36 
SOMALILAND 
very far from water. My head-shikari told me to accom- 
pany our mounted guide, as he would take me home faster 
than they could walk. 
So we trotted off together. When we had been going 
half an hour, we came across fresh tracks of another huge 
lion, but, as I had left my rifle behind, we were obliged to 
proceed. In another hour we cut the tracks of three lions, 
and I began to wish for my rifle. In an hour and a half I 
began to suspect that my guide had completely lost his 
way in the dense jungle, and I was wishing I had brought 
my water-bottle and revolver with me, expecting to be 
obliged to spend a night of it in the thick jungle. 
We kept turning and changing our course, and the guide 
seemed to be completely at sea, and, to make matters 
worse, he could neither speak nor understand a word of 
English. We at length dismounted and rested our horses 
for a while. On again we went through the maze of thorn- 
bushes, and I began to cough, for I felt very thirsty. At 
last, just as we were trying to And our way out of some 
extra thick bushes, we heard a shot fired a long way to 
our right. After cantering in the direction of the joyful 
sound for a few minutes, another shot was fired, and after 
following the direction of the sound for another hour or so, 
we at length came in sight of some of my camels, and a few 
minutes’ gallop brought me in sight of my tent and zareba. 
I was tired out, but not too tired to eat, as I was very 
hungry, not having tasted food for over twenty-four hours, 
my last feed having been at 3 p.m. the day before. I also 
put away a few gallons of water. On my return to camp 
I found that my two shikaris had arrived before me, and, 
finding I had not returned, had fired the signal-shots I had 
heard. Two of my men, one of whom was carrying my big 
elephant rifle, had not returned, and were for the present 
lost. However, they eventually turned up a few hours later. 
After a good meal, I set out once more for the little 
zareba, whither we had despatched one of my sick camels 
as a bait for the lions. This poor brute had hardly touched 
