tion of mat huts, mostly occupied by women. Instead
of finding a harbour (Bunder), as the name of the
village implied, the shore was a gradual shelving open
roadstead, in which two buggaloes were lying at
anchor, waiting for cargoes, and four small sailing-
boats were preparing, with harpoon and tackle, to go
porpoise-hunting for oil.
18 ¿A—Having made everybody as uncomfortable as
I could wish, sitting in the sandy open plain, all the
men were equally desirous with myself for a move on
the journey; but still I was five camels short, and saw
no hopes of getting them. The plan then settled was
to move southwards half-way up the hill, leaving the
few things still in the fort as they were, until I arrived
at the camping-place, and could send the animal« I
was taking with me back to fetch them. Having
now desired the sultan, Sumunter, and Farhan to
return to Goriat, and leave the rear property in safe
custody with the fort-keeper, I commenced the march
across the maritime plain with Ahmed, Imam, a number
of Somali camel-tenders armed with spear and
bow, and the sultan s youngest son, Abdullah, to direct
the way until his father and the other two should
arrive, which they promised they would do by the
evening. The track first led us across the maritime
plain, here about two miles broad, and composed of
sand overlying limestone, with boulders in the dry
shallow watercourses, and with no vegetable life save
a few scrub acacias and certain salsola. This traversed,
we next wound along a deep ravine called
Tug (river) Tura,* lying between the lower spurs
of the mountain - range, and commenced a slight
ascent up its cracked, uneven passage, until we reached
a halting-place called Iskodubuk. The distance we
had made was only about five miles from Bunder
Gori, but the camels were so fatigued by travelling
over boulders, that we were obliged to unload and
stop there for the day. The sultan and Abban now
overtook us to say that the rear things were in safe
custody in the fort; and, leaving instructions with
the young Prince Abdullah about the road we should
follow on the morrow, returned nolens volens back to
Bunder Gori, saying, as they went away, we might
expect them at the next camping-ground as soon even
as we could get there with the camels. A little after
sunset, some interesting rock-pigeons—very similar to
the Indian painted bird, which I found there frequenting
ground much of the same nature—lit at some
pools in the bed of the ravine, and enabled me to
shoot and stuff several of them.
19 th.—We got under way in the early morning, and
commenced ascending the same ravine, when a messenger
from the sultan arrived, and desired we would
stop until he came. We had scarcely accomplished
two miles, and the morning was yet young and cool,
and I strove with every effort in my power to induce
the men to go a little further forward, but without the
slightest effect; they were as obstinate as mules, and
* Tug, in the Somali language, signifies a periodical river, or watercourse,
the same as Wadi in Arabic, and Nullah in Hindustani.