42 MY SOMALI BOOK 



little poisoned arrows. I got them to join forces with 

 me, as I was anxious to see their methods ; but though 

 we found another herd of oryx, the dogs were tired or 

 not keen for some reason or other, and were but half- 

 hearted in their efforts, and we returned to camp 

 empty-handed. 



The following day we moved ten miles further on, 

 seeing for the first time a lion's tracks a day or two 





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^ y-^-y. /T' 





old, which cheer ed me up, for I was beginning to wonder 

 if lions were a myth. 



Elmi's method was to send out at daylight eight 

 men in couples in four different directions to search 

 for the fresh tracks of any lions that might have been 

 in the neighbourhood during the night. I had to 

 remain in camp in the mornings ready to start out if 

 news came in from any of the trackers. These were 

 usually back in camp by about eleven or twelve o'clock. 

 If they had had no luck I used to go out in the after- 

 noon after antelope. Then at night a donkey was 

 tied up outside a loophole, in case of a nocturnal visit. 

 And as such a visit was to be desired it became advisable 



