[Illustration:  Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb.]

Wednesday, April 18th.—­In the morning, at daylight, we were off Jebel Teir, Mussawa Island, Annesley Bay lying 60 miles to the west.  Our position was about 60 miles to the south-west of Mussawa Zoulia, where the expedition under Lord Napier of Magdala landed in 1867.  At noon we had sailed 221 miles, a most unexpected run in the Red Sea.  In the afternoon it fell calm, but the wind freshened again, and we went on sailing until after midnight.

Thursday, April 19th.—­We commenced steaming at 1 a.m., stopped, however, at 5 a.m., and sailed all day.  Yesterday we were surrounded by some beautiful blue birds, who hovered about us and settled at intervals on the masts and yards.  During the night two were caught napping by the men, and in the course of to-day two more, hotly pursued by a hawk, took refuge on board and were also captured.  One was given to me.  It appears to be a very beautiful kind of jay, with feathers of the most brilliant shades of blue.  The men have killed their birds for the sake of the skins, but I mean to try and keep mine alive.  At Colombo several birds and two curiously starred tortoises were added to our collection; and we took on board at Aden a gazelle, a black cockatoo, and a green monkey.

We passed Souakim to-day, the port of Nubia.  It is about 275 miles, or 25 days’ camel-journey, from thence to Berber on the Nile.  The road passes through Korib, and among fine red granite and black basalt mountains, 4,000 feet high.  We left one of the firemen, Tom Dollar, behind at Aden by mistake, and only found out yesterday that we had done so.  It appears that he has a brother living there, whom he was most anxious to go and see directly the anchor was let go, in the morning.  Unfortunately, he did not speak to us on the subject.  He had never been in anything but a regular steamer before, and could not believe it possible that the ‘Sunbeam’ could spread her wings and be off without any preliminary ‘fire-worshipping,’ I am very sorry for the poor man, as he has left all his clothes and the wages he had earned on board the P. and O. steamer behind him.  We must send them back from Suez, and telegraph to some one to look out for him.  The heat is intense, and we all sleep on deck at night; the sunrises and sunsets are magnificent.

Friday, April 20th.—­A little hotter still; there is no wind at all, and we are obliged to steam.  In the morning we passed to the southward of Jeddo, the port of Mecca.  Unfortunately it was so hazy that we could not distinguish anything whatever of the town or country, only a line of mountains rearing their heads above the clouds.  We had hoped to be at Suez early on Sunday, but now I fear we shall not arrive until Monday.

Saturday, April 21st.—­Hotter and still hotter every day, says the thermometer, and so we say also.  Everybody told us these would be our two hottest days, and certainly the prediction has been verified.  We did not see a single ship all day, but in the afternoon passed Zambo, the port of Medina.  A little before midnight we made the light on the Daedalus shoal on the starboard bow.