E12 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. 
spied my boys with their rifles they fled; whereupon a 
volley was fired over their heads, causing them to throw 
away their spears and shields, and run in all directions. 
My boys then crossed, and by repeated shouts managed to 
get the natives to return and give them the news they 
wanted of the country. The natives had mistaken my 
Somalis for Abyssinians. There was a great stir for 
a while about a reported theft of seventeen of my camels. 
Naturally I was very angry at this, and was resolving on 
plans of recapture, when news was brought that they were 
found. They had only strayed off through the careless- 
ness of two of my camel-men, who were supposed to be 
watching them. We camped on a hill just above the 
water, and made all preparations for crossing the next 
morning. ‘This was only fourteen miles below the spot 
where we had crossed the river nearly four months 
previously. 
Dodson managed to give Fred a little excitement here. 
Fred told me that he had just reached the bottom of the 
hill when he heard something coming at a breakneck pace 
down the path. Heat once thought it was a rhino that 
had been frightened by the noise of the camp. Being 
very anxious to get a shot, he decided to take his chances 
where he was, although he might not see the animal before 
it was on top of him. He was just getting ready to fire 
and then jump aside, when, to his intense astonishment 
and relief, Dodson, who was after a bath before darkness 
set in, appeared on a mule coming at full gallop. Fred 
said that it was the greatest piece of luck that he recog- 
nized Dodson in time to keep from firing. 
We started across the river at sunrise, and before mid- 
day everything was on the other side. Fred, Dodson, and 
I stripped off our clothing and waded across, the boys 
having told us there were no crocodiles in this part of the 
