34 THE TOWN OF ZEILA. 



rather ostentatiously at his belt, two large and very 

 rudely made wooden keys, with projecting bits of 

 iron wire, w 7 hich formed a kind of apology for 

 wards. From their appearance, I should suppose 

 that the locks they fitted were not either of a 

 very intricate or very substantial character, and not 

 such as were calculated, without other aids, to effect 

 the exclusion of unwelcome visitors. I had not an 

 opportunity of examining the defences of Zeila, 

 beyond a sight of its wall, twenty or thirty feet 

 high, over which could be seen certain whitewashed 

 and grey stone houses, with flat roofs. Besides two 

 old guns, which we could see from the boat, lying 

 dismounted upon the sands, I was told there were 

 a very few others placed on that part of the wall 

 looking inland. 



Mr. Cruttenden forwarded to the governor some 

 few pounds of gunpowder in return for the sheep, 

 but declined on this occasion his polite invitation to 

 visit him, promising to see him on his return to 

 Berberah, which he hoped would be in a few days, 

 after settling affairs for me in Tajourah. During 

 the night, we took advantage of the land breeze, 

 and made Tajourah by the middle of the next day. 

 The difficulty of fixing upon our anchorage was not 

 so nice an affair as with the brig. The narrow and 

 confined opening on the sunken coral reef forms a 

 kind of submarine haven, directly in front of Ta- 

 jourah, in which is the only secure anchorage. It 

 was easily found by our vessel, whose light draught of 



