End of Somali 



or so, when they stood again, and again I tried 

 a stalk; this time I got within 400 yards, when 

 the wretched aoul gave the alarm once more. 

 Off they went, heading for the open plain, and 

 I watched them till they were little specks in a 

 cloud of sand on the horizon; here they again 

 stopped, so I did a long walk, got on my hands 

 and knees in the grass, and again drew near. 



As I was thinking I had got them all right 

 at last, a Somali came over the plain and put 

 them away for the third time ; they now galloped 

 straight back to where I had first sighted them, 

 and for another hour I stalked again. At last, 

 in the growing dusk, I got a shot at the biggest, 

 range only 120 yards. The bullet told with a 

 "phut," but both went away; the wounded one 

 stood again at 250 yards, and I hit him again 

 with my second barrel, making him kick viciously 

 as he was struck. I then ran after him, racing 

 against the darkness, which I feared would cause 

 me to lose him. Bounding a bush I nearly ran 

 into number two, but was so out of breath that 

 I missed him with both barrels. Number one I 

 soon found stone dead. My first bullet had passed 

 through the centre of his shoulder, and my second 

 through his hind leg. 



I have already mentioned the strictness of 

 the Somali with regard to the "hallal" or throat- 

 cutting by a Mohammedan, and this was a good 



163 



