196 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. 
“ But what could we have seen to shoot at had the Boran 
attacked us then? Bang would goa rifle. What was that 
—a Boran, a fox, or a hyena —that my sentinel fired at? 
Now peace would reign for a few minutes, until another 
rustling in the grass was heard, followed by the reports of 
two or three rifles. So it went on all night; rifles fired at 
intervals of every ten minutes, either at some spot from 
which noises proceeded, or else into the air to warn the 
enemy that we were on guard. At last a dull gray light 
appeared on the horizon, and what an unspeakable relief it 
was to be able to see. Yes, now we could make out our 
enemy, and we should at least be able to makea good fight 
for our lives, even if we were eventually overwhelmed by 
numbers. But how small our little body of men appeared 
in contrast to the great masses of savages the morning 
light disclosed scattered over valley and hilltops! 
“We were obliged to march on account of lack of water. 
But I first had a little breakfast, while my boys prayed to 
Mohammed; and although Dodson and I did not follow 
their example, it is certain that I never in my life felt more 
in sympathy than I did this morning with the religious 
feeling that led my boys to get on their knees and chant 
their long supplications to the Invisible. And now, with 
everything arranged, we started on our dangerous journey. 
I led the column, with Dodson and twenty-five boys spread 
out in line abreast, while Haji Idris, with twenty-five more 
men, brought up the rear, the camels, oxen, and mules 
being massed together in the centre and guided by the 
remaining Somalis. At first the path led across the open 
plain and past the circle of low peaks that I had at first 
supposed surrounded a lake. 
“The plain gradually rose to these peaks, and as we 
approached, the ground became strewn with lava, but the 
crater was not filled with water; on the contrary, we could 
