190 



MY SOMALI BOOK 



meed of praise. A stranger in a strange land, his 

 dignity at times was sorely tried, but he did me well, 

 and felt he had been through great experiences ! 



On the 1st October, Abdilleh and Elmi the younger 

 came to see me on board my steamer, and Berbera, 

 with the crest of Golis in the background, gradually 

 faded into a memory. Sonny must not be forgotten. 

 He accompanied me to Aden and Bombay, and was a 

 personage of importance on board the steamer. He 

 was a dear little beast, and I had become very fond of 

 him, but I knew it would not be possible for me to 

 keep him long, so allowed circumstances to part us in 

 Bombay ; much to my subsequent regret, for he died 

 very soon afterwards. With him went my last living 

 link with the land of the lion — for this time at any 

 rate. Africa has a way of putting upon a man the 

 spell of her desert and jungle, and he who has once 

 felt it will be rash indeed if he asserts that he will 

 never yield again to that mysterious insistent Call of 

 the Wild. 









. -^^m^ 



