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a fortress. W e had no sooner levelled an embank^ ment, and with great difficulty dragged the vans acros than we encountered a new and similar obstructio At length we arrived within half a mile of the larg village Arshia, which, being well irrigated, opposed perfect network of barriers in the shape of artifici water-channels. The oxen became disheartened, an the pair which drew the blue van driven by our favourite Georgi determined to strike work just a he was applying the sharp driving prick to their| posteriors in ascending a steep bank, through whicl we had cut a passage from the deep water-cours beneath. Instead of keeping a straight course, thes pig-headed bullocks made a sharp turn to the right u the incline. Down went one upon its knees in rag and despair ! while round went the other in an opposit direction ; crash went the pole in two pieces ! and the blue van, having vainly endeavoured to right itself lik a lady about to faint when no one is at hand to sav her, tottered for a moment, and turned over with a. crash that betokened general destruction. My Abyssinian lad, Amarn, was only just in time to escape, a he had been endeavouring to support the van on the impending side when it suddenly capsised, and he would have been flattened like a black-edged mourning envelope had he not actively sprung out of the way. All hands set about righting the ship—which was upon her beam-ends, and the wheels uppermost. The first thing necessary was to discharge cargo ; this we quickly effected, as there were doors in front and behind, and the numerous packages were soon piled upon the wayside. No sooner was the vani empty, than my dogs, who had been watching the) operation in bewilderment, jumped in, and no induce

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