26 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. 
various orders given. In case of an alarm, each company 
knew the position it was to take at once, and also where 
to find the boxes of ammunition assigned to it. In 
ordinary cases there would be eight sentries on duty all 
night, one to each company. But in dangerous countries 
the number of sentries would be doubled. The fifteen 
Winchester rifles were given to the most intelligent of the 
men, while the remainder of the boys were supplied with 
Snyders, which they were obliged to carry continually. I 
also supplied them with thirty rounds of ammunition | 
apiece for their belts. 
Each European was usually accompanied by four boys, 
Fred’s boys escorting him when shooting, while the boys 
I gave Dodson, and reserved for myself, I trained to assist 
in the work of collecting natural-history specimens. 
They soon became very keen in their quest for insects and 
butterflies and anything they thought might be of interest 
to me. Our two cooks, Mireh and Abdulla, had been with 
Dr. W. L. Smith and myself upon our shooting trip, and it 
was wonderful what good meals they could provide from 
scanty resources. Often we would fare very badly on 
account of a lack of firewood, or being obliged to march 
all day; but usually they contrived to give us some soup 
and game-birds that we had shot, and excellent bread. 
They managed to bake the bread between two sheets of 
tin, which they rested on stones over the fire, using Eno’s 
Fruit Salts to raise the bread. Abdulla, whose proper 
name is Aden Arralla, had been a cook on a man-of-war. 
He was one of the most faithful followers of my expe- 
dition, and exerted an excellent influence in camp. 
Two expeditions, that of Captain Swayne, and the one 
led by Counts Hojes and Cudenhove, had passed south 
from Lafkei, on their way to the Shebeli River, above Ime; 
but towards the west nothing was known of the country, 
