A BASE SCARE, 233 greener one. The numbers of various brightly plumaged birds, and the general appearance of the country, reminded me of the Anseba valley, which we had visited the jDrevious year, and were again to pass through on our way to the coast. In this khor we encountered two very deep wells, situated some miles apart.

On this journey we enjoyed a Base scare. We had gone on some distance ahead of the caravan, and suddenly came upon two Base drawing water at a well. They were at first very much frightened at us ; but we soon made friends, and, riding on ahead, left the/n. About an hour later, one of our men came running after us with the alarming news that the Base had come down in great numbers from the hills, and fallen on the caravan in our rear. We, of course, all turned round, and retraced our steps at our camels' best pace ; finding the whole thing, as so often happens in these countries, a false alarm.

Before encountering the caravan, however, it seemed as though "the battle" had begun. Colvin and one of the others had got on some distance ahead of me, when suddenly I heard a shot, and did not know what to make of it. I renewed my efforts to get on as quickly as possible, and more than once ran the chance of being knocked off my camel by the boughs of overhanging trees. On regaining the caravan, the mystery of the shot was soon explained. Colvin had put an end to the sufferings of a camel which had been left behind to die.

The ''attack" was then explained. The Base, unseen by us, had been watching our movements from the adjacent hills, and, being unaccustomed to see so large a caravan marching through their country, and probably never having seen Europeans before, were very naturally frightened, and at the same time curious to know what it all meant, and a number of them had come down and followed after the caravan to try and discover what was up.