1868.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 279 



&c. I also obtained a fine wild pig (Phacochoerus JEliani), of which the 

 skull has been preserved. Bustards (Otis Arabs) Beni Israel (Anti- 

 lope Cephalophus Hemprichii) and guinea fowl (JVumida ptilo- 

 rliynclia) abounded. 



We remained at Ail at until the 30th June, when we were induced 

 to leave in consequence of a very sad accident, an Abyssinian servant 

 of Mr. Jesse's being killed in the night by a leopard in our camp. 

 This was done so quietly that our first intimation was an outcry from 

 the man nearest to the one killed, who was awakened by the animal 

 dragging the body past him. The unfortunate Abyssinian was quite 

 dead with two or three tooth marks in his throat. The wild animals 

 are probably the reason why, in this country, all villages and all en- 

 campments are placed at a considerable distance from water, and we 

 invariably afterwards had fires kept burning all night, a most important 

 precaution. 



This circumstance of course alarmed all our men, and, as all our 

 search after the beast proved fruitless, we determined to move at once. 

 We accordingly went northwards along the base of the hills to Asus, 

 and thence to Kusaret, a little way within the ranges, intending to go 

 on to Tunfia, a place said to be 2,000 feet or rather more above the 

 sea, with a pleasant climate. 



But at Asus we heard from Mr. Munzinger that he would still be 

 detained for some time in Massowa, and that we had better go on by 

 ourselves to Keren in Bogos via Ain and the Lebka valley, as the 

 direct route via Kusaret is impracticable for camels. As we were all 

 more or less tired of the heat, and Mr. Jesse was for two or three days 

 very ill from exposure to the sun, we determined on pushing at once 

 for the higher country. We accordingly marched to Kanzal 20 miles, 

 and thence made a long march of 30 miles at night across the desert 

 of Shob to Ain where the Lebka stream emerges from the hills : 

 no water occurring between the two places, the march could not be 

 divided. We had not long left Kanzal, when we came to an encamp- 

 ment of the Warea tribe, pitched as usual about 3 miles from water. 

 The encampment was surrounded by a circular low thorn fence, inside 

 which were small hemispherical huts of mats with a framework of 

 sticks. These were arranged in a circle just inside the fence. In the 

 central space, where the goats and cattle were herded at night, stood 



