MONOTONOUS COUNTRY 



danger came. But if once they have caught sight 

 of the hunter they will make off directly, and it is 

 then useless to follow them. The secret of success 

 consists in keeping as much as possible in the 

 shadows and in remaining as motionless as possible 

 after the first shot, until their alarm has somewhat 

 subsided. 



The days passed pleasantly enough in working 

 and hunting, but I kept gradually moving southwards 

 until I reached the litde village of Guratti. The 

 country in its vicinity is much pleasanter than any 

 I had yet met with in Jubaland. There were large 

 shady trees overshadowing picturesque glades car- 

 peted with grass, and a few euphorbias lent interest 

 to a scene that was otherwise tame. It is difficult 

 to give an adequate description of the country 

 through which I had passed. There were no 

 mountains, rivers or lakes to form a dominant 

 feature in the landscape ; constant monotony was the 

 keynote of the country ; mile upon mile of grey 

 thorn bushes, whose delicate leaves and thin thorny 

 branches shut out the view, only gave place here 

 and there to flat meadow-lands clothed with coarse 

 grass and dotted with mimosas. Now and again 

 there were some large trees, chiefly yaks ; or perhaps 

 great patches of reeds, 12 or 14 feet high, that 

 met above your head, and rustled back to their 

 places as you passed ; but otherwise there was no 

 striking landmark, only the extraordinary flatness of 

 the whole country. And in colouring it was the same, 

 endless greens, more vivid where there was water, 

 and greys, with here and there the brown of a dead 

 tree, or of some curiously shaped ant-hill. 



As soon as we reached the boma, the headman, 



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