240 MY SOMALI BOOK 



men, or you are otherwise unfortunate, you may lose 

 several during the trip. But with a good head-man 

 and average luck, you ought to be fairly certain of 

 recovering from 50 to 65 per cent, of the original 

 purchase money, provided you have a good lot of 

 animals to start with — otherwise you cannot expect 

 to bring them back in fairly decent condition. 



If you do not care to trust your head-man, the 

 local officials will put you in the way of obtaining 

 assistance in making your purchases. The number of 

 camels will depend upon the amount of your kit, the 

 country you mean to visit, and the probable duration of 

 your expedition ; as weU as on the size of your f olloAving. 

 It is the rations for your men that take up so much 

 room, and the extra water you must carry in a water- 

 less country like the Hand. It will often be possible 

 to hire extra camels in the interior for a short time if 

 required. 



The Somalis carry water in vessels of wood and 

 plaited bark called hdns, but they are leaky and apt 

 to taint water ; for one's personal use a couple of 

 pairs of good casks would be advisable, unless light 

 metal tanks of the military pattern are obtainable ; 

 I was able to borrow four of these. 



The recognised ration (which is additional to their 

 pay) of all followers consists of 1 lb. of rice, J lb. of 

 dates, and 2 oz. of ghee (clarified butter) per diem 

 for each man. On this basis must be calculated the 

 amount of rations you will need, with an extra ten 

 per cent, for visitors and emergencies : these supplies 

 will be obtained from a contractor in Berbera. A 

 Somali camel will carry from 260 to 300 lbs. or more 



