REPORTS OF SMALL—POX. 121 
reached some large village, where he could earn his living 
by minding goats and sheep. 
Starting out in the dark on the morning of the 5th of 
January from our camp in the cedar grove, we marched for 
over seven hours south across a desert that had once been 
covered with corn. Traces of irrigation were to be seen 
everywhere and many deserted villages. This was, ten years 
ago, the greatest grain-producing district in the country, 
the inhabitants supplying the nomadic tribes of Somali- 
land with corn. We camped by several deep round wells 
near the deserted village of Tur, where we found some 
empty cartridge shells that had been used by the Abyssin- 
ians, and which accounted for the desolation of the spot. 
There were many Soemmering’s gazelles about the place, 
two of which I killed with one shot from a 45-90 Win- 
chester, the ball going clear through the two bodies 
and whizzing away on the other side. 
I was much disappointed in the condition of the camels. 
These Somali animals are the poorest specimens of camels 
one could possibly find. I lost four in three days. We 
longed to be out of these glaring barren plains, with 
their whirlwinds of dust, that were continually tearing up 
the camp and causing the greatest inconvenience, and 
where the little water that we got was so brackish and 
stinking. I suffered considerably from conjunctivitis; 
but I found that my sight was not impaired by the dust, 
however, as I managed to bring down a gazelle at two 
hundred and seventy yards. 
Three more marches through the desert brought us to 
the Shebeli River again. There were many villages of 
Ogadens along its banks from which the inhabitants fled 
upon our approach; but soon finding out that ours was a 
white man’s expedition, they became very friendly. The 
news was brought me that small-pox was raging near Bari, 
