26 
SOMALILAND 
seeing on the way the inevitable gerenook. and a great 
bustard, which I stalked unsuccessfully. During that night 
one of the camels sighted a hyaena, and made a bolt for it 
throuph our zareba ; but as he was hobbled, he was soon 
recaptured. On seeing him going, all the rest jurhped up 
and stampeded in every direction, stumbling over the tent- 
ropes, and nearly knocking me out of bed. : : r 
Next morning we restarted at four and marched on 
through 'the everlasting thick thorn-bush. Whilst being 
loaded, one of the camels attacked another, getting its head 
‘ in chancery ’ under it. He was with difficulty persuaded 
to rise by repeated blows, the poor brute underneath keep- 
ing up a continual roar. However, on being released he 
was found to be none the worse. 
How I hated those early-morning marches before the sun 
rose ! My pony put its foot into a hole and stumbled 
every other minute ; my face and hands got scratched by 
the ‘ wait-a-bit ’ thorn-bushes which it was impossible to 
avoid in the utter darkness. At length the day broke, and 
we encountered some small herds of oryx, which were, how- 
ever, unapproachable, and after several fruitless stalks we 
regained the caravan in fairly open country. 
How glad I was for a change to get out of that dismal 
forest, through which we had now marched for upwards of 
sixty miles ! I sat down to breakfast feeling rather cross 
with the failures of the morning, when an ‘ owl ’ gazelle 
walked slowdy past me at 100 yards. Throwing down my 
porridge-spoon, and snatching up my rifle, I rushed behind 
a bush, from which I got a pretty shot, the bullet breaking 
her back and killing her instantaneously. I shall never 
forget the war-whoops of the natives when she collapsed, 
and th-ey made a wild rush to hallal her. She proved to 
have a very pretty head. The horns of the females are more 
slender in build than those of the males. 
Some natives, seeing our camp, came up and reported 
much game on the plain in front of us, and said that they 
had lost three camels, which had strayed, and the men. 
