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Somaliland to Abyssinia 47
contrast they made to an English colony where the men and women alike keep fit at all costs! Indeed, Jibuti has no claim for existence at all except as the port to Abyssinia, whence come down hides and coffee, most of which, after passing through the hands of numerous foreign middlemen, arrives at last in America. The dawn was just coming over the sea the next morning when Taylor and I were driven down to the little station. A tiny train was waiting — an engine and four diminutive openwork cars, marked third class, filled with chattering natives, and a fifth car divided into two parts, one second and the other first class. We piled our baggage into the latter ; waved good-by to Billings, (the only Englishman in Jibuti and a fine chap), who had come down to the station in his carriage driven by two big white horses — quite the smartest turnout in Somaliland; the little engine gave a few feeble chugs ; and we were off for Abyssinia.
3
The distance inland from Jibuti to Addis-Abeba in the highlands of Abyssinia is only five hundred miles, but it takes three days to make the trip. There are three good reasons for this — the train doesn't run at night, what of the fear of the railroad officials that it will be derailed and plundered by the wild tribes of the desert ; secondly, there is a comfortable stop each noon for lunch ; and lastly, the none-too-powerful engine has to pull on an upgrade, for Addis-Abeba is a full eight thousand feet above the sea level of Jibuti.