Saturday, April 14th.—­We made Cape Rasalhir, formerly called Guardafui, about nine o’clock yesterday evening, and passing it during the night entered the Gulf of Aden.[21] All to-day we have been going along the Soumali coast.  There is a good deal of trade carried on in native boats.  Passing all these strange and comparatively unknown and little-visited islands and coasts, from which all sorts of things in daily use at home are brought, one dimly realises what commerce means and how necessary one part of the world is to the other.

[Footnote 21:  We found considerable difficulty in making the light, and since our return there have been several wrecks, and many lives lost, on this dangerous point.]

Sunday, April 15th.—­Still intensely hot.  The usual services were held on deck at eleven and four o’clock.  The land, both in Arabia and in Africa, could be seen the whole day, with precipitous mountains.  In the afternoon we could make out the rock of Aden, and at sunset it stood grandly forth, looming in purple darkness against the crimson and blood-red sky, which gradually faded to tenderest tints of yellow and green, before it finally blazed forth into a radiant afterglow.  At half-past eight a gun from the fort at Aden summoned us to show our colours, or rather lights.  At nine o’clock we dropped our anchor in the roads; a boat came off with a bag of newspapers and to ask for orders in the morning.  It was sent by the great Parsee merchants here, who undertake to supply us with coals, provisions, water, and everything we want, and spare us all trouble.  For the last three or four days we have had a nice little breeze astern, and if we had not been in a hurry to cross the Indian Ocean before the south-west monsoon set in, we should certainly have been contented with four or five knots an hour under sail instead of eight and a half under steam.  We have averaged over 200 miles a day under steam alone, ever since we left Penang, and have burnt only four tons of coal for every fifty miles.

Monday, April 16th.—­At 1.30 a.m.  I heard the signal gun fired, and shortly afterwards a great splash of boats and oars, and a vast chattering and shouting of tongues announced the arrival of a P. and O. steamer.  She dropped her anchor just outside us, so we had the benefit of the noise all night.  I got up at daylight and found the pilot just coming off.  He took us to a buoy, a little closer in, and soon the business of coaling and watering commenced.

[Illustration:  Soumali Indian, Aden.]

We reached the shore about 7.30, and, landing at the pier, had our first near view of the natives, who are most curious-looking creatures.  They have very black complexions, and long woolly hair, setting out like a mop all round, and generally dyed bright red, or yellow by the application of lime.  Mr. Cowajee had sent his own private carriage to meet us.  It was a comfortable open barouche, with