''PALACE'' QUARTERS, 261 the latter, that he had tacked on to a telegram we told him to send to the governor of Massawa, from Sanheit, Have palace ready for us ; " and his instructions had happily been carried out to the letter. It was the most comfortable place imaginable for such a climate, and proved to be far more so than our quarters at Souakim had been ; and, being built on a small island, was, comparatively speaking, cool. It consisted of a very large square house ; the living-rooms were all on the first floor, the ground-floor being given up to offices, store-rooms, the kitchen, etc. To reach our apartments, we had to ascend a broad double flight of steps, at the top of which a massively carved wooden door gave access to a lofty domed hall, out of which opened four large rooms ; the only furnished one was kept as a sort of divan, and the other three were given up to our use. A broad verandah, upon which three doors opened, ran all round the house, except over the front steps. We placed our dining-table in the centre of the hall ; and there, in hot weather, by opening all the doors, "the four winds of heaven" could be enjoyed.

Massawa, like Souakim, is built on an island, which is completely covered with houses, and is joined to another island by a causeway about two hundred yards long, on which are the barracks, the governor's residence, and a number of small houses ; to this, again, is joined another, on which the palace stands, but no other building. To reach the mainland, it is necessary to pass the barracks, and follow a very long causeway for fully three-quarters of a mile.

There is no water in Massawa, and pipes are laid on from the mainland as far as the barracks ; and from there into the town may be seen a constant stream of donkeys going to and fro with the necessary supply. It is slightly brackish, but excellent water for drinking purposes is brought into the town from a distance of four or five miles.