LIONS ABOUT— NEW YEAR’S DAY NOTES. 117 
temperature was 97°; but as the paths were good, we 
would start out before daybreak, and finish our marches 
before the sun’s rays became very powerful. We expected 
each day to arrive at some Somali villages that my guides 
kept telling me were very near, but we did not reach 
them till the fifth day. 
On the last day of September we came to three large 
villages of Ogadens, who had escaped the raids of the 
Abyssinians, and consequently possessed enormous droves 
of camels. The natives who swarmed into our camp told 
me that there were some traders from Berbera among them 
with quantities of rice; so I determined to remain here a 
day or two and try to do some trading. Three lions kept 
roaring near our camp all night, and several times Fred and 
I were awakened by the boys telling us that the lions were 
quite close; but we were able to see nothing in the dark- 
ness. Nor did we hunt them the next day, as we had too 
much good work to do. Luckily I was able to buy nearly 
a month's supply of rice from the Berbera traders. These 
men knew of me, and were willing to take checks in pay- 
ment for their rice. It was one of the greatest pieces of 
good fortune that could have befallen me to be able to get 
this quantity of rice, although I had to pay heavily for it. 
As it was New Year’s day, I made a long entry in my 
diary, which I will quote : — 
“ BAUDEWAIN, Jan. I, 1895. 
“ Never before has a New Year ushered itself in so full 
of possibilities of strange events happening at any day. 1 
have had a most serious set-back, and one that would have 
broken up many an expedition. Starting out with the 
expectation of finishing my work in ten months, I now 
find myself back again in Somaliland, without having 
accomplished the one thing I set out to do,—and six 
months gone out of the ten I had anticipated. Would it 
