Visit to Somaliland. 393 



camping-ground. Why she had not been devoured by 

 hyaenas was a mystery^ as she was far too weak to defend 

 herself, and could only manage to crawl with the aid of 

 a stick. We took her back with us to camp and eventually 

 left her, at her own wish, with the native moolahs or priests 

 at the top of the Rugga Pass. Leaving Gedais on the 12th 

 March we turned our faces homewards, spending 10 days 

 among the foot-hills and valleys at the bottom of Eugga, 

 where we made many interesting additions to our scientific 

 collections. While here we were startled one morning by a 

 cheery well-known greeting, and in walked Fremantle, who 

 had got his reprieve after all. He had, however, very nearly 

 missed it at Berbera, and would have done so had not a 

 slight attack of sun-stroke, brought on by his forced march 

 to the coast, prevented his sailing the evening of his arrival 

 in a wretched little native boat which had been engaged for 

 him by a runner sent on ahead. That night the steamer 

 arrived from Aden and with it the long hoped-for letter. 



Our road to the coast took us through a curious bit of 

 country which is rapidly being washed away by the floods 

 that rush down the face of the Goolis during the rains. So 

 rapidly indeed is the denudation taking place that well- 

 defined paths may be seen ending abruptly on the edge of 

 cliifs from 50 to 100 feet deep, every runnel of water 

 eating out a canyon for itself, as the ground is very soft and 

 friable. During the dry season the water in these canyons 

 is highly alkaline and quite undrinkable. 



On March 28th Gillett overtook us, and we were very 

 sorry to learn that the expedition into the Howd had 

 been unsuccessful so far as lions were concerned. Gillett 

 had left Aylmer in the Sheikh Pass and had struck east- 

 ward in the hope of cutting us off, but finding only our 

 " cold tracks " had had some hard marching to come up with 

 us. Aylmer joined us the next day at Dobar, so our party 

 was once more complete. We spent a day here arranging our 

 collections for the voyage home, and reached Berbera on 

 April 1st, where we were most kindly received by Captain and 

 Mrs. Merewether. On the 3rd we crossed to Aden in the 



