86 THROUGH SOMALILAND AND ABYSSINIA CHAP. 
they had received a good report of us from the Abdul Ishak 
clan, which had met us on the former journey at Eil Anod, and 
so they had been waiting to receive us hospitably. I had left 
my camp at Mandeira, about fifteen hundred feet below, and 
had come up the Jerdto Pass with seven troopers as an escort. 
On reaching Berbera we marched to Bulhar along the coast- 
track, and on 26th April made another exploring trip to the 
Interior Plains, returning to Berbera and thence to Aden, where 
I completed my map of the Habr Awal country for Government. 
In the following autumn, although not sent on duty, I 
obtained six weeks’ leave to Somaliland, on condition I would 
do a map of my route for Government. I was anxious to go 
to Zeila and make an exploration through the Gadabursi hills, 
coming out at the coast again at Bulhér. So far the hills 
between Zeila and Bulhdér were unknown. On this trip I was 
in company with three friends, two of whom, finding game scarce, 
soon returned to Zeila. I held on, however, and we struck 
without guides through the mountains, finally reaching Dimis, 
near Bulhdr, having traversed the last sixty miles with only 
three pints of water per man. This caused some suffering from. 
thirst, which the men were able to partly alleviate at Hil Sheikh 
by jumping into the sea and moistening their skins. One 
pony died from the effects of this march the day after we 
reached Bulhar. 
We had timed our trip at a bad season for game, and the 
only satisfaction which I got for fitting out a very expensive ex- 
pedition, and for a good deal of hardship, was a map of hitherto 
unexplored country. 
In 1887 I made the two big-game trips recorded in the last 
chapter, and in 1889 a short shooting trip to Gdlis, which was 
of minor importance. In 1891 I was ordered to place myself at 
the disposal of the Resident at Aden in order to reconnoitre the 
trade routes in the Dolbahanta, Habr Toljaala, Jibril Abokr, 
Esa, and Gadabursi countries. My brother, Lieut. (now 
Captain) E. J. E. Swayne, 16th Bengal Infantry, whom I will 
call E . was deputed to assist in the survey, and joined me 
at Calcutta as I passed through that place on my way from 
Mandalay to Aden. We reached the Soméli coast in February, 
and started with thirty-two Somalis and one Madras “boy.” 
There were twenty-six baggage camels, and we each rode a 
camel led by a Soméali at walking pace. Going by Dubdr and 
Sheikh, we arrived after eleven days at Alla-uli, a watering- 
