once closed, and the atmosphere below becomes stifling,
whilst sleeping on deck is not always safe when the
vessel is tossing or rolling heavily, and the waves
breaking over her deck. On one such night, at about
one in the morning, a perfect panic was created
amongst the passengers by the sudden stopping of the
engine ; figures rushed upstairs in a frantic manner,
and in the most irregular guises, but fortunately the
alarm was a false one, for the Captain’s order to
“ sound ” was the sole reason, which, in a heavy sea,
cannot be done with accuracy whilst steaming along
a t a great speed. “ All right ” soon reassured us, and
the next command, “ Go ahead,” found most of us
already in our berth, or on the table in the large
saloon, as the case might be.
On the fifth day after leaving Suez we first passed
Mokha, a small fortified seaport on the Arabian coast,
surrounded by a hot sandy waste ; it is hence th a t the
famous coffee bean is exported. Soon after Perim, in
the Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb, appeared in sight. The
latter island is bare, only three and a half miles by two
and a half in extent, but holding a commanding position
a t the entrance of the Red Sea, and has a fort on its
summit, garrisoned by some seventy native soldiers,
and a few English officers, who must lead a most
miserable existence in that lonely spot.
Aden we reached on the following morning, a
strange rocky place with its fortifications, cantonments
and churches, terraced water reservoirs of enormous
size excavated in a sort of gorge, sombre looking hills
rising on either side, and, skirting the tanks, a pleasant
bit of garden producing lawn, shrubs and flowers,
quite a rarity at Aden, whilst granite steps make the
ascent tolerably easy. Here I met an old Italian
friend on his way to Bombay, and eventually bound
for the Punjab, where he possessed a silk factory. He
persuaded me to leave the “ Mooltan,” which was
bound for Madras, and to exchange my ticket for one
by the “ Ell ora,” he was travelling by, which suited me
just as well, as I had made no plans whatever, and I
was glad to have so pleasant a companion. The P.
and O. Agent made no difficulty, and my traps were
soon transferred to the smaller but equally comfortable
steamer. When her coaling had been completed, a
number of naked black Somali boys (Plate I.) suddenly
appeared in the water, looking like little demons with
their curly heads besmeared with henna, diving for
coppers which the passengers threw into the sea. At
last we started afresh, this time taking a north-easterly
course and gradually escaping the extreme heat of the
Red Sea. My friend’s fund of conversation was inexhaustible,
and it recalled many a pleasant remini