polite. He offered me everything at His disposal, and
gave as an honorary present a Dumba sheep and
a bowl of sour camel’s milk, which I thought at the
time the most delicious thing I ever drank. I t is
sharp and rough, like labourers’ cider, and, drunk in
the heat of the day, is most refreshing. When first
taken, and until the stomach becomes accustomed to
it, it operates like medicine, and I on this occasion
was fairly taken in. The fish we caught were not
very good, but comical in appearance, and of a great
variety of the most beautiful prismatic colours,
changing in tin t as different lights and shades
struck upon them.
We left Heis on the 25th, with very light and
unfavourable winds, and tracked along shore to the
eastward, making very little way. The weather continuing
the same, on the 26th I forced the Nahkoda,
much against his will, on at night, as during the
darker hours the winds were much stronger, and by
this means we arrived at our destination, Bunder
Gori on the Warsingali frontier, at sundown on
the 27th of October. I had now seen the Somali
shore, and must confess I was much disappointed.
All that was visible, besides the village mentioned,
was a sandy tract of ground, the maritime plain, which
extended in breadth from the sea-shore to some brown-
looking hills in the background, from a few hundred
yards to one or two miles distant; and hills and
plains—for I could, by my close approximation to
them, only see the brown folds of the hills near the
base were alike almost destitute of any vegetation;
whilst not one animal or any other living creature
could be seen.
28th October.—The Abban would not allow anybody
to go on shore until certain parties came off to
welcome us and invite us to land, such being the
etiquette of the country when any big-wigs arrive.
After the sun rose we were duly honoured by the
arrival of many half-naked dignitaries, who tenderly
inquired after the state of our health, the prosperity
or otherwise of our voyage, the purpose of our coming
there, and a variety of other such interesting matters.
Then again they were questioned by our people as to
the state of the country, whether in peace or war;
how and where the Sultan Gerad Mahamed Ali was
residing; if rain had lately fallen, and where; if the
¡cattle were well in milk ;—to which it was responded
that everything was in the most promising order; the
cattle were flourishing in the hills, where rain had
lately fallen, about twenty miles distant from that
place; and the sultan, with all the royal family,*
were there, revelling on milk, under the shade of
favouring trees, or reposedly basking in the warm
morning sun — the height of Somali bliss. The
order was now given to go ashore, and we all moved
off to a fort which the Abban said was his own property,
in Goriat (little Bunder Gori), three miles to
the westward of Bunder Gori. There were two of
these little forts near, and a small collection of mat
♦ The sultan has four sous.