BACK AT TOADELOOK, after the horses. He was a great friend of Achmet's, whom I have mentioned as being so good a tracker. Achmet had come with us all the way from Souakim, and had stuck to us when his companions left on our arrival at Cassala ; and we promised to take him with us by sea from Massawa to Souakim, as well as En-noor, if he wished to go.

I should further mention an exception among the cameldrivers. Yacoub, a poor boy who suffered dreadfully from guinea-worm in the leg, was anxious to go with us. He would never allow the doctor to try an operation, but twice permitted him to draw off the matter that used to accumulate about the knee-joint ; after which, for some time, he was able to go about and look after his camels, apparently without pain.

Most of the camel-drivers we should have dismissed at Haikota, whether they had wished to go or not ; for a more idle, incompetent set of fellows it would be difficult to find. The head man among them, although knowing very little about camels and their ailments, worked very hard all the time, and did his best for us. We rewarded him by giving him a horse that was not worth taking on any farther. Colvin's horse, the "Wandering Monk," had previously made the sheik of Sogada happy for life. Sheik Achmed Ageer was anxious to buy Lort Phillips's riding-camel, for which he began by offering him five dollars and an old camel that was quite worthless, and ended by offering thirty-five dollars ; but he would not part with it. On the 30th we moved on to Toadelook, our old quarters. From there the road turns off to Amedeb, for which place we were bound ; and, having two or three days longer to wait, we thought we could not better employ our time than by waiting there. It seemed, too, to be a last and decidedly favourable opportunity for adding a lion to our bag, as the moon was full, and the Arabs declared that there were plenty of these ani-