MY SOMALI BOOK 183 



The following, our last day, we made an extra 

 long march, starting in bright moonlight at 3.30 a.m. 

 Do you remember Kipling's " Ballad of East and 

 West " ? 



They have ridden the low moon out of the sky 

 Their hoofs drum up the dawn. 



There was a strange charm in doing the like, and in 

 one place the surroundings were much the same as in 

 the wild borderland of the ballad, with " rock to the 

 left and rock to the right, and low lean thorn between." 



It was just at sunrise that I met the first herd of 

 lowland dhero (Pelzeln's gazelle), headed by a good 

 buck. They were not shy in the early morning light, 

 and I had an easy shot ; but the buck moved just as 

 I pressed the trigger, and I only broke his shoulder. 

 As I followed to give him the coup-de-grdce, a second 

 buck with even longer horns appeared from somewhere, 

 and, ignoring me, went for the wounded one and drove 

 him away for two or three hundred yards ; then 

 returned in the most jaunty fashion to assume the 

 lordship of the little herd of does who, meanwhile, 

 had not shown the least sign of interest in the pro- 

 ceedings. I hardened my heart, and the new-comer's 

 triumph was short-lived. Then I went after No. 1, 

 who gave me quite a long chase before I secured him. 

 A nice pair of heads. 



In the afternoon we saw more dhero, but they were 

 decidedly wild as we neared the coast. However, I 

 got one more good head. I never before noticed in 

 the same way as that evening the remarkable light 

 effect produced by the fading of the sunset glow into 

 the light of the newly risen moon. It made everything 

 seem unreal, and one felt like walking in a dream. 



