104 PERSONAL NARRATIVE. 



part of the summer there ; and when Lieut. MocMer 

 asked me to join the party, the temptation was too great 

 to be resisted. Mr. Jesse the zoologist, who, like myself, 

 was eager to see something more of the country and its 

 fauna before leaving it, joined us ; and having purchased 

 from the Commissariat, which was very glad to dispose 

 of them, flour, rice, and grain for ourselves and the men 

 whom we intended to take with us, sufficient for a 

 couple of months, we left Zulla on the 18th June, when 

 it was finally abandoned by the army; and went to 

 Massowa in a Steamboat which was despatched to carry 

 Mr. Munzing'er thither. 



Massowa has been described by almost every writer 

 who has visited Abyssinia. It is a small Arab town on 

 an island about a quarter of a mUe from the shore, and 

 without any water. It is probably one of the hottest 

 places in the World, atid the change from Annesley Bay 

 was far from agreeable, although we had a house, the 

 British Consulate, to live in, a luxury to which we had 

 all been strangers for many months. I believe we all 

 longed to be in tents again ; I did certainly,- but three 

 or four days' delay was necessary in order to make 

 arrangements for carriage. A large number of camels 

 had been left behind by the Transport Train ; we obtained 

 the loan of some, but as they had no saddles or ropes 

 for loading, we were obliged to procure these also. 



All being ready, we left Massowa on the afternoon of 

 the 22d of June, and, crossing the arm of the sea which 

 forms the harbour, rode for about four miles inland to 

 Makullu, a large village whence a great portion of the 



