46 
SOMALILAND 
great deal of white matter, and anointing the wound with 
carbolic oil. 
My syce and gunbearer, on returning from the village, 
reported that on the way back they had encountered two 
lions, which calmly walked across their track, looking at 
them out of the corner of their eyes. 
‘ What did you do V I asked. 
^ Oh, we got up trees,’ they answered. 
I wished lions would walk up and have a look at me. 
That night I watched over the dead camel, which was now 
beginning to ‘ hum ’ a good deal. About one in the 
morning I was touched on the shoulder by my shikari, 
and when I looked through the peephole I beheld two fine 
leopards walk quickly past at about 50 yards. But the 
hole had been constructed to face a kid we had tied up 
outside, and the camel upon which the leopards were about 
to feed, by some bad management, could not be seen. It 
was most tantalizing. Here was I boxed up in a zareba 
within 40 yards of the leopards, and could not see them. 
Crunch, crunch, crunch, went the ribs of the camel in their 
hungry jaws till I could stand it no longer. I got up and 
told my shikari I must go out. 
‘ No bleck man go outside zareba night-time,’ said he. 
' Well, white man must,’ I replied, as I tried to push 
back the thorn-bush which barricaded us in. 
After a great deal of noise we at length succeeded in 
making an opening large enough for me to crawl through 
on hands and knees. When I crept round the corner of 
the zareba I discovered that the noise had driven the 
leopards away from the carcase, as I had expected, but I 
could just distinguish a light figure, like a huge dog, with 
flaming eyes in the moonlight. I raised my rifle, but could 
then see nothing down the barrel. I must get nearer, I 
thought. It was a bit risky, but I was excited now to 
obtain that beautiful skin. I began to crawl towards him. 
On sighting me, he turned from broadside on to face me, 
and I could now only see two glaring eyes in a dark mass 
