, load up, and follow at a slower 

 pace. Poor brutes ! they have become very slim lately, and are 

 heavily laden, for the loss of two camels on the journey has put 

 extra weight on the backs of the survivors. However, on they 

 plod once more, soon leaving the bed of the Anseba for that of a 

 small tributary in which the sand is very wet, and here and there 

 even hidden by running water. As we approach the plateau on 

 which Keren lies the road ascends rapidly, winding along the 

 river-bed, which during the rains must be that of a swift 

 mountain torrent, and presently a delightful sight refreshes 

 our eyes as we come to, and pass between, charmingly green 

 kitchen gardens on the high river banks, belonging to various 

 inhabitants of Keren. We have not even seen any green 

 vegetables during our long march, so the beds of luxuriantly 

 growing lettuces, carrots, cabbages, onions, artichokes, and of 

 various kitchen herbs, are very pleasing to the eye. In each 

 little garden men are at work, some raising water by means of 

 levers and leathern buckets from the deep wells in the river-bed 

 at the foot of the perpendicular bank and pouring it into a 

 reservoir, whence it finds its way into all the little channels 

 which intersect the beds in all directions, while others are 

 busily engaged planting or weeding. While meditating upon 

 the delights of fresh salads in the future, we rapidly ascend the 

 Keren plateau, and soon find ourselves surrounded on every side 

 by high mountain ranges, covered but sparsely with brushwood, 



