Sport in Abyssinia; Or, The Mareb and Tackazzee

A British lieutenant‑colonel records his 1870s expedition across Egypt and into Abyssinia, beginning with the bustling bazaars of Cairo and a formal audience with the Khedive. He paints vivid pictures of the city’s noisy streets, donkey rides through markets, and a rather stiff soirée at the Palace of Kasr‑el‑Nil, where a creaking staircase nearly turns the gathering into chaos. The narrative then moves to a sun‑baked day at the pyramids, where the party lunches beneath ancient trees, squeezes through narrow chambers, and even jokes about buying “Birmingham‑made” relics as souvenirs.

From there the journey shifts northward to Suez, where the officer meets a young Abyssinian merchant named Petros, whose fluency in Amharic, Arabic, Hindustani and English proves invaluable. Petros agrees to serve as guide, and his presence hints at the cultural exchanges and unexpected challenges that await in the rugged highlands. The early chapters combine humor, travel mishaps, and the vivid cadence of a diary‑style adventure, inviting listeners to experience the restless curiosity of a Victorian explorer at the edge of a distant world.