e are all agreeably disappointed with Aden, and find that it is by no
means the oven we expected; it is prettier too than I thought, the
mountains and rocks are so peaked and pointed, and although the
general effect is one of barrenness, still, if you look closely, every
crack and crevice is full of something green. The soil, being of
volcanic origin, is readily fertilised by moisture, and at once
produces some kind of vegetation. This adds of course greatly to the
effect of colour, which in the rocks themselves is extremely
beautiful, especially at sunrise and sunset. The sea, too, is
delightfully blue on one side of the peninsula, and pale green on the
other, according to the wind, and the white surf curls and breaks on
the sandy shore beyond the crisp waves.

We went back to the hotel a little before one, and found many friends
had called during our absence. After superintending the children's
dinner, I went with Tom to luncheon at Government House. It was very
pleasant; General and Mrs. Schneider were more than kind, and the
house felt deliciously cool and airy.

We are told that thirty miles inland the country is sometimes very
beautiful. There are exquisitely green valleys, with a stream running
through them, amongst peaks, and rocky mountains, which one rarely
sees in the desert. Here the natives cultivate their crops of
corn--such corn as it is too, reaching six feet above a man's head!
All sorts of useful vegetables grow abundantly, besides roses, fruits,
and fragrant flowers, large supplies of which are brought daily into
Aden. About ten miles from the town there are acres of the most
fertile garden ground, which is cultivated to supply the garrison with
vegetables. Sometimes a party of seventy or eighty men, and ten or
twenty Arab guides, goes out for three weeks or a month at a time
surveying. The natives are much more friendly than they used to be a
few years ago, when people were afraid even to ride outside the town.
Now pleasant excursions lasting a few days may be made, especially as
there is very fair shooting to be got. After luncheon I was shown some
lovely feathers. The contrast between these and the steamer-feathers
is ludicrous; the price, too, is proportionately cheaper, for the
feathers are infinitely better. Long, white, full, and curly feathers
can be bought for much less than you give for them in England. We drove
down to the town, finished our business transactions, and then went in
the 'Ve