266 TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 



" phut " of the bullet, and why didn't I ? This worried 

 me a lot. I hate to think of half -shot creatures 

 dragging on in agony. We found our ponies and 

 galloped off in the line of country traversed by the 

 vanished sig. We rode for a long way, searched 

 thoroughly, but found nothing. We saw ostrich, but 

 at long range, and we hadn't the desire to try and bag 

 one. After a lunch of cold oryx and bread of sorts 

 (the oryx, by the way, who gave me reason to remember 

 him), we decided to give up the chase, satisfied my 

 bullet had not found a billet. The whole way home 

 was blank. My shot had alarmed all the jungle folk, 

 and they were now as shy as hawks. 



Back in camp the parleying with the stingy pro- 

 prietor of the wells began. He would not reduce his 

 charges, and we had to have water. I so hated to be 

 done. After due deliberation we served the old 

 gentleman with an ultimatum to the effect that we 

 offered him a fair price, and if he would not accept 

 the amount, we should take the water by force if neces- 

 sary. Clarence translated the message, and afterwards 

 we saw the recipient talking to his friends, some fifteen 

 Somalis, and gesticulating wildly. The time arrived 

 when the kettle demanded filling ere tea was forth- 

 coming, so with almost all our men carrying hams and 

 barrels, we marched right up to the walls. The old 

 man, backed up by his Somalis, came close to 

 Cecily and myself, and jabbered a great deal in 

 furious tones. I expect the words were cuss words 

 all right. They sounded like them. I signed to the 

 men to set to work filling up. The enraged Somali 



