PREFACE. 



The following diaries of the late Captain 

 Francis' shooting trip in Somali Land have been 

 printed for private circulation, at the request of 

 a large number of his friends. They are taken 

 from small pocket books, written in pencil only, 

 and are almost entirely in his own words, but 

 the writing having been in some places much 

 rubbed, it has been difficult to be certain of the 

 spelling of places. 



Captain Francis left Berbera on January 1, 

 1894, and went due south, 300 miles, on a route 

 called " James's route," which had not been 

 travelled by white men since an exploring party 

 under James went there in 1885. They reported 

 thirteen days without water. After leaving the 

 last water about four days from Berbera, Captain 

 Francis took nine days' supply of it on camels 

 and reached water on the morning of the eighth 



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