Iv GOVERNMENT EXPLORATIONS 79 
spear, but M quickly headed him, and persuaded him to 
get back into the line and not make a fool of himself. 
The elders, who had seen the force of my friend’s sensible 
argument from the first, soon quieted down the horsemen ; 
while I rode off with Warsama Dugal and persuaded the in- 
fantry to stop, for they were quietly creeping ahead among the 
sand-dunes. When they saw me riding a kicking Panjabi 
SOMALI HORSEMAN. 
mule, with a revolver which I had forgotten to put in its holster, 
and old Warsama in company excitedly yelling at them, they 
began to laugh, and good-naturedly squatted down on their 
heels, with the butts of their spears planted in the ground, 
glowering over their shields at a line of hillocks in front which 
hid the Boho from view. At their earnest request I allowed 
them to advance fifty yards to the top of the hillocks, ‘‘so that 
they might see the Boho.” They said they were thirsty, and 
the sight of the wells would do them good! The people told 
