Taken as they are; these wells could certainly be improved. On our arrival at

Moncullou, we found the water of the well belonging to the consular

residence scarcely used, on account of its very brackish taste; we had the

well emptied, a large quantity of saltish sand removed, and we dug deeper

until large rocks appeared. The result was that we had the best well in the

place, and requests for our water were made by many, including the Pasha

himself. Unfortunately, the forefathers of the present Moncullites never did

such a thing to their wells, and as all innovations are distasteful to a semicivilized race, the fact was admired, but not imitated.

Arkiko, at the extremity of the bay, is much nearer the mountains than the

villages situated north of Massowah, but the village is built almost on the

beach itself; the wells, not a hundred yards from the sea, are also much

more superficial than those on the northern side, consequently the seawater, having a much shorter distance to filter through, retains a greater

proportion of saline particles, and I believe, were, it not for the presence of

a small quantity of sweet water from the hills, it would be quite unpalatable.

In the neighbourhood of Maasowah there are several hot mineral springs.

The most important are those of Adulis and Ailat. In the summer of 1865

we made a short trip to Annesley Bay, to inspect the locality. The ruins of

Adulis are several miles from the shore, and, with the exception of a few

fragments of broken columns, contain no traces of the former important

colony. The place was even hotter than Massowah; there was no vegetation,

no trace of habitations on that desolate shore. Fancy our surprise, on

reaching the same spot in May, 1868, to find piers, railways, bazaars, &c.—

a bustling city had sprung out of the wilderness.

The springs of Adulis [Footnote: A short time before our departure for the

interior, some of the water of the hot springs of Adulis was collected and

forwarded to Bombay for analysis.] are only a few hundred yards from the

sea-shore, surrounded by a pleasing green patch covered with a vigorous

vegetation, the rendezvous of myriads of birds and quadrupeds, who,

morning and evening, swarm thither to quench their thirst.

At Ailat [Footnote: Water collected and sent to Bombay, November, 1864.]

the hot spring issues from basaltic rocks on a small plateau between high

and precipitous mountains. At the source itself the temperature is 141

Fahrenheit, but as the water flows down the different ravines, it gradually

cools until it differs in no way from other mountain streams. It is palatable,

and used by the inhabitants of Ailat for all purposes: it is also highly

esteemed by the Bedouins. On account of its medicinal properties, numbers

resort to the natural baths, formed of hollowed volcanic roots, for the relief

of every variety of disease. From what I could gather, it appears to prove

beneficial in chronic rheumatism and in diseases of the skin. Probably in

these cases any warm water would act as well, considering the usual morbid

condition of the integument in those dirty and unwashed races.

The population of Massowah, including the surrounding villages (as far, at

least, as I could ascertain), amounts to 10,000 inhabitants. The Massowah

race is far from pure; being a mixture of Turkish, Arab, and African blood.

The features are generally good, the nose straight, the hair in many

instances short and curly; the skin brown, the lips often large, the teeth even

and white. The men are of the middle height; the women under it. So much

for their physical appearance. Morally they are ignorant and superstitious,

having apparently retained but few of their forefathers' virtues, but a great

many of their vices. A very good distinction can be made, in the male

portion of the community, between those who wear turbans and long white

shirts, and those hard-working wretches who, girded with a single leather

skin, roam about with their flocks in search of pasture and water. The first

live I know not how. They call themselves brokers! It is true that three or

four times a year caravans arrive from the interior, but as a rule, with the

exception of a skin or two of honey, and a few bags of jowaree, nothing is

imported. What possible business can about 500 brokers have? How ten

dollars' worth of honey and fifty of grain can give a brokerage sufficient to

clothe and feed, not only themselves but also their families, is a problem I

have in vain endeavoured to solve!

In the East, children, instead of being a burden to poor people, are often a

source of wealth: at Massowah they certainly are. The young girls of

Moncullou, &c., bring in a pretty good income to their parents. I know big,

strong, but lazy fellows who would squat down all day in the shade of their

huts, living on the earnings of two or three little girls, who daily went once

or twice to Massowah laden with a large skin full of water. The water-girls

vary in age from eight to sixteen. The younger ones are rather pretty, small,

but well made, the hair neatly braided and falling on the shoulders. A small

piece of cotton reaching from the waist to the knee is generally the only

garment of the poorest. Those better off wear also a piece of plaid thrown

gracefully across the shoulders. The right nostril is ornamented with a small

copper ring; as a substitute, a shirt-button is much esteemed, and during our

stay our buttons were in constant demand.

If we take into consideration that Massowah is situated within the tropics,

possessing no running stream, that it is surrounded by burning deserts, and

that rain seldom falls, the conclusion we could beforehand have arrived at

is, that the climate is essentially hot and dry.

From November to March the nights are cool, and during that period the

day, in a good house or tent, is pleasant enough. From April to October the

nights are close, and often very oppressive. During those hot months, both

in the morning before the sea-breeze springs up and in the evening when it

has died away, all animal creation falls into a torpid state. The perfect calm

that then reigns is fearful in its stillness and painful in its effects.

From May to August sand-storms frequently occur. They begin usually at

four P.M. (though occasionally they appear in the morning), and last from a

few minutes only to a couple of hours. Long before the storm is felt, the

horizon towards the N.N.W. is quite dark; a black cloud extends from the

sea to the mountain range, and as it advances the sun itself is obscured. A

few minutes of dead calm, and then suddenly the dark column approaches;

all seems to disappear before it, and the roar of the terrible hurricane of

wind and sand now coursing over the land is almost sublime in its horrors.

Coming after the moist sea breeze, the hot and dry wind appears quite cool,

though the thermometer rises to 110 or 115 degrees. After the storm a gentle

land breeze follows, and often lasts all night. The amount of sand carried by

the wind in these storms can be imagined by the mere mention of the fact

that we could not discern, at a short distance from us, such a large object as

a tent.

It seldom rains; occasionally there are a few showers in August and

November.

As far as Europeans are concerned, climates like the one we have just

described cannot be considered as unhealthy; they debilitate and weaken the

system, and predispose to tropical diseases, but seldom engender them. I

expected to find many cases of scurvy, due to the brackish condition of the

water and to the absence of vegetables; but either scurvy did not exist to a

great extent or did not come under my observation, as during my stay I did

not meet with more than three or four cases. Fevers affect the natives after a

fall of rain, but though some cases are of a very pernicious type, the

majority belong to the simple intermittent or remittent, and yield rapidly to

a proper treatment.

Small-pox now and then makes fearful ravages. When it breaks out, a mild

case is chosen, and from it a great many are inoculated. The mortality is

considerable amongst those who submit to the operation. On several

occasions during the summer I received vaccine lymph, and inoculated with

it. In no case did it take; owing, I suppose, to the extreme heat of the

weather. During, the cold season I applied again, but could not obtain any.

The greatest mortality is due to childbirth—a strange fact, as in the East

confinements are generally easy. The practice in use here has probably

much to do with this unfavourable result. After her confinement the woman

is placed upon an alga or small native bed; underneath which, fire with

aromatic herbs is so arranged as almost to suffocate the newly-delivered

woman. Diarrhoea was frequent during the summer of 1865, and dysentery

at the same period proved fatal to many. Diseases of the eyes are seldom

met with, except simple inflammation caused by the heat and glare of the

sun. I suffered from a severe attack of ophthalmia, and was obliged in

consequence to proceed to Aden for a few weeks. I have met with no case

of disease of the lungs, and bronchial affections seem almost unknown. I

had occasion to attend upon cases of neuralgia, and one of gouty

rheumatism.

For several years locusts have been committing great damage to the crops.

In 1864 they occasioned a scarcity and dearness of the first necessaries of

life, but in 1865 the whole of Tigré, Hamasein, Bogos, &c. had been laid

waste by swarms of locusts, and at last no supplies whatever reached from

the interior. The local Government sent to Hodeida and other ports for

grain, and rice, and thus avoided the horrors of a complete famine. As it

was, numbers died, and many half-starved wretches were ready victims for

such a disease as cholera. This last-named scourge made its appearance in

October, 1865, at the time we were making our preparations to proceed into

the interior. The epidemic was severely felt. All those who had been

suffering from the effects of insufficient or inferior food became an easy

prey; few, indeed, of those who contracted the disease rallied; almost all

died. During our residence at Massowah, out of the small community of

Europeans five died, two from heat apoplexy, two from debility, and one

from cholera. (None came under my care.) The Pasha himself was several

times on the point of death, from debility and complete loss of tone of the

digestive organs. He was at last prevailed upon to leave, and saved his life

by a timely trip to sea.

The Bedouins of the Samhar, like all bigoted and ignorant savages, have

great confidence in charms, amulets and exorcisms. The "medicine man" is

generally an old, venerable-looking Sheik—a great rascal, for all his

sanctified looks. His most usual prescription is to write a few lines of the

Koran upon a piece of parchment, wash off the ink with water, and hand it

over to the patient to drink; at other times the writing is enclosed in small

squares of red leather, and applied to the seat of the disease. The Mullah is

no contemptible rival of his, and though he also applies the all-efficacious

words of the revealed "cow," he effects more rapid cures by spitting several

times upon the sick person, muttering between each ejection appropriate

prayers which no evil spirit could withstand, should his already sanctified

spittle not have been sufficient to cast them off. Massowah boasts,

moreover, of a regular medical practitioner, in the shape of an old Bashibazouk. Though superior in intelligence to the Sheik and the Mullah, his

medical knowledge is on a par with theirs. He possesses a few drugs, given

to him by travellers; but as he is not acquainted with their properties or

doses, he wisely keeps them on a shelf for the admiration of the natives, and

employs simples, with which, if he effects no wonderful cures, he still does

no harm. Our confère is not at all conceited, though he no doubt imposes

upon the credulity of the aborigines; when we met in "consultation," he

always, with becoming meekness, acknowledged his ignorance.

Massowah, as I have already stated, is built on a coral rock; the same

formation exists on many parts of the coast, and forms cliffs, some of them

thirty feet above the level of the sea. Further inland, towards Moncullou and

Haitoomloo, volcanic rocks begin to appear, scattered here and there as if

carelessly thrown on the sandy plain; at first isolated landmarts over the

level space, they soon become more united, increasing in number, size, and

importance, until the mountains themselves are reached, where almost

every stone declares the predominance of the volcanic formation.

The flora is scanty, and belongs, with but few exceptions, to the

Leguminosae . Several varieties of antelopes roam over the desert.

Partridges, pigeons, and several species of the Natatores at certain seasons,

arrive in great numbers. Apart from these, nothing useful to man is met with

amongst the other members of the animal creation, consisting principally of

hosts of hyenas, snakes, scorpions, and innumerable insects.

We remained at Massowah from the 23rd of July, 1864, to the 8th of

August, 1865, the date of our departure for Egypt, where we went in order

to receive instructions, when a letter at last reached us from the Emperor

Theodore. Massowah offered no attractions: the heat was so intense at times

that we could hardly breathe; and we ardently longed for our return to Aden

or India, as we had given up all hopes regarding the acceptance of our

mission by the Abyssinian Emperor. No pains were spared, no stone was

left unturned, no possible chance left untried to obtain information as to the

condition of the captives, to supply them with the necessaries of life, or

induce the obstinate potentate to call for the letter it was said he was so

anxious to receive. The very day of our arrival at Massowah, efforts were

made to engage messengers to proceed to the Abyssinian court and inform

his Ethiopian Majesty that officers had arrived at the coast with the answer

to his letter to the Queen of England. But such was the dread of his name,

that it was with great difficulty, and only on the promise of a large reward,

that any could be obtained. On the evening of the 24th, the day after our

arrival, the messengers were despatched with the letters to the Abouna and

the Emperor from the Patriarch, one from Mr. Rassam to the Abouna, and

one to the Emperor, the messengers promising to be back in the course of a

month or so.

Mr. Rassam, in his letter to the Emperor Theodoros, informed him, in

courteous language, that he had arrived at Massowah the day before,

bearing a letter from H.M. the Queen of England to his address, and that he

was desirous of delivering it into his Majesty's hands. He also informed him

that he would await the answer at Massowah, and requested, should his

Majesty send for him, kindly to provide him with an escort. He, however,

left to Theodore the option of sending the prisoners down with a

trustworthy person to whom he could deliver the letter from the Queen of

England. He concluded by advising his Majesty that his embassy to the

Queen had been accepted, and should it reach the coast before his (Mr.

Rassam's) departure for Aden, he would take the necessary steps to see that

it reached England in safety.

A month—six weeks—two months, passed in hourly expectation of the

return of the messengers. All suppositions were exhausted: perhaps the

messengers had not reached; possibly the King had detained them; or they

might have lost the packet whilst crossing some river, etc.; but as no reliable

information could moreover be obtained, as to the exact condition of the

captives, it was impossible to remain any longer in such a state of

uncertainty. Mr. Rassam, therefore, despatched with considerable difficulty

two more messengers, with a copy of his letter of July 24, accompanied by

an explanatory note. Private messengers were, at the same time, sent to the

Emperor's camp to report on his treatment of the captives, and to different

parts of the country, from whence we supposed information might possibly

be obtained. A short time afterwards, having succeeded in securing the

names of some of the Gaffat people who had formerly been in

communication with Consul Cameron, we wrote to them in English,

French, and German, not knowing what language they understood,

earnestly requesting that they would inform us as to what steps they

considered most advisable in order to obtain the release of the captives.

Again we waited on the desert shore of Massowah for that answer so long

expected; none came, but on Christmas-day we received a few lines from

Messrs. Flad and Schimper, the two Europeans with whom we had

communicated. All they had to say was, that the misfortunes which had

befallen the Europeans were due to the Emperor's letter not having been

answered, and they advised Mr. Rassam to send the letter he had brought

with him to his Majesty. However, Mr. Rassam thought it unbecoming the

British Government to force upon the Emperor a letter signed by the Queen

of England, when, by his refusing even to acknowledge its presence at

Massowah, he clearly showed that he had changed his mind and did not

care any more about it.

In the meanwhile some of the prisoners' servants had arrived with letters

from their masters; other messengers despatched from Massowah were also

equally successful; stores, money, letters were now regularly forwarded to

the captives, who, in return, kept us informed as to their condition and the

movements of the King. So far our presence at Massowah was of the utmost

importance, since without the supplies and money we were able to provide

them with, their misery would have been increased tenfold, if even they had

not at last succumbed to privation and want.

The friends of the captives and, to a great extent, the public, unaware of the

efforts made by Mr. Rassam to accomplish the object of his mission, and of

the great difficulties that were to be contended with, attributed the apparent

failure to causes far removed; many suggestions were advanced, a few even

tried, but no result followed. It was said that one of the reasons his Majesty

did not vouch us an answer was, that the mission was not of sufficient

importance; that his Majesty considered himself slighted, and therefore

would not condescend to acknowledge us. To remedy this, in February,

1865, Government decided on adding another military officer to our party,

and, as the press reported at the time, it was confidently expressed that great

results would follow this step. Hence, Lieut. Prideaux, of her Majesty's

Bombay Staff Corps, arrived in Massowah in May. As might reasonably be

expected, his presence at the coast did not in the least influence Theodore's

mind. The only advantage gained by the addition of this officer to the

mission was a charming companion, who was doomed to spend with me in

a tent on the sea-beach the hot months of hot Massowah. More months

elapsed: still no answer! the condition of the prisoners was very precarious;

they saw with great apprehension another rainy season about to set in; their

letters were written in a most desponding tone; and though we had done our

utmost to supply them with money and a few comforts, the distance and the

rebellious state of the country made it difficult to provide more abundantly

for their wants.

At last, in March, we determined on a last effort; should it fail we would

request our recall. We had heard of Samuel, how he had been in many

respects mixed up in the affair, and we knew that he enjoyed in some degree

the confidence of his master; so when we were informed that one of his

relations was willing to convey a letter and he assured us of an answer

before forty days, once more our hopes were excited and we trusted in the

possibility of success. The forty days expired, then two, then three months;

but we heard nothing!! It seemed as if a kind of fatality attended our

messengers: from whatever class they were taken—simple peasants,

followers of the Nab, or relatives of one of the Emperor's courtiers—the

result was invariably the same; not only they did not bring back any answer

from the Emperor, but not even one returned to us.

The prolonged delay of Mr. Rassam's mission at Massowah without any

apparent good results having been achieved, was so contrary to all

expectations, that it was at last decided to resort to other means.

In February, 1865, a Copt, Abdul Melak, presented himself at the consulate

of Jeddah, pretending to have just arrived from Abyssinia with a message

from the Abouna to the Consul-General, purporting that if he could bring

from H.M.'s Consul-General in Egypt a written declaration to the effect

that, should the Emperor allow the Europeans in chains to depart, no steps

would be taken to punish the offence, he, the Abouna, would engage

himself to obtain their liberation, and become their security. That impostor,

who had never been in Abyssinia at all, gave such wonderful details that he

completely imposed upon the Consul of Jeddah and the Consul-General.

The fact that he pretended to have passed through Massowah without

entering into communication with Mr. Rassam was by itself suspicious; but

had these gentlemen possessed the slightest knowledge of Abyssinia, they

would at once have discovered the deception when he purchased some

"suitable" presents for the Abouna, before proceeding on the mission that

had been intrusted to him. In Abyssinia tobacco is considered "unclean" by

the priests; none ever smoke; and even admitting that in his privacy the

Abouna might have now and then indulged in a weed, he would have taken

great care to keep the matter as quiet as possible. Therefore to present him

with an amber mouthpiece would have been a gratuitous insult to a man

who was supposed to have rendered an important favour. It was, indeed, the

very last testimonial any one in the slightest degree conversant with

Abyssinian priesthood would ever have selected. As it is, the man started,

and lived for months amongst the Arab tribes between Kassala and

Metemma, on the strength of a certificate that described him as an

ambassador and recommended him to the protection of the tribes that lay on

his road. We met him not for from Kassala; he acknowledged the deceit he

had practised, and was delighted when he heard that we had no intention of

requesting the Turkish authorities to make him a prisoner.

Government at last decided on recalling us, and appointed Mr.

Palgrave, the distinguished Arabian traveller, in our stead.

In the beginning of July we went for a short trip to the Habab country,

situate north of Massowah; on our return, we were met in the desert of Chab

by some of the Naib's relations, who informed us that Ibrahim (the relative

of Samuel) had returned with an answer from his Majesty, and was

expected daily; that all our former messengers had obtained leave to depart;

but what was still more gratifying was the intelligence, brought down by

them, that Theodore, to show his regard for us, had liberated Consul

Cameron and his fellow-captives. On July 12, Ibrahim arrived. He gave full

details about the release of the Consul; a story which was corroborated a

few days afterwards by another relative of his, also one of our former

messengers. I believe, from what I afterwards learnt, that Theodore himself

was party to the lie, as he publicly, in presence of the messengers, gave

orders to some of his officers to go and remove the Consul's fetters; only

the messengers improved on it by stating that they had seen the Consul after

the chains had been removed.

The reply Theodore had at last granted to our repeated demands was not

courteous, nor even civil—it was neither signed nor sealed; he ordered us to

proceed through the distant and unhealthy route of the Soudan, and, once

arrived at Metemma, to inform him of our arrival there, and that he would

then provide us with an escort. We did not like the letter; it seemed more the

production of a madman than of a reasonable being. I select a few extracts

from this letter, as they are really curiosities in their way. He said:—

"The reason I do not write to you in my name, because of Abouna Salama,

the so-called Kokab (Stern) the Jew, and the one you called Consul, named

Cameron (who was sent by you). I treated them with honour and friendship

in my city. When I thus befriended them, on account of my anxiety to

cultivate the friendship of the English Queen, they reviled me.

"Plowden and Johannes (John Bell), who were called Englishmen, were

killed in my country, whose death, by the power of God, I avenged on those

who killed them; on account these (the three above mentioned) abused me,

and denounced me as a murderer.

"Cameron, who is called Consul, represented to me that he was a servant of

the Queen. I invested him with a robe of honour of my country, and

supplied him with provisions for the journey. I asked him to make me a

friend of the Queen.