54 
SOMALILAND 
been killed by three lions during the thunderstorm, and 
wished us to go back again and try for them. They 
reported that the lions had eaten only the buttocks of the 
pony, and that they had not moved the pony. After 
making them swear that what they said was true, I deter- 
mined to make Owari if possible that night, build a zareba 
by the dead pony, and await the result. I judged that we 
had a march before us of twenty-four miles. I packed up 
three camels with bedding, water, etc., and sent off two 
men with our informants post-haste to build a zareba, 
whilst I and my shikaris started to tramp back. We did 
that twenty-four miles under the blazing sun in six hours 
and three-quarters, including a short rest and drink of 
camel’s milk at a ‘ woolidge ’ halfway. Two hours after the 
three camels arrived, and after a very hurried meal I went 
down to the zareba by the dead pony, where I was to spend 
a watchful night. The instant I saw the pony, or, rather, 
what remained of it, I said to myself, ‘ The lions will never 
come back to it.’ In the first place, there was nothing but 
skin and bone left of it. All the soft juicy parts were 
gone, and there remained but the neck, the hide, the meat 
on the ribs, and a little on the legs. In the second place, 
it had been moved by the natives from the place where it 
had been pounced upon and killed, though not very far. 
The result was as I anticipated. Although we heard the 
three lions roaring about a mile off, not one came near us- 
The night was rendered lively for us by having to keep up 
a continual shower of dirt over the zareba to drive off the 
hyaenas, which persisted in crunching up the pony’s ribs. 
About five next morning we determined to track the 
lions which had been roaring the night before, and after a 
very long delay looking for a good fresh spoor to follow, 
we at length found what we wanted. The spoor was that 
of two lions, which were soon joined by a third, and led us, 
of course, into fearfully thick bush, where our four ponies 
(two belonging to our guide) vrere utterly useless. My 
shikari was in a very bad temper, and after going for some 
