SOMALILAND 
1 8 
his blood spoor for quite two miles, seeing him twice, but 
being unable to get another shot. 
At length, owing to the extreme heat, and as I was 
getting very thirsty, I left my head-shikari with one rifle 
to follow on the spoor whilst I and the syce wended our 
way back to find the track of the camels. We had not 
gone more than two miles, when the eagle eyes of my syce 
made out two jackals running on ahead. I was out of the 
saddle in an instant, and, snatching my rifle from him, ran 
to cut them off. As they were in the act of crossing a 
dried-up river-bed, I showed my head over a little bank, 
knowing well that one of them would stop out of curiosity. 
Sure enough, the one behind turned and saw me, stopped, 
and stood broadside. He stayed where he had been 
standing, when a bullet crashed through him just behind 
the shoulder. I had no idea of the beautv of this animal 
•j 
[Canis messomelas) until he lay stretched before me ; a 
black back with silvery-gray hairs was varied on his sides 
with bright yellow. My tiny penknife was the only 
skinning tool between us, so the operation was a lengthy 
one. 
As we sat skinning him in the river-bed, a band of 
natives, armed with most formidable-looking spears, came 
up and said ' Salaam ’ to me, touching their foreheads. 
They were followed by a caravan of camels, donkeys, and 
women, the latter carrying , the latest fashion in European 
umbrellas. 
After another long ride we caught up my caravan, and 
I was very thankful to get some breakfast. Whilst in the 
middle of this repast, my shikari, to my surprise and joy, 
appeared, bearing on his shoulder the head and skin of my 
gerenook. . . 
As I lay on my bed during the heat of the day, some 
vultures displayed amazing daring, sitting within a few 
feet of me, and watching the skins drying in the sun. ■ I 
also noticed the rhinoceros birds (little brown birds with 
red beaks), picking the grass ticks off my pony’s neck, legs. 
