114 REPORT OF MR. W. JESSE. [Feb. 1], 
species of Hare, about equal in size to a threequarter-grown English 
Leveret, and of the same colour. A small sandy, strong-haired Rat 
I also procured a specimen of, which was unavoidably lost. 
On the return journey I spent a few days at Undel Wells, with a 
view of obtaining a more specific knowledge of the fauna of that 
elevation, having reason to believe it differed materially from that of 
the higher and lower zones. I did not, however, obtain much satis- 
factory information until my subsequent trip, at a later date, into 
Northern Abyssinia. 
I arrived with the rearguard at Zoulla, where, after having made 
some additions to my collection, I prepared seven cases to be sent 
to England. AsI have before stated, I obtained permission from - 
H.B.M. Consul at Massowah to join him, Capt. Mokeler, and Mr. 
Blanford in an expedition into the Bogos country, which, although 
already explored by Brehm and Heuglin, I thought worthy of atten- 
tion. Had opportunity offered, I should, in accordance with my in- 
structions and my own wishes, have visited the country towards 
lake Assal. During the third week in June we were occupied in 
preparing for our proposed trip. We sent our baggage and pro- 
visions round to Massowah by buggalow, and our animals by land. 
We ourselves started on board the ‘General Havelock’ for Mas- 
sowah, where we had to remain a few days arranging our affairs. 
On the 22nd of June we left Massowah for the mainland, assem- 
bling our caravan at about four miles distance, at Monkooloo, and 
started the next morning with 38 camels, 8 horses, and about 30 men. 
We halted at Sahati, en zoute for Ailet, and heard there of Lions, but 
found no traces of them, so proceeded to Ailet the following day. 
Our camp here was situated on the banks of a wild nullah, watered by 
a hot spring at no great distance. This place is noted but too truly 
for its man-eating Lions and Panthers. It is a legend in the village 
‘that no man dies in his bed.’ During one or two days I accompa- 
nied Capt. Mokeler (Mr, Blanford being lame) in pursuit of a lioness, 
tracks of which we had seen close to our tent, but with no success, 
Capt. Mokeler only obtaining one shot, which was without effect. 
On the 27th of June, after some premonitory symptoms, I received 
a sunstroke, which completely put an end to my researches. My 
friend Mr. Blanford was more fortunate, and laid the good founda- 
tion of his subsequent collection. On the 29th, at about 12 o’clock 
at night, I was awoke from a sick bed, along with my companions, 
by shrieks of the most fearful kind. It was pitch dark; and we 
rushed out of our tents with our arms in our hands, to find our fol- 
lowers in a state of most dire terror and confusion, filling the air 
with cries of “the Lion, the Lion;” and then a dusky form was 
seen to bound away over the thorn fence and disappear in the dark- 
ness. After having in some degree quieted the fears of our people, 
we called the roll, and fuund that one of my gun-bearers, a Shunk- 
galla of huge proportions, lay dead in the midst of us, his throat 
bearing but too terrible marks of the manner in which the poor fel- 
low had perished. I may add that, only the night before, Mr. 
Blanford’s butler had been severely wounded in the head by the claws 
