Great Mortality through Famine. 391 great delay, begging tliem to take the iiecessarj measures tliat tlie soldiers might not consume more than a halfration a day. It is incredible, but a fact, that the soldiers who receive their rations every fifteen days, consisting of fifteen oche of doora, generally eat it all in three or four days. You will say, " How do they manage the rest of the time? " Well, when we are on land they find means of selling, purchasing and re-selling various objects, and the sheikhs are generally very liberal when they possess any provisions ; so much the more because they admire the discipline I uphold amongst my men contrasted with the former rapacity of the irregular troops, etc. But all this can be done on land, but not on board, and the men must remember that here the} will find nothing.

October 9th. — We are working steadily at a single bar about twelve thousand feet long. Day by day the task becomes more difficult, the men being tired with working always in the water. As I have a great many people, I counselled the captain to divide the labour, half working from morning to noon, and the other half till evening. He promised to do so, but afterwards paid no heed to my advice ; on the contrary, I was informed that he complained to my men that I interfered with his affairs, for after all he was the captain, and had the responsibility. During the last nine days the work was daily interrupted by two or three hours of heavy rain.

At night the mosquitoes are a terrible nuisance ; my people cannot sleep, but walk about and curse.

Sometimes one treads upon another who has managed to fall asleep, on which there arise howls, cries and quarrels, which last till day-light. The captain is brutal in his treatment of the crew ; they have all large scars, and one sailor had the thumb of his left hand crushed by a blow from a piece of wood. We see in the distance the wooded shores of