78 Three Mo?iths' Leave in Somali Land. 



country, and miss it badly here. Jama cracked 

 my express across the stock. He is doing me 

 well with my guns. Broken striker of my pet 

 12-bore on Jan. 22, and I have missed that gun 

 every day since. Broke off one of the indicators 

 of my express about ten days later, and now he 

 has cracked the stock. These men treat guns as 

 if you could cut a new one off any tree. 



19th March, Monday. — Felt seedy, so sat tight 

 and sent men in two directions for khuhber. 

 Nothing. They never see anything unless I am 

 with them. Spent all the day in making a new 

 sight for my 500, out of an oryx bone. Made 

 a very good one considering that I had no tools 

 but a blunt knife. They have lost both my files- 

 Went out for a bit before breakfast because one 

 of the camel men said he had seen three oryx close 

 by. I do not believe him, as ho could neither 

 show me the beasts or their fresh tracks. Plenty 

 of stale ones, and I believe be took me out on 

 spec, having seen these. 



20th March, Tuesday. — Went out at 7.30 and 

 fooled around till 11.30, saw no tracks of any- 

 thing good. Saw one very good buck oryx, and 

 made a mess of the stalk through being in too 



