A MIXED MARRIAGE.

water-carrying, but no men ever demean themselves by such employment.

The people of tne village were at first afraid to come down to see us ; but the she'ik sent some of his horsemen to them, who brought back the vihage sheik and some of his followers to interview us. They were very like the other Base we had seen.

The sheik had married his own sister, and had several children by her. This is very common in the country, and thought nothing of. They were very curious, wanting to know what could possibly have induced \\t to visit them. They said no travellers had ever passed that way before. I have no doubt that such was the case ; and the Haikota people confirmed them in it, declaring that no Europeans had ever been to Sogada before.

The country was very wretched, hilly, and covered with kitiar-hwsh.QS ; nevertheless, a good deal of dliiirra was grown near the village, far more than up the Mareb, where there was very little appearance of any attempt at cultivation.

Sheik Achmed left us the following day, but not before he had induced us to take three Base horsemen from Sogada. He declared, — and there seemed to be sense in his argument, that they would be able to make things easier for us with the Base on the Settite, and help us to procure a fresh supply of dhtirra. The dJmrra was a constant source of worry wherever we went, it being generally very scarce, and the people most unwilling to part with it, even when well paid for doing so.