8 
SOMALILAND 
Shortly after in came the party who had been mauled 
by a lion. I offered to buy his camels, but he said he was 
going into the jungle again in a few days if his arm and 
hand (which he carried in a sling) continued to improve. 
For a whole week I was obliged to remain in Berbera 
getting together my caravan. Camels came in very slowly, 
and the prices asked were exorbitant. At night it was 
almost impossible to sleep owing to the heat and the 
mosquitoes, added to which was the incessant din of the 
men belonging to the various caravans, w^ho would persist 
in shouting, talking, and quarrelling, entailing my frequent 
interference with growls of ‘ Scutter !’ (Go away 1) and 
' Bus !’ (Be quiet !). 
At length I collected a rabble of 23 men. There 
were 13 camelmen, 1 headman, 4 shikaris or trackers, 
a syce, a cook, a skinner, a ‘ butler, ’ and a donkey-boy. 
I bought a pony at last for 80 rupees, and camel- 
mats for 25 camels; 12 harns, or native water- vessels 
of plaited bark; 10 long white tohes and 75 werihani 
tobes (i.e., cloth made in America and used for barter) ; 
native axes and cooking-pots ; 2 water-casks holding 
10 gallons each, and 2 casks holding 7 gallons each; iron 
tent-pegs, several bundles of loading rope, 10 turbans as 
presents for women, blankets for followers, cocoanut-oil for 
ditto, a sack of onions, a sack of potatoes, 12 bundles of 
extra candles, 6 coloured tobes for Sultans, cartridge-belts 
for escort, and scores of odds and ends too numerous to 
mention. When I had put down my 23 packing-cases full 
of rifles, tent, bedding stores, cooking gear, ammunition, 
etc., I was informed that 23 to 25 camels would be enough 
to carry the whole. For my 23 followers for four months 
I provided 20 bags of rice, costing 157 rupees ; 375 pounds 
of ghee (native butter), costing 170 rupees ; and 12 gosras, 
or baskets of dates. Day after day I waited, but no more 
camels came in. I was enlivened in the evening by a 
madman, who came round chanting a lot of gibberish and 
pointing at me, surrounded by a huge crowd of natives. 
