MAHOMED ALLEE RETIRES. 225 



venient receptacle by the Dankalli, for many 

 trifling articles, snch as needles, snuff, or thread. 

 Mahomed Allee now informed me, that he had got 

 letters to Aden from the Political Mission in Shoa, 

 and also desired me to write down in my note-book 

 the name of a kraal, where were deposited seven- 

 teen packages and boxes, he had been obliged to 

 leave on the road, when in charge of the last 

 English Kanlah that had gone up to Shoa. He 

 attributed this abandonment to the numbers of his 

 camels that had died upon the march from the 

 scarcity of water. He also said that no difficulty 

 would be incurred, for the Bedouin who had them 

 in charge, was a relation of his own, and would 

 himself take them along with the present Kanlah 

 to Shoa. After this Mahomed Allee retired, asking 

 me only for a handful of tobacco, which I bade 

 Zaido to give him, but w r as afterwards obliged to 

 increase the niggardly bestowal of my servant, by 

 taking the skin-bag from him, and shaking its 

 contents into the open tobe of my new acquaint- 

 ance. 



I should not have slept well that night, if I had 

 not told Ohmed Mahomed of the deception he had 

 practised upon me, and as he came to my hut a 

 few moments after Mahomed Allee had left, I took 

 care to mention it. He excused himself very 

 coolly by saying, that Lohitu had promised to cut 

 the throat of Mahomed Allee, before he reached 



VOL. I. Q 



