Learmonth dug up a street magician and brought him 
aboard; and, considering that he was within two or three feet 
of us on the deck, he did marvelous work, performing a wholly 
different line of tricks from what one sees at home. 
Our searchlight now having been attached, we left to-night 
on the passage through the Canal. The Admiral went 
aground about midnight, not getting under way until about 
dawn. Lost about three hours. 
In the Canal. Interesting and beautiful. Swarms of 
Feb. 23d Arabs appear in groups on the banks—usually about the 
water-holes. Saw a caravan of sixteen camel on the desert. 
We reached Suez this afternoon; our passage taking 
twenty hours. Suez is a picturesque place, one particularly 
good-looking street paralleling the shore. 
Feb. 24 th In the Red Sea. Delightfully cool; sea smooth. 
In the Red Sea. Weather not uncomfortably warm; sea 
Feb. 25th smooth. The German band aboard has improved consider¬ 
ably, and our evening concerts have become quite an event. 
To-night we have an informal ball. 
In the Red Sea; weather fine. A very delightful surprise 
Feb. 26th was tendered me in the form of a birthday party, in which 
the Captain, Learmonth, Buxton, Penton, Goode and Mrs. 
Fleischmann participated. There was the proverbial cake 
with candles, and a present from each of the party. 
Reached Aden, “The Gibraltar of the East,” about mid- 
Feb. 27th night. Our two shikaris, Douda and Hirsi Mohammed, whom 
we had previously engaged, came aboard with a letter from 
Cawasji Dimshaw, an Indian merchant, trading in Somali¬ 
land, advising that we get our second gun-bearers in British 
East Africa. 
A siege of horse-sickness making ponies unprocurable at 
any price here at Aden, we wired Newland & Tarlton, cara¬ 
van outfitters at Nairobi, to do what they could for us at 
that place. 
Later, Buxton, Goode, Penton, Mrs. Fleischmann and I 
went ashore, hiring a couple of gharries, and drove out to 
some old Arabian waterworks, a full moon making it light 
as day. 
Returned to Aden about 4.30 A. M.; woke the hotel people, 
Feb. 28 th and prevailed upon them to give us breakfast. Later went 
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