loo TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 



drag myself around. We had to dress the man's 

 wound for fear of consequences, and went on messing 

 away with him until the first signs of dawn saw the 

 return of the prodigals, travel-stained and weary. The 

 camels promptly sank down and began chewing the 

 cud composedly. Really the camel is the most 

 philosophical of all living things ! 



Next morning I held a court-martial of sorts on the 

 offenders, and threatened them both with the loss of 

 the promised bonus to be given at the end of the trip 

 provided all things pleased us. I also docked them of 

 some pay. This had the desired effect, and battles, 

 except wordy ones, were " off " henceforward. 



The wound by rights ought to have been stitched, 

 but we rather shied off doing it. The dressing was 

 pantomime enough ; I nearly lost my temper many 

 times. An expedition like ours is a grand field on 

 which to practise repression, and I was for ever 

 trying conclusions with my capabilities in that direc- 

 tion. 



Out early near here one morning we came on an 

 astonishing sight — an oryx lying down in a thorn 

 patch, and all around him, like familiars of a witch, 

 crouched jackals, the length of one of their kind apart, 

 watching with never flinching stare the centre of 

 attraction. We cantered up, and the jackals reluctantly 

 made off. One big fellow struck me as unlike his 

 brethren, and a bit of a prize. So, reining in the 

 pony, I jumped to the ground, losing a lot of time in 

 the process, and fired with rather a shaky hand. The 

 result was I hit the loping animal in the leg only, 



