TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 145 



Zeila in the trap, a tight fit already, and endeavour to 

 place the ropes. First we wound grass around the 

 rope up to a certain distance making a pad, and then 

 the hunter climbed down. Had the camel done any 

 lashing about or moving the man would have been 

 awkwardly placed. The ropes were successfully passed 

 around the body, made into nooses, the intrepid 

 hunter, wreathed in smiles at our congratulations, 

 emerged sandy but successful, and we all did a tug of 

 war, heaving poor Zeila to the surface, a struggling 

 mass. Once on terra firma at the top it sank groaning 

 pitifully. The camel man examined it, u Bruk ! 

 bruk !" he said, ruefully regarding the right fore-leg. 



He evidently was right. The poor creature had 

 broken the leg in the fall. Here was a calamity ! The 

 head camel man said it could not be mended, and 

 Zeila was no more use to us. I asked Clarence if he 

 thought so fine a camel would be given a home at the 

 karia of the leopard adventure if I offered to hand it 

 over. He laughed and said a broken-legged camel is 

 no use anywhere, and if I offered the animal the 

 Somalis would accept it gladly and then eat it, and 

 didn't I think it better our own men should get the 

 benefit of the meat ? I had never thought of our 

 turning cannibal and eating each other this wise, but 

 I believe all the men were looking forward to a Zeila 

 chop. With great reluctance I said I supposed the 

 poor camel must be killed, that it must be shot first 

 through the head, and then that "hallal" business 

 could follow immediately. Clarence swore by Allah 

 he would do the killing humanely, a word the Somali 



K 



