MY SOMALI BOOK 89 



wanted holes of my own making in my skins, so let 

 her have it again. 



Then for the camera and steel tape. There they 

 lay, two adult lionesses, beautiful creatures, after an 

 experience, which for a first encounter with lions, must 

 be very nearly unique. During those few crowded 

 moments, Abdilleh had stood by me splendidly, though 

 * he got a bit excited ; he kept saying, " Don't be 

 afraid. Sahib : shoot ! " I didn't shoot quite as often 

 as he wanted at the time, in which he afterwards ad- 

 mitted I was right : as for being afraid, there was no 

 time to think of luxuries of that sort. These two 

 lionesses measured 8 feet 3| inches and 8 feet If inches 

 respectively as they lay. By the time tape and 

 camera and skinning-knife had done their work, and 

 we were on our way back to camp, it was 2 o'clock. 

 Fortunately the lions had travelled in a circle, so that 

 we were not very far away and were in camp in an hour 

 and a half. As soon as we were within hearing, 

 Henduleh began to announce our success in song which 

 brought every one out to meet our triumphal proces- 

 sion. I was not sorry for a cup of tea, then came the 

 pegging out of the skins, and after an early dinner I was 

 in bed at 9 p.m. and slept the sleep of the just. I did 

 not dream of lions, even after such a day, like " the 

 proud Ides of Quin tills, marked evermore with white ! " 



Next morning we were out at daybreak, meaning 

 to try and ascertain what direction the four lions, 

 which had escaped the day before, had eventually 

 taken ; though not with much hope of seeing anything 

 more of them. After stopping to shoot an aoul, as 

 meat was wanted, we made for the scene of the previous 



