CHAPTER VIII.

Journey from Cassala. — Game shot by the Way. — The Dog-faced Baboon. — Arrival at Haikota. — The German " Animal-catcher."— Visits from two Sheiks. — Sheik Achmed Ageer. — Attack on the Beni-Amers by the Base.— Fresh Supply of Camels. — Dinner to Sheik Achmed and the German.— Success of the Magic-Lantern.

The first day from Cassala, we accomplished a march of four and a half hours, travelling for some distance in the bed of the Gash ; then we crossed to its south bank, passed through some fields in which excellent crops of dhtm'a, nearly ripe, were growing ; and encamped in a plain at some little distance from a large village, composed of mat huts, and tenanted by numerous hungry-looking dogs, that barked savagely on our approach.

Not long after starting from Cassala, we found it necessary to disarm one of our escort, and, though thereby diminishing our fighting force, certainly added to our own safety. Our three Egyptian soldiers were armed with guns of a fortunately obsolete pattern, of the use of which they were almost as ignorant as a militia-man of his Martini ; but, having more curiosity on the subject, one of them, while we were on the march, desirous of exhibiting his prowess in the use of fire-arms, fired at a crow that was sitting on the ground. Owing to a slight defect in the sighting of his rifle, the bullet just missed one of our baggage-camels, and grazed George's arm, who was riding on another in the caravan.

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