''MOLLY'S'' BAD PREDICAMENT, 265 we were offered such low prices, that we gave most of them away to the more deserving of our drivers and servants. We had nine goats ; these, too, were distributed in the same way ; the boy who looked after them was so lazy that he did not come in for them as he had expected to do. The year before, we had given them to the man who had had charge of them, and he sold them, and purchased a camel with the proceeds ; the boy had heard of this, and entirely reckoned his chickens before they were hatched, as he had to take his departure without any present.

We had promised our Arabs the present of a buUocK, on which to feast themselves on their arrival at Massawa, and had entrusted Suleiman to purchase one for their benefit ; but on inquiring if he had done so, he said ''No," adding, ''People only bring hen cow, he no good, he make plenty shild ! " Our steamer, the " Messina," put off her departure until the morning of the 17th, when we all embarked about 8.30. The arrangements for getting on board were rather primitive, our servants and the steerage-passengers having to reach the steamer by swarming up a rope. Soon after we had got under way, it was discovered that " Molly " (Mahoom) was missing.

The ship was searched in vain ; when some one, happening to look over the side of the vessel, discovered poor "Molly" in the last stage of exhaustion and terror, hanging on to the end of the rope like grim death. Assistance was at hand, and he was soon placed in safety. It appeared that he was the last of the servants to come on board, and, having caught hold of the rope, the shore-boat rowed away, leaving him clinging to it.

Climbing was not one of his accomplishments. An Italian sailor, who witnessed his predicament, hauled away at the rope in a feeble sort of way, but, finding Molly's weight rather too much for him, quietly let go, and gave it up for a bad job, leav-