Sporting Trips of a Subaltern 



skin and plenty of meat. His head was fair, but 

 nothing particular. 



The next few days we pushed on more slowly, 

 as the climate was now delightful, and crossing 

 the Goli mountains, we were surrounded by beau- 

 tiful scenery. For the benefit of any who may 

 know the country, I may mention that we left 

 " Gan Libbah," or " the Lion's Hand " peak to the 

 east, and passed by Abdullah to Sik, which latter 

 was the first place since leaving Berbera that I 

 considered justified in having a name at all; it 

 possessed some water-holes, but otherwise was as 

 indistinguishable from the surrounding country 

 as the other places I have mentioned. Here we 

 found signs of game being very plentiful at certain 

 seasons of the year, though fresh tracks were in 

 the minority. We were now well over the moun- 

 tain chain, but the drop on this southern side is 

 very slight, the land stretching out in a great 

 plateau. Directly under the Golis there is thick 

 bush and fine trees ; this had given place at Sik 

 to transparent thorn jungle. 



We camped by the water-holes at 8 o'clock 

 one morning, and after breakfast I started out 

 to see what game might be on foot. I very 

 presently came suddenly on a great wart-hog ; 

 he started up just in front of me, and we stood 

 looking at each other. It was my first view of 

 one of these most weird-looking creatures, and 



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