54 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT 



CHAP. 



the left bank. At the end of two days' march the 

 guides said we were then but a short distance from 

 the point where they had been attacked. 



Upon first telling their story, they had described the 

 attacking party of Somali as consisting of several hun- 

 dred men, and stated that these, with large flocks and 

 herds, were camped near the river. Now, however, 

 upon being questioned, they changed their story to 

 the effect that the Somali were few in number, and 

 like themselves were elephant-hunters. We pushed on 

 the next day, sending out Somali scouts to reconnoitre. 

 In a short time they returned with the intelligence that 

 they had seen Somali tracks leading to the river. It 

 is easy to distinguish from the appearance of the im- 

 pression made in the soil by a sandal, whether it is 

 made by a Somali, or by a member of some of the 

 other native tribes. The sandals of the Somali are 

 made with much greater care (often consisting of as 

 many as four or five thicknesses of leather in the sole), 

 and have a well-defined shape. Those worn by the other 

 tribes consist of but a single thickness, and have no defi- 

 nite shape. 



Upon receiving this intelligence from the scouts I 

 had sent out, I halted the caravan, and sent four Somali 

 to reconnoitre the neighbourhood, and bring back intel- 

 ligence as to the force I was likely to encounter. In 

 less than one hour these men returned, bringing with 

 them a small, ill-fed negro with a head covered with 

 a veritable bush of hair, dyed by some means to a yel- 

 lowish colour. This colour of hair I had noticed among 

 the Somali I had met at Aden. The man proved to be 

 a Midgan ; that is, a member of a tribe held in subjec- 



