seeing her wounds, but, under any circumstances, the
bullets ought to he extracted. This appeared to them
still more alarming than ever. They did not wish me
to inspect the wounds, and the woman herself was very
bashful. However, the Sahib was the only surgeon
present, and votes gave me the practice. It was certainly
very amusing to witness the struggle between
virtue and necessity, and the operation was so far satisfactory
that I succeeded in extracting one of the halls.
The other ball, however, was so deeply imbedded I
could not find a probe that would reach it. Fortunately
it was not fired in a dangerous direction, and the hall
being small, I thought it would not occasion her any
serious inconvenience. In short, I set their minds easy
on that score, though it did not keep their tongues
quiet from importunate begging. I was now dreadfully
impatient to get away, but day by day I had to suffer
disappointment. I was assured by Sumunter he was
doing everything in his power to facilitate it, and as
often told by the interpreter, when he had gone away,
that he was doing nothing of the sort, but, on the contrary,
had sent to the interior to get three ponies,
which would make five with what he had, the complement
required by Lieutenant Burton, to make a present
to him on arrival, as a bribe to overlook his faults. I
besought he would desist from this hopeless speculation,
as time was now more precious than any other matter.
Still he persisted, and in a fortnight's time the animals
arrived, and then, without further trouble, we chartered
a vessel for thirty-five dollars, twelve times the fare I
paid for coming over, with the whole vessel to myself,
and embarked with eight camels and five ponies on the
15th February 1855. After five days’ sailing we
anchored in Aden harbour, and no sooner did the
“ let go the anchor ” sound, than, Somali fashion, overjoyed
at my release from three and a half months
persecution, I took a header into the sea, and hastily
swam ashore to hurry off and meet old friends.
After the first greetings were over, and I had delivered
for report all my sketch-notes4' of the journey,
as well as maps and collections, which latter were sent
to the public museum in Calcutta, a discussion took
place as to the disposal of the Abban, who, I now found
out, was not singular in the way of treating his clients,
for Herne had been writing over complaints constantly
about his man. I was averse to punishing him, from
the simple fact of having brought him over; but my
commandant thought otherwise, and that he had better
be punished, if for no other reason than to set a good
moral example to the others, t
Against my inclination I was appointed to be Su-
munter’s prosecutor, and with my servants as witnesses,
a verdict of guilty was speedily effected against him in
the Aden Police Court. He was then sentenced to
two months’ imprisonment, and to pay the sum of 200
rupees, or, failing to do that within the given time, he
* These notes were reported in an Appendix in the ‘ First Footsteps
in East Africa,’ by Lieutenant Burton, with his other reports of this
expedition.
f To say the least of it, this was a very dangerous policy to play with
a people who consider might right, and revenge to death.