TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 265 



dislike of its own to our presence, and made off into 

 the long grass. 



It took us a few minutes to recover from this shock 

 and get back to our designs for ensnaring the hartebeest. 

 The general idea was that Cecily was to work her way 

 round opposite to me so that the sig lay between 

 us. The coveted prize would then, at least we hoped 

 so, break near to one of us. Of course it might just 

 as easily dash off in quite another direction, altogether 

 out of range. But it was the only thing we could 

 think of to dislodge our quarry from the out-of-reach 

 area in which it fed. I could not do any stalking 

 myself that necessitated going on hands and knees, 

 so Cecily set off, wriggling along like an eel. Though 

 I soon lost sight of her, I could in a way judge of her 

 whereabouts. Aoul started here and there as they 

 winded her, moved away, and then contented them- 

 selves again. They are like sentinels, these creatures, 

 and must play a most useful part in the drama of the 

 jungle. Not knowing, though, the actual moment 

 Cecily would start the hartebeest, I began to feel 

 quite nervous for fear I missed an easy shot. The 

 tension got quite irritating when up from the sea of 

 grass rose Cecily, like an Aphrodite in khaki. Her 

 loud shout startled the sig, who stood an instant 

 in paralysed affright, then, on the wings of the wind 

 he sailed past me. I threw up my rifle, the pain in 

 my supporting arm forgotten, and fired. The animal 

 went on at a great pace. I do not think I got him 

 anywhere, but Cecily, who ran through the grass to 

 join me, says she heard even from where she was the 



