108 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. 
erly direction. On the 4th of December we pitched our 
camp among the bushes, far from any water; but, as we 
had been warned by our guides, we carried enough water 
to last us until the next day. One of the great advantages 
of having camels is that you can carry water enough to 
last several days, if you are pushed to it. We frequently 
did this, but as water is a heavy thing to carry, and I was 
afraid of overburdening the camels, I usually trusted the 
native reports of water ahead, and did not have the barrels 
filled. Thus at times we did not reach water until long 
after we had expected to find it, and accordingly were 
obliged to suffer considerably. A journey in Africa may 
entail more hardship than an expedition conducted in the 
Polar regions. Hunger can be endured, but thirst “ mad- 
dens,” as my boys aptly expressed it. 
There were scarcely any inhabitants between Mount 
Elwak, where the Reitu live, and the Shebeli River. We 
found a few Gallas on a tug called Galugop, but they were 
very poor. 
On December 6 we halted by a small tug, where there 
was a succulent grass of a very salty taste, which is excel- 
lent for camels. As I was feeling unwell, I remained in 
my tent in the afternoon, while Fred went fishing in some 
of the numerous pools of water that lay in the river-bed, 
with the result that we dined luxuriously on a small perch- 
like fish, a species of chromis, and on oryx meat, Dodson 
and Karsha having managed to kill an oryx apiece. A 
rhinoceros came near the camp, but ran away before any 
one could get a shot at it. 
