Somali 



without inconvenience. One cook had been in 

 an officer's mess at Aden, and far excelled the 

 other. He was known as the " fat cook," and 

 was held to counterbalance the headman, so that 

 whoever took the one resigned the other. 



Strength of caravan : One headman ; two 

 "boys" (full-grown men really); two cooks; one 

 head camel man ; thirteen camel men ; five spare 

 camel men ; three syces (grooms) ; four hunters ; 

 to which were added various people en route, such 

 as a boy who attached himself and cooked the 

 men's meals, and a sportsman who brought us 

 a present of three sheep, and asked to be allowed 

 to hunt with us. 



Our weapons were : One single-barrel *303 ; 

 two double-barrelled hammerless ejecting '500 Ex- 

 presses (these were our main stand-bys) ; one 10- 

 bore rifle ; one 12-bore rifle ; one 8-bore gun that 

 took bullets ; one single-barrel '350 ; two 12-bore 

 shot guns. The 8-bore gun was rather a fraud. 

 I bought it from an advertisement in the Pioneer, 

 wherein it claimed to have shot elephants ; but 

 as on its arrival " Not for ball " was printed in 

 large letters on the barrel, I never dared to use 

 it. I would have returned it, but was in a 

 hurry. 



We had three ponies, purchased in Berbera for 

 rupees 150, 150, and 55 respectively. They were 

 rough, hardy little brutes, and, with the addition 



95 



