BEAUTIFUL FISH. 263 suited with him as to the probability of recovering our rifles. He had travelled a good deal in Abyssinia, and seemed to be conversant both with the people and the country. His opinion was, that if the rifles had come into the possession of the king we should get them back, but he did not feel at all sure that they had ever reached his hands. He advised our asking our consul-general in Egypt, Sir Edward Malet, to speak to the French consul-general in Cairo, and get him to telegraph to him at Massawa to do his best for us, and when he heard from him he would send a messenger to the king with a letter. He declared that the king was at present very well disposed towards Europeans. I hope before very long to be able to visit his country, and judge for myself.

The number and variety of fish at Massawa is something extraordinary, and many are of great beauty. Numbers of large fish are to be seen jumping in the harbour, and in the shallow water near the causeway ; among them the beautiful zebra-fish, a small species, striped yellow and black, others brightest blue, and some with black bands across the back ; while that curious creature the beckoning-crab is quite common in the wet sand, near the edge of the water, and in marshy places ; it is bright yellow and blue, with one long claw with which it always appears to be beckoning ; hence its name. We found them very difficult to catch, as they all had holes in the sand, down which they promptly retreated on our approach.

We all bathed in the sea before breakfast,— a proceeding which seemed greatly to astonish the natives. We, of course, avoided the deep water for fear of sharks, but, all the same, were informed by residents that we had done a most dangerous thing from a sanitary point of view ; and one man explained that the extreme saltness of the water made bathing hurtful ! A real danger, however, most certainly existed in the presence of