A PARK-LIKE COUNTRY 



broke, and then turned north-west. Shortly after- 

 wards we entered a most beautiful park-like country, 

 with long green grass, shady oak trees and delicate 

 mimosas. The going, however, was rather heavy, 

 as we were not following a path, and the grass was 

 knee-deep and somewhat tangled ; but the whole 

 aspect of the place suggested cool running streams 

 of clear water. Would that it had been true ! But 

 our next camp was to be a dry one, and some forty 

 miles of desert lay between us and the next rainpool. 



After marching through this kind of country for 

 a couple of hours, w^e suddenly entered the bush 

 again, and a more complete contrast can scarcely 

 be imagined. The low grey scrub, without shade 

 and covered with thorns, formed a scene as arid and 

 desolate as the other was fertile and beautiful. We 

 marched along at a good pace, for the path was good, 

 though it wound endlessly in order to avoid the 

 densest parts. We emerged at last into a minute 

 little plain, in which was a deserted Somali boma. 

 Here I decided to allow the camels to feed and rest 

 before going on once more. 



While lunch was being got ready I took some 

 photographs of the abandoned huts, and while doing 

 so, found an old broken spoon, very handsomely 

 carved. I was exceedingly interested to find that 

 on the back of the handle the man's cattle brand 

 had been cut, and my guide, on seeing it, stated that 

 it must have belonged to Abdi Aden, who had had 

 his boma there during the previous rains. Later I 

 found the same brand on some of the trees in the 

 vicinity. 



We left again in the afternoon, first going west- 

 wards for quite a long time and then N.N.W. 



121 



