CHAPTER IX 



DEATH OF "THE BARON" 



My very friend has got his mortal hurt 

 In my behalf, my reputation stain'd 



Romeo and fuliet 



A piteous corse, a bloody piteous corse, 

 Pale, pale as ashes, all bedaubed in blood, 

 All in gore blood 



Romeo and Juliet 



Very often we made detours from the main caravan, 

 rejoining it at a given spot, and this spirit of " wander- 

 lust" brought us into a nice quandary one fine day. 

 Going by the map and guided by the compass, Clarence 

 was to arrive with the whole outfit at a precise place 

 by nightfall, and we two, tired of the two-and-a-half 

 miles an hour pace, did an excursion on sport intent, 

 taking our own way to meet the caravan. We, with 

 three hunters on the ever-willing ponies, left camp 

 early, and going easily soon put a good distance 

 between ourselves and the slow-coach camels. Dik- 

 dik popped up everywhere, but 'twas no use disturbing 

 the jungle for such small game. Water-holes next 

 loomed ahead, and into the mud the Somalis precipi- 

 tated themselves to drink and dabble. It was really 

 not fit to swallow, and sudden death would seem to be 

 the probable result. Not at all 1 It gave a sudden 



