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difficulties, and finally arrived, after twelve miles' marching, at a place called Hundurgal, situated in the hollow of a watercourse which divides the Warsingali from the Habr Gerhajis frontiers, and transmits its waters to the Gulf at Ras Galwénee. During the journey the Somalis pointed out some of their richest gum-trees, of which the finest in order is a species of frankincense, called by them Falafala, or Luban Méti. The gum of this tree is especially valued by the Somali women for fumigating purposes, which they apply to their bodies by sitting over it, when ignited, in the same manner as Cashmeres sit over their little charcoal-pots to keep themselves warm when resting on their travels. They enshroud themselves in a large wrapper, place a pot with the burning gum between their legs, and allow the perfume to rise to every portion of their body simultaneously. We gave our guides five cloths for escort, and sent them away.

I was informed by my men that under lee of Ras Galwénee there is a better harbour than any on the whole coast-line, having deep water close in to the shore, but, being a neutral ground, the Warsingalis will not allow anybody to occupy it. They don't allow the Habr Gerhajis to do so, as they would monopolise the trade; and they won't take it themselves, as their sultan sagely remarks it would draw all their force to one side of their possessions, and thus leave the other exposed to attack from the Mijjarthaines. Now the Dulbahantas are obliged to come to Bunder Goree if they want to traffic with outer nations, but were the Habr Gerhajis at Galwénee, this custom would be drawn from them.

28th. The inexpressible delight I felt at snuffing the fresh sea-air, and being comparatively free from the tyranny of my persecutor Samater, was truly indescribable; and I felt so impatient to end this useless journey, and join my friends for the larger and more promising one, I could hardly restrain my spirits. I stepped out before the caravan was ready, and began the journey alone, when presently a rapid fire, the discharge of a six-barrel revolver, attracted my

attention. This was done by the Abban, who said, whilst travelling there his life was in jeopardy from the Habr Gerhajis, in consequence of an old feud he had contracted with them, and for which reason they had forbidden this road to him. He thought to frighten them by the report of firearms, but it seemed to have the opposite effect, for many men at once gathered around the caravan, and for the time being prevented its onward course. As usual, they wanted me not only to pay for travelling in their country, but to liquidate their claim on the Abban, as I had brought him there, and only out of consideration for the respect they felt towards me, they permitted his passage in safety. They might as well have tried to skin a flint as obtain anything from me, and I told them so, for Samater had fleeced me of all my effects. This parley concluded, we travelled on without any further molestation, and, crossing over the foot of some low spurs, arrived at noon in a broad watercourse on the maritime plain to eat some breakfast. Here I shot and stuffed a very interesting rat, with a bushy tail, very much resembling the little gilléri squirrel of the Indian plains, but plumper in face and body, like a recently born rabbit. I had seen many of them in rocks about the hill's side, but until now had not secured a good specimen. This interesting little animal has since been compared by Mr Blyth, curator of the Asiatic Society, Calcutta, and determined to be a new genus, and was named by him Pectinator Spekei. Lieutenant Cruttenden, by his Somali paper, published in the 19th vol. of the Royal Geographical Society, from which I have availed myself to enrich these pages in many respects, appears to have met with them, but considered them to be genuine squirrels. Again at this place I saw those large, black canine animals with white-tipped tail, but could not get a shot: there were three hunting together, like jungle dogs in India. Afterrefreshing ourselves we resumed the march, and travelled along the sandy shore eastward to a haltingplace called Farjeh, completing a march of twelve miles.

29th. This day we completed our journey by marching into Goreeat, when I again took occupation of the old fort. An answer from the Government at Aden to my appeal against the Sultan and Abban had now arrived, and affected Samater severely. He was ready to sink into the earth, and said to me, "Oh, why did you not whip me when I was in fault? I could have borne that well, but writing to the English at Aden is more than I can bear. What will be the consequences now if I return to Aden?" I said I could not answer for it, as it was now beyond my control, and if he went over there he must take his chance; but I strongly advised his not going at all. "Indeed," I said, "I wish you would depart from me at once. From the first, I told you I was obliged, by order, to write accurate accounts of everything as they happened, and the English, as you have often said yourself, are remarkable for not telling lies." The Sultan, into whose hands the letter first went, would not show himself, but remained in the distant jungles, although I sent repeatedly for him to converse concerning Samater.

The buggalow in which I came from Aden was now anchored in Bunder Goree. It had made a voyage somewhere in the meanwhile, but the captain had been afraid to go to Aden in consequence of the salt question, in which Samater had made him confederate, fearing lest I might have since written to the authorities there about it. However, I now wanted to hire it again, and made sundry overtures to the captain, who at first showed a disposition to treat, hoping thereby I should forgive him; but he was finally hindered from doing so by the insidious machinations of Samater, who doubtless was afraid by this means of collecting at Aden more witnesses against himself. Samater now saw his position clearly, and must have felt equally with my self it was a great pity the letter of reproof from the Brigadier of Aden* did not arrive sooner, and keep him on a course of rectitude, for he was

* Then changed to Colonel Coghlan.

obliged to return to Aden and take his chance, as there he had not only a wife and family, but Aden was the headquarters of all his mercantile transactions. I was now dreadfully impatient to get away, but day by day I had to suffer disappointment. I was assured by Samater 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 the 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' persecutions, I plunged 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-notes of the journey, as well as maps and collections, which latter was sent to the public museum in Calcutta, a discussion took place for disposing of the Abban, who, I now found out, was not singular in the way of treating his clients, for Lieutenant Herne had been writing over complaints constantly about his man. I was averse to taking revenge 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.

Against my inclination I was ap

+ These notes were reported in an Appendix in the First Footsteps in East Africa, by Lieut. BURTON, with his other reports of this expedition.

pointed to be Samater's prosecutor, and with my servants as witnesses, a verdict of guilty was speedily effected against him in the Aden Police Court, which ended by his being condemned to prison for a period of two months, and to pay the sum of 200 rupees, or, failing to do that within the given time, he would be further subjected to imprisonment, with hard labour, six months more, and was to be banished with his family for ever after the present punishment should cease. I now advised Lieutenant Burton, after my late defeat in travelling, that it would be highly essential to the success of the great expedition that we should be escorted by some Somalis picked from the Aden police force, as by this means alone should we have men on whom we could depend. He also was aware of this

fact, from having been successfully taken himself into Harar by one of that corps; but, unfortunately for us, there were none to spare.

Though the Somalis are rare blackguards in most respects, there are some traits in their character which have always won me to them. They love freedom and liberty, and enjoy a jolly row, added to which they are always in good spirits. In my humble opinion they would make first-rate Gorilla soldiers for Aden, if armed and trained to shoot with good rifles, and not restrained to wearing any particular clothes, or confined to steady-marching drills. They have a national antipathy to the Arabs, from being their elder brothers, and would glory in having scrimmages with them.

(To be continued.)

NORMAN SINCLAIR,

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY.

PART V.

CHAPTER XVIL-THE SPIDER AND THE FLY.

NOTWITHSTANDING the urgent entreaties of Carlton, I persisted in declining to take up my residence under his roof. In coming to that determination I was influenced by two reasons. In the first place, I anticipated that the approaching winter would be one of hard work and study; things which can hardly be undertaken and steadily carried through, unless one is absolutely master of his own time and motions. However zealous or determined you may be in the prosecution of a task, however religiously you may refrain from the ordinary seductions of society, you are liable to the most grievous interruptions, and will fritter away much valuable time, if you do not possess the means of insuring at will the most perfect and unbroken seclusion. Now, seclusion is a thing not to be had, when two young men with similar tastes, and with a strong mutual liking, reside together. The day begins with breakfast, some

pleasant talk, the perusal of the paper, and a cigar, during which pastimes an hour or two insensibly glide away; and then, if the weather be fine, the idler or more unoccupied of the twain proposes a stroll, or a visit to some object of interest, which the other has rarely strength of mind to resist. For oftentimes, and in some moods, all kind of work is abhorrent to us; and we are too glad to embrace even the flimsiest excuse for escaping from what may be a positive duty. But, supposing that this temptation is overcome, and that the remainder of the forenoon is dedicated to work, there must be a certain space allowed for exercise, after which comes dinner, either at home or abroad. A certain genial lassitude is felt, which, combined with the delusive thought that we have already done a good day's work, indisposes us from further labour; and the result is that we find ourselves in the theatre, or the opera, or some other

place of popular entertainment. Rely upon it, young men, if you have occasion to work hard, which means to practise self-denial, you will do well to eschew companionship under the same roof. Your best friend may prove your worst enemy-at least, fooking back through the vista of years, I recall the image of more than one good fellow, to whom I was sincerely attached, but of whom I must nevertheless say that it would have been better had our acquaintance been the less. In the second place, I was, as Carlton truly enough observed, somewhat independent in my views. That is a national characteristic which people may commend or not, according to their peculiar ideas. I am aware that many Englishmen have or had the idea that what they call "booing" and scraping is an attribute of the Scot, and they quote the dramatic character of Sir Archy M'Sycophant as an example. They are egregiously mistaken. The Scot, if he is a gentleman, is as proud as a Spaniard, and sometimes carries pride even to a ridiculous degree. Within the range of my own recollection, there has, in this respect, been a considerable improvement, for I remember the time when the merest dullard who could show charters for a few hereditary acres, dated six or seven centuries back, gave himself the most intolerable airs, and sneered at the British Peerage as if it were a convention of parvenues; but I would fain hope that all such preposterous extravagance has disappeared, or only remains to be laughed at. But the proper pride of the gentleman that which keeps him free from subserviency, from doing anything that can derogate from ancient honour, from staining the purity of his shield-will, I trust, continue to be observed so long as Scotland adheres to her ancient and honourable traditions. I cannot assert that I was entirely without ambition, for the total absence of ambition is as fatal to a man as its presence in unrestrained excess; but I was resolved, so far as possible, to maintain my own independence while entering on a new career.

I accordingly took lodgings in a dull street in Westminster, which termi

nated in a railing on the bank of the river. It was certainly about as undesirable a locality as I could have found in all London, but I chose it because it was not a thoroughfare, being accessible only by a flight of steps which precluded the entrance of cart or carriage. Here, I thought, I shall be able at least to secure absolute quiet. Never was there such a delusion! From the first glimmering of early dawn the street was vocal with the cries of hawkers of every kind, who seemed to drive a smart trade in milk, vegetables, pies, and other small comestibles; and no sooner was the business of the ambulatory market over, than we had an influx of the children of Israel, whose delight is in cast raiment; of Bavarian broomgirls, saucy sluts as ever peered into a window on the ground-floor; of unannexed Savoyards, with hurdygurdies, barrel-organs, monkeys, and white-mice; of fictitious sailors with wooden legs, bawling the ballad of the Arethusa; of unemployed operatives, who marched in gangs, howling a most dismal litany; and of a most unfacetious Punch, who thrice a-week molested that street with his squeak of preternatural shrillness. It was no use attempting to buy them off with loose coins. The Cobre copper-mine itself would have been exhausted by the rapacity of so many vagabonds, who, I am convinced, marked those houses in which weakminded donors resided, and made them the especial object of their visits. The only way to mitigate the nuisance, was to draw down the blind, and to put a ticket in the window announcing vacant apartments; but I soon discovered the fallacy of that expedient, which involved the necessity of having candles lighted at noonday, so I even tried to endure this succession of plagues with the calm obstinacy of an Egyptian.

Decidedly mine was an uncomfortable lodging. Besides the parlour to the front, which was my breakfast and writing room, I had a back bedroom looking into a paved court, which latter was the favourite resort of the feline tribe; for there Tom and Tabby did most amorously consort at nightfall, and rob Morpheus of his dues by dint of their confounded ca

terwauling. Nor can I say much in favour of the internal accommodation. I am not of Sybaritic tendencies, and might in the course of time have become accustomed to the hardness of the bed, but my flesh suffered grievously from the lumps of unpicked oakum which appeared to constitute a large portion of the stuffing of the mattress. Upon what food my landlady, Mrs Lewson, and the one gawky girl, evidently taken from the workhouse, who was her sole domestic, subsisted, I never exactly ascertained, but, judging from the odours which, at certain hours, pervaded the passage, I am inclined to think that onions formed a large ingredient in their meals. I had no faith in Mrs Lewson's talents for cookery, and indeed never requested her to favour me with any specimens of her skill, except for breakfast, and even then I was forced to content myself with eggs and anchovies, having been greatly scared, on the morning after I took possession of the rooms, by the appearance of some most equivocal sausages, which, if subjected to analysis, would, I fear, have been condemned. At all events, Lion, who was no way particular as to diet, turned away from them, after a preliminary sniff, with a look of unutterable disgust. Howbeit, as Mrs Lewson, in her own way, was very civil, and not more of an extortioner than was natural to her calling, while slipshod Sally, though awkward and untidy, was a willing drudge, and extremely grateful for an occasional shilling, I made up my mind to tarry where I was, at all events, for the winter months, which were now rapidly approaching. I had no want of occupation of a fair remunerative kind; for, as already explained, I had established a literary connection; and, being always punctual to my engagements, my pen was in considerable request. And here I cannot help observing with gratitude and delight, that even anonymous authorship in our day, if deliberately adopted and steadily persevered in by men of competent ability and education, is certain to receive a reward—not large, certainly, nor any way to be compared with the emoluments which are to be derived from the steady adherence to

a recognised profession-but much more liberal than high genius could have commanded in the days of Savage and Johnson. I am quite aware that literature, regarded as the sole means of obtaining a livelihood, is the most precarious of pursuits; and that, even now, adventurers of no inconsiderable talent, who have forced their way into the literary field, have been compelled to eat the bread of misery, and have moistened it with their tears. But I think, if we come to consider such cases individually, we shall find that one of two things was wanting-Either that the candidate for recognition in the republic of letters (which, in plain terms, means the good-will of the publishers) had been too ambitious in his early attempts, and, overlooking the fact that very few authors have attained celebrity or won the ear of the public without undergoing the probation of a long apprenticeship, had tried to take heaven by storm, and, like Phaeton, to step at once into the chariot and drive the horses of the sun. Or, which is the more common case, that, after a certain amount of success, the animal spirits which most literary men possess, and which, under proper control, are to them no inconsiderable advantage-or otherwise their vanity and proneness to adulation-hurry them into excesses and disorderly habits, such as brought Robert Greene and Christopher Marlowe to their early and dishonourable graves. The greater the gift, the more numerous and powerful are the temptations that beset us. O that men would but consider that the talents which they are enabled to exhibit, and which are oftentimes so much admired by the unthinking multitude, who, after a peculiar fashion, regard them as intellectual idols, are not of their own creation, but were vouchsafed to them by the Almighty, and that, if abused or perverted, those talents will be a curse to them on earth, and condemnation in the judgment to come!

Of course I did not occupy myself entirely with quill-driving and mental work, but sought in a moderate way such recreation as London, during the gloomy months of November and December, could afford. I saw a

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