2 MY SOMALI BOOK 



for instance, one of the finest hunting-grounds in the 

 world. 



So that when I found myself condemned for a term 

 of years to a sojourn on the barren rock of Aden, it 

 was not surprising that the proximity of Somaliland 

 seemed to afford some compensation in the prospect 

 of an expedition to add to my experiences in the way 

 of big game shooting, which hitherto had been confined 

 to India. 



Aden is the starting-point for nearly all expeditions 

 to Somaliland, and it was not difficult to gather in- 

 formation as to ways and means. So it came about 



that January, 1907, saw me, with four weeks' leave, 

 on my way to Berbera in a little local steamer. 



At Berbera I was met by H., an old friend stationed 

 there, who was well up to the ropes and had under- 

 taken to get my caravan together for me. The 

 individual he had engaged for me as first shikari and 

 head-man, a Somali of the Habr Awal tribe named 

 Elmi Hirsi, 28 or 30 years of age, turned up at H.'s 

 bungalow and we were soon discussing how to make 

 the most of the four short weeks I had before me. 



The line usually taken by shooting parties 

 from Berbera starts with a four days' march south- 

 west to Hargeisa, the most westerly of the 

 then existing Government posts in the interior. 



