4 
SOMALILAND 
men and baggage. Then came the hard work of the day. 
As I could not ship my rifles and ammunition as personal 
baggage, but as cargo only, I had to get them all through 
the Customs, and also get a permit from the Excise and 
consular authorities, allowing me to take them into the 
country. I also had to produce my permission to enter the 
country personally. During these operations I had to sign 
and get signed several ‘ acts of parliament,’ go several long 
gharry drives, and pay a large duty on my goods, which 
employed me from 7 to 2 p.m., entailing not a little loss of 
time, money, and temper. However, I had everything 
settled at last, and got rid of the red tape. The officers 
who joined me on the ship were more lucky, for they had * 
their tents, ammunition, and rifles lent to them, and their 
cartridges taken as personal baggage with nothing extra 
to pay, although the weight far exceeded the regulation 
three hundredweight. 
At length we got on board our chartered cockleshell of 
a steamer which was to take us to Berbera, but we were 
obliged to wait two hours before our heavy baggage arrived ; 
and when it did at last arrive, the careless coolies, in 
attempting to lift up a case of mine containing eighteen 
Snider carbines, let it slip slowdy out of their hands without 
attempting to make a grab at it. Down it went with a great 
splash into the sea. But wonders never cease : up it came 
again, and was secured by means of a rope. I breathed again ! 
It was so well packed and air-tight that it had floated. 
We started at G p.m. Oh, the dirt and the smells on 
that tiny boat ! Just as we were fairly under w^ay, the 
agent of the ship, who was still on board, discovered that 
half of the Somali passengers had not paid for tickets, nor 
had they any money for them, whereupon there was a 
general row, which ended in a free fight, the second officer 
getting badly mauled by some half-dozen scoundrels ere 
the captain, a big, burly fellow who was three-parts drunk, 
rushed upon them, and, hitting out right and left, seconded 
by our three selves, at length succeeded in pitching all the 
