14 AFRICAN^ ^VANDE RINGS.

for Taka. Karreri (by the Turks called Chirreri), a village some

three hours below Chartura, and the residence of the friend and

countryman of the Pascha's, Soliman Kaschef, has a healthy cli-

mate, and on this account Joseph had advised the Pascha to hasten

there as soon as possible, for the latter was again suffering from

fever, and would hear nothing of quinine, but insisted on bleeding;

and that, Joseph in his turn, with equal stern pertinacity, would

not allow of, let the other fume and look as fierce as he chose.

Often have I admired the Pascha's composure during illness. The

curtain of the great door was down, and I therefore entered by a

side one, and there he sat as usual, occupied with various affairs,

and all kinds of business ; but at siich times the Circassian lion

was tamed and mild as a lamb.

The whole burden of our unfinished preparations now fell to my

lot. For provisions, clothes, arras, ammunition, tent, &c.,

were already 6,000 piastres gone. As far as food and drink

went, we might perchance have saved ourselves somewhat, as the Pascha had assured us of places at his table ; but we could not depend on the Turkish complimentary style of promising, knowing

the hungry state of his dependants, and were particularly anxious

to reserve perfect liberty to ourselves. I still required ten camels

for the conveyance of our baggage, as the golden cupolas of Bagdad

yet held a place in our minds, and had bought, at a high price, two pack -camels (hamln) that had escaped the searching eyes of the

soldiery, when Khaimakan (Lieutenant-colonel) Sorop Effendi of-

fered me eight camels from government (belik), their price to be

deducted from our allowances. Now came the puzzle, what was I

to do with our animals? Our great pride, a young lion without a mane, was dead. Soliman Effendi, who was in terror of it even when it was shut up, had dared to poison it, as I afterwards learned from our servants, but not until the renegade himself was dead

but still there were the. birds I had trapped, all in their cages, and

these I turned out into the garden, and scattered about a good

supply of food for them. Still there were the larger carnivorous

birds, an eagle, and our special pet the black horn bird, Abu Goru

(Buceros abyss. Z.), who answered to the name of " Hans," came

hopping up on being so called, took in his long bent beak the piece

of meat offered him, threw it up in the air, catching it again as it