TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER 



the I.-G. Police for sanction to enter Somaliland through 

 Aden, which is under the jurisdiction of the Government of 

 Bombay. 



I also applied to the Inspector-General of Police for 

 sanction to take forty Sniders from the Police Headquarters 

 Reserve with which to arm my escort, for owing to the 

 reputed lawlessness of the country I purposed visiting, an 

 armed escort was essentially necessary. 



After some weeks' delay I received a curt demi-official 

 reply from the I.-G. Police regretting that he was unable to 

 accede to my wishes, but that he had forwarded my appli- 

 cation to the Government for disposal. 



This was not encouraging especially as I had obtained 

 the requisite leave of absence and had already made all my 

 preparations for the expedition, assuming that permission 

 would be granted and I should be able to start at once. 



However, Lord H , the then Governor of Bombay, 



a sportsman himself, and always anxious to encourage this 

 spirit among his officers, came to my rescue, and not only 

 sanctioned my expedition subject to the approval of the 

 Aden authorities but issued a special resolution giving 

 me the loan of forty Sniders and ammunition from the Aden 

 arsenal. 



As I was making the expedition alone for I had no 

 white companion I was particularly anxious to take some 

 of my own men with me. At the same time I felt it was 

 expecting too much, and hardly reasonable to ask a Bhil 

 to leave his home and family and to undertake a sea voyage 

 to a country he had never seen or even heard of. 



However, on my calling for volunteers Gungdya and 

 Sabha, two of my best shikaris of whom mention has 

 already been made in previous chapters both came forward 

 at once and expressed their willingness to accompany me. 



These men, as I have said elsewhere, were very different 

 both in appearance and character, one being tall, thin, and 

 dignified, and the other short, squat, and of a wild and 

 reckless disposition, but a pluckier couple it would have 

 been difficult to find, and though so different in character 

 yet the best of friends and comrades. 



I laid in a quantity of stores far too much as I dis- 

 covered later consisting of tea, coffee, tinned butter, soups, 

 162 



