CHAPTER IY.
KOUTE EEOM CASS ALA TO SOUAKIM.
By dead reckoning, Cassala is ninety-three miles S.S.E.
of Gozerajup, or about 340 miles from Berber. We
had ridden about 710 miles from Korosko, 630 miles
of which had been through scorching deserts during
the hottest season. We were, therefore,V thankful to exchange the intense heat of the tent for a solid roof,
and to rest for a short time in the picturesque country
of Taka.
The direct route to Cassala, the capital of Taka,
should be from Suez to Souakim, on the Bed Sea, and
from thence, in sixteen days, by camel. Thus, were
there a line from Suez to Souakim by steamers, sim ilar
to that already established to Jedda, Cassala would be
only twenty-two days’ journey from Cairo. At present,
the arrival of steamers at Souakim is entirely
uncertain, therefore the trade of the country is paralysed
by the apathy of the Egyptian Government.
The Abdul Azziz Company run their steamers regu-
larlyfrom Suez to Jedda; and, although they advertise
Souakim as a port of call, there is no dependence
THE SEROOT FLY. See page 185.
“ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall
hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt”—
I s a i a h v ii. 18 .