246 MY SOMALI BOOK 



It is a good thing to treat horns inside and out with 

 castor oil, which is cheap and obtainable in Berbera. 



Another word or two on the subject of shikaris. 

 It is not fair to spoil the market, but it is eminentl}^ 

 worth while paying for a good man. There are men 

 who expect all the work to be done for them except 

 pulling the trigger ; they get little and deserve less. 

 Much depends upon oneself ; but the majority of 

 sportsmen who go to shoot in Africa can have little 

 or no knowledge of the country, of the habits of the 

 game, or in many cases of woodcraft. They may 

 be keen, and good shots, but without the aid of an 

 experienced shikari and good tracker, it will avail 

 them little. 



And in dealing with lion or other dangerous game, 

 the man who carries your second rifle must be staunch. 

 Apart from the helplessness of the sportsman who, in 

 the moment of danger, turns to his gun-bearer and finds 

 him gone, nothing counts for so much with a beast 

 like a lion as a determined front. A lion that will 

 charge a single man will often hesitate about attacking 

 two. Wild animals have a wonderful instinct for 

 detecting fear or nervousness in a human adversary. 

 And it may add materially to one's own confidence to 

 know that if support is needed it is at hand and to be 

 depended on. 



The amount of danger in big game shooting has 

 been much exaggerated by those without personal ex- 

 perience of it. On the other hand, and more especially 

 in regard to the lion, a good deal of nonsense has been 

 written and said to the contrary effect. There is 

 said to be no more danger in shooting a lion than an 



