Our first object on landing was to find the post-office, and such a post-office it turned out to be—four walls and a flat roof, the floor of sand, the furniture a very rickety table, apparently made out of old biscuit-boxes. On this table and on the floor lay a pile of letters and newspapers a foot and a half high. We routed among these for some time without much result, so contented ourselves by handing to an Egyptian boy, who appeared to be in sole charge as the local postmaster-general, the letters we had brought ashore to post, feeling that they had a very poor chance of ever getting to their destination. On our way back to the wharf we passed a row of about fifty Arabs, all sitting in the same position, with their backs against a white wall. This being my first introduction to black and withal naked people, the contrast of their black skins against the white wall struck me as very funny as they sat in a long row in solemn and perfect silence, staring at us as we passed.
It is a curious thing how many ways there seem to be of spelling the name of this place. One sees "Suakin," "Suakim," "Souakin," "Sawakin," and many others; but I believe, if one wished to be absolutely correct, the proper way
