Diary. 25 



through it, took a round beyond the hill but 

 could fiud no tracks. 



27th, Saturday. — Moved to Adaleh about 

 fourteen miles south, then five miles south- 

 east! There are reported two lions here. 

 Abdullah came to inspect and reported water 

 plentiful and good. It is very scarce, so much 

 so that I can hardly get them to sell me any, 

 and it is the worst water I have ever seen, not 

 very brackish but black as ink, with an inde- 

 scribable stench, and a thick blue scum on it. 

 Fired one shot at a dik-dik, grazed his back and 

 dropped him, but he got off into the bush when 

 Ali went to " haltal " him (cut his throat). 

 These people here have mostly never seen a 

 European. I am like a circus elephant in a 

 country village, and am getting sick of being 

 crowded round and inspected all day long. I 

 think gate-money for entrance into my zereba 

 would be profitable. The head-men all come 

 with the same complaint — want my protection 

 against Abyssinians. I am not going to try 

 that game ; there are 1,100 of them in a big 

 zereba two days off. They say they want to 

 come and see me. There is no danger to a 



