anybody's assisting me without his entire consent. Such, in fact, were
the effects of these angry ebullitions of temper on the minds of my
people, that the young Prince Abdullah, fearing to be witness to them
any more, took his leave and departed home.

31st.--At length the rear traps arrived, but one camel, having been
taken ill on the march this morning whilst coming from Abi, was
slaughtered to "_save_" his flesh, and devoured by my hungry men. As
soon as everything had arrived, and the men were made aware of my
intention to push forward, they requested their discharge, affecting
fear to enter on a strange land, but in reality seeing I had no cloths
left to pay them, as afterwards transpired. This deficiency I visited
on the Abban, who, in trying to excuse himself for inefficiency in his
protectorship, meekly said he had been grieved to see the very rapid
decline of my property, but he could not help it, as I had so many
thieves in my employment!!! Mrs Awado now came over from Birhamir,
bringing a sheep and some ghee as a present for me; but I refused
taking anything from the relative of the Abban, and this appeared to
grieve her much. She said she had heard of all my disputes with
Sumunter, her son, and had remonstrated with him about them; he was a
proud man, and easily led away by vanity. She could see his being at
variance with me would not end to his advantage on his return to Aden,
and tried coaxing him to journey with me; but at the same time told me
he would have to be well upon his guard, as in former years he had
married clandestinely with a damsel of the Rheer Hamaturwa, a
sub-tribe of the Habr Gerhajis, who occupy the hill-range overlooking
Bunder Heis; and her loss to those people would be avenged at once, if
he ever came within their power. The Rheer Hamaturwa had heard of my
intention to journey westwards, and would be in readiness to descend
upon and intercept our march, kill Sumunter, and destroy the whole of