388 Mr. E. Lort Phillips on a 



Somalis and to those living at Aden, where fish is abundant 

 and is one of the staple articles of food. 



At sundown the water-hole was visited by hundreds of 

 Sand-Grouse [Pterocles Uchtensteini) and a few shots secured 

 a welcome addition to our larder. Next day we marched to 

 Sogsoda, at the head of the Rugga Pass, where there is a 

 permanent village of moolahs or priests, who live by contri- 

 butions levied on passing caravans and by the cultivation of 

 a little doorah and jowari. 



Here we were greeted by a former camp-servant. Jama 

 Deeria by name, whose gorriar or kraal was in the neighbour- 

 hood. Though we had found him rather a scamp, we were 

 delighted to see him, as we had heard that he had lost his life 

 while in the service of Major and Mrs. Renton, who had 

 visited the country the previous year. It appeared, however, 

 that we had had another Jama Deeria in our employ, a camel- 

 driver, and it was this man of whose tragic death we had 

 heard before leaving England — the details of which I will 

 give as an illustration of the stealth, daring, and cunning of a 

 hungry lion : — One night Major and Mrs. Renton were 

 watching by a water-hole in the hope of getting a shot at a 

 zebra. These creatures drink only at the first streak of dawn, 

 so it meant a whole night out for the watchers. On the 

 lady^s account a strong circular thorn-protection had been 

 built, and into this Major and Mrs. Renton retired at sundown 

 with their man Jama Deeria, the entrance-hole being closed 

 by a thick thorn-bush drawn into it and secured. In the 

 middle of the night, which was an intensely dark one, 

 Mrs. Renton, who had fallen asleep, woke up. Hearing heavy 

 breathing and crunching of bones quite close to her, she 

 awoke her husband, who had also been asleep, and getting no 

 answer from Jama they struck a match and found to their 

 horror that the man was gone. Meanwhile the cracking of 

 bones continued, so several shots were fired in the direction 

 of the sound, which only had the effect of moving the lion 

 and his prey a little further off, where he continued his 

 ghastly meal within hearing. The rest of the night was 

 spent, as may be supposed, in watchfulness, and with the 



