FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH ABYSSINIANS ^ 133 
We had just finished unloading, and had turned the camels 
off to feed, when my cook, whilst lighting a fire to cook my 
breakfast, set fire to some long grass to windward of my 
whole kit. The grass being extremely dry, enabled the 
fire to literally race along. All my stores, food for the 
men, trophies, camel-mats, water, everything, appeared in 
the utmost danger of being consumed. Yelling at the 
men, I managed to collect them all together, when we kept 
up a perfect storm of sand upon the flames, as they crept 
closer and closer to the stores. Would it reach them ? I 
urged on the men with shouts and cheers, and working 
with a will, we just extinguished the flames when within a 
few feet of the whole of my efiects ! 
All the afternoon we marched through the grassy plains, 
but not an antelope did I set eyes upon. I noticed, how- 
ever, some old tracks of elephants and a few rhinoceros. 
Owing to prickly heat I could not sleep a wink, and next 
morning, after marching through open grass plains again, 
we reached a large village, called Abbas Gool, south of the 
Webbi Jerrar. Around this village I saw enormous herds 
of sheep, goats, mules, horses, donkeys, and cattle. There 
must have been several thousand milch cows ! Here we 
fell in for the first time with Abyssinians. They were a 
party of soldiers collecting taxes in the shape of cattle, 
sheep, and camels, from their wretched subjects, the 
Somalis. The Somalis were delighted to see us, and of 
course wanted us to join in an attack upon their persecutors. 
However, things went fairly quietly, the Abyssinians 
being very pleasant. I sat in state and held a levee, 
when the headman of the Abyssinians, followed by the 
whole of his armed force, approached, bringing me as a 
present two very fat sheep and several gallons of cow’s 
milk, all of which, by-the-by, they had looted from the 
Somalis ! I placed two sentries to see that there was no 
‘ hokey-pokey,’ and offered the Abyssinian headman some 
tohes and a bottle of ‘ fizz.’ But the headman shook his 
head and refused to take anything. He was a very 
