Lieutenant Burton conceived the idea of waiting until the breaking up
of the Berbera fair, when the caravans disperse to their homes, to
travel by the ordinary caravan route, through the Ugahden country to
the Webbe Shebeli, and on to Gananah, and then to proceed further by
any favourable opportunity to the Zanzibar coast.

It was now, however, early October, and fully five months must elapse
ere we could finally enter on our march. In the mean time, Lieutenant
Burton, desirous of becoming acquainted as far as possible with the
habits of the people we were destined to travel amongst, as well as
the nature of the country and the modes of travelling in this _terra
incognita_, determined on making an experimental tour to Harar, a
place which had never been entered by any European, and was said to be
inaccessible to them. Harar, as I have said before, sends caravans
annually to the Berbera fair, and therefore comes within the influence
of British power. Taking advantage of this, Lieutenant Burton ordered
Herne to go to Berbera whilst he was on this expedition, to keep up a
diversion in his favour, arming him with instructions, that in case he
was detained in Harar by the Amir of that place, Herne might detain
their caravan as a ransom for the release of his party.

Further, to obtain more accurate knowledge concerning the march of the
Ugahden caravans, to gain an insight into the market transactions of
Berbera, and to collect cattle for our final march, it was deemed
advisable he should go there. Stroyan, as soon as he could manage it,
was also to go to Berbera to assist him. Thus everybody had a duty to
perform during this interregnum but myself.

Dreading the monotony of a station life, I now volunteered to travel
in any direction my commandant might think proper to direct, and to