72 Three Months'' Leave in Somali Land. 



pass through ; rocky, sandy soil all round. This 

 is the first good drinking water I have tasted 

 since I left Berbera. Saw a herd of oryx on the 

 way. Could not get near, and would not take a 

 long shot. Had a shot at a gerenoul- 200 yards, 

 fired standing, 303, bullet passed through both 

 shoulders. Went for a stroll in evening ; saw 

 an oryx close to camp. He was looking at some- 

 thing else and snorting, and bolted just as I had 

 got up to about 180 yards and was getting the 

 sights nicely on him ; too much bush for a run- 

 ning shot, left him for another day and went to 

 see what had frightened him, hoping it was a 

 lion. Inspected a bit of thick bush, nothing 

 there. Then I caught sight of something yellow, 

 about the size of a lion's hoacl, creeping through 

 the grass towards us about fifty yards off. Jama 

 looked at it for a bit and then laughed much. It 

 was a huge land-tortoise ; its great big hump- 

 backed shell was bigger than a lion's head and 

 much the same colour. 



15th March, Thursday. — Went out in morning, 

 saw a herd of oryx, ground too open, could not 

 get near. Saw a very big single buck on way 

 back. Fired three shots at him galloping through 



