56 
SOMALILAND 
was upon the ground, and the hungry beasts turned off to 
feed. Some of the men were hacking down the surrounding 
thorn-bushes to form our nightly zareba, a stout fence of 
thorns to keep the camels, goats, and sheep in, and the 
lions, leopards, and hyaenas out. They sang or chanted as 
the axes fell, whilst some natives who had come out of 
curiosity helped to pull away the fallen boughs with long 
wooden crooks, called hangols, and began to build the 
zareba. My tent was up in a minute, a fire lighted close 
at hand, by the side of which squatted the cook, a black, 
curly-haired boy with an intelligent face. A savoury smell 
Vv^hich reached my nostrils foretold my supper of antelope 
soup. My bath stood ready before my tent door, and I 
got up to have a welcome wash, when, on looking up, I 
perceived the whole village pouring down upon me. Men, 
children, and women followed each other in a huge proces- 
sion. The zareba was finished, and I walked through the 
opening, my men closing the door (or, rather, filling up the 
gap in the fence) behind me, as a gentle hint to the crowd 
to keep outside. The villagers seemed greatly disappointed, 
and soon shouts arose. 
‘ What do they say V I asked. 
‘ They hef news, sahib,’ answered my shikari. 
I allowed the headmen of the village to enter the zareba. 
They came forward and took my hand, bending their heads 
as they did so. I begged them to be seated. They 
squatted down in a semicircle in front of me, and I seated 
myself on a camp-stool. Through an interpreter I made 
out that their villages had for months been infested with 
leopards, which had carried off sheep, goats, and even 
babies, in spite of every precaution and the most impene- 
trable of zarebas. They hailed the white man with great 
delight, as he would surely rid them of these pests. I 
assured them I would do my best that very night. They 
all then stood up and walked away, with the exception of 
one gray-headed old man, who, pointing to the crowd of 
women outside the zareba, said : 
