CHAPTER XI 



ACROSS THE WILDERNESS 



I NOW regretfully turned my back on the haunts of 

 the arrola, and faced the difficult problems that lay 

 in front of me. For now I had to cross a huge 

 stretch of wilderness, a vast expanse of bush that 

 separated me from the Lak Dera and the Lorian. 

 Much of it was unknown even to the Somali, who 

 prefer the district of Bhodji, and have named the 

 country immediately to the south of the Lak Dera 

 Rama Gudi (the bush wilderness). The district of 

 Gulola, however, towards which I was now travelling, 

 is inhabited, as I have said elsewhere, by the 

 Maghabul Somali, and I hoped to meet their sultan, 

 from whom I desired to obtain guides to lead me 

 westward. 



As we left camp there was just that almost 

 imperceptible glow in the east, called, I believe, the 

 false dawn. I always think the sunrise one of the 

 most beautiful things I know, and I never grow tired 

 of watching and enjoying it. On this occasion, 

 owing to the heavy clouds and thick mist, it was 

 particularly lovely, the sky shading from a lovely 

 blue to mauve and rose, while on every branch and 

 every blade of grass the dewdrops sparkled and 

 glistened and the countless spider webs seemed 

 iridescent in the growing sunlight. 



I led the way along the trail, leaving the caravan 



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