156 
SOMALILAND 
with veranda surrounding it, was in course of erection. 
In the court were some Arab trotting camels, which looked 
sleek and well cared for. Some fine wells had been dug by 
the ‘ tug,’ and we stayed here the night. 
Early next morning I started for a four days’ tramp over 
a very barren wilderness to Berbera. During the preceding 
night my lions, after making a great noise, suddenly ceased. 
On jumping out of bed, and looking out of my tent into the 
moonlight, I discovered that they had escaped out of their 
cage (a lions’ den with bars of string was hardly appro- 
priate), and were careering about among the sheep and 
camels, the latter not taking the slightest notice of them. 
The sentries, of course, were fast asleep. I with difficulty 
managed to catch them, and tied them up again safe and 
sound. It was the greatest good luck I happened to bo 
awake, otherwise I must have lost them. 
The wind now blew a hurricane every day, and it was 
with great difficulty that my tent could be pitched. I saw 
no game until 4 p.m., when we sighted a herd of ten wbld 
asses. After a long and arduous stalk after these excep- 
tionally wary animals, I fired as they ran off*, hitting two 
with my right and left. Both beasts were hit through the 
shoulder, but proved as hard to bring to earth as their near 
relatives the zebras. After a very long race, I overhauled 
and ^ grassed,’ or, rather, sanded, one of them (for of grass 
there was none). Meanwhile my syce and shikari had been 
following the second animal, and after a large expenditure 
of ‘450 and revolver cartridges I bagged my ‘ right and 
left.’ This larofe animal, which resembles the domestic ass 
in shape, has a beautiful French-gray ground colour, long 
pointed ears, and legs striped after the manner of the 
zebra, except that the stripes on the ass are narrower. It 
has no dark line along the back like the domestic ass. 
Next day the heat became greater and greater as we 
descended. I saw two Pelzeln’s gazelle, but failed to get a 
shot, and after passing several caravans, we pitched for the 
night near a dried-up ' tug.’ Next day we encountered a 
