A FALSE ALARM.

did, it would have tried to knock me into the river with its tail ; it had, no doubt, heard us drinking, and had popped round from behind a rock. Sir Samuel Baker says in his book " The Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia," that the crocodiles on the Settite are noted for their daring. This was certainly an instance of the truth of his remark.

During our walk we came across the evidence of hippopotami having been lately killed. In one place there had evidently been an encampment of Arabs, and close by a quantity of hide had been left. The place had no doubt been abandoned in a great hurry, otherwise such a valuable article as hippopotamus-hide would never have been left behind ; it was quite fresh, and cut in strips for the manufacture of whips. A quantity of rope, too, was lying near it, and had doubtless been used for pulling the animal on to the bank. Our men's nerves were worked up to a great pitch of excitement, and I believe they imagined all kind of dreadful things were likely to happen.

When the others joined us in the evening at the place where we had decided upon making a camp, they told us of a most amusing scare they had had, just as they were engaged in striking the tents. One of our camel-drivers, an old Shukreeyeh, had come running into camp in a state of terrible excitement, declaring that he had seen a large body of Abyssinians on horseback, and armed with guns and spears, approaching us from the direction of Abyssinia. There was an immediate call to arms, and a general scurrying for rifles, cartridges, and spears. Very soon, however, it was discovered that the whole thing existed merely in the old fellow's imagination, as there was not the least sign of a human being in sight other than those belonging to our own party ; and the whole thing ended in a laugh, and an excited war-dance by our natives.