86 TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 



but we knew the wind was blowing away from the 

 very distant camp. 



I told Clarence we would get away as far as possible 

 from the dead oryx, or we should find ourselves in for 

 a livelier night than we bargained for, and have a 

 regular at-home day of most unwelcome callers. We 

 led our ponies and pushed and scrubbed our way 

 through dense undergrowth, ominous rents in my 

 poor coat greeting me as the vicious wait-a-bit thorn 

 held me back. We found the darkness impenetrable 

 in parts, and then in kind of drifts it would lighten a 

 little. At last we made out a small patch of clearing, 

 and decided on camping. The first thing to do was 

 to collect wood for a fire, and as this was a difficult 

 job on so dark an evening, Clarence just grabbed what 

 sticks he could, lighted them, and the welcome glare 

 enabled us to amass a great supply of firewood. I 

 worked hard at this, for I had no mind to be among 

 the jungle folk in darkness. We tethered the ponies 

 as near the fire as possible, where we could see them, 

 and I took the precaution to move the oryx head, &c, 

 from my steed, and place them where I could carefully 

 guard them. I did not want to run the risk of losing 

 the trophies. Besides, it was rather rough on the pony 

 to leave him all baited as it were to attract some hungry 

 beast. 



I should, I think, have preferred to lose the pony 

 rather than the oryx, but wanted, if possible, to keep 

 both. 



Next came our little supper, and this was quite 

 excellently managed. I always carried an enamel cup 



