MY SOMALI BOOK 85 



possibly one or two of my first shots had found its 



billet unknown to me, a second head appearing in 



place of the fallen one, for there were several birds in 



this grass and subsequent experience showed that this 



species generally goes in twos 



and threes. This was not the 



rather larger black-breasted 



bustard, which is more of a 



runner. Both are excellent 



eating. 



At length the caravan came 

 up and we marched on, and 



presently I got a good clhero with a long shot, 240 

 paces. Soon after we came across a party of gerenuk 

 with a good head among them, but I could not get 

 a shot. I had just given them up when Elmi saw 

 and pointed out an animal crouching under a bush 

 fifty yards away ; he thought it was a leopard. The 

 beast started to move away on the other side and I 

 fired a hurried shot and missed. Out came, not a 

 leopard but a didhar (striped hysena). I fired again 

 as it made off, but I am not good at a running shot 

 with a single-barrel (I was using the -318) and it got 

 away untouched. 



Readers of Hajji Baba will remember the pre- 

 scription for " conciliating the affection of all " by 

 wearing the dried skin of a female hyaena. This beast 

 had quite a handsome skin, none of the mangy appear- 

 ance one so often sees. Even so one's case would 

 have to be very serious before one would care to wear 

 it on one's person ! 



Fortunately we were close to our camping-ground, 



