172 
SOMALILAND 
We had seen no buck with the first herd, but soon after 
saw a second herd. After a long stalk, I got within 300 yards 
of a fine buck, and gave him a bullet right through the 
middle, followed by a second through the haunch, a third 
breaking his long tail. With this he lay down. I had but 
one cartridge left, and the pony was a mile away. I tried 
to stalk him, but he saw me and got up and faced me. I 
dared not wait, so f red my last ^ cartouche ’ (as my shikari 
called it), and missed. Off he galloped, but he was badly 
wounded, and soon lay down again. 
I sat down behind a tiny thorn-bush, and sent my 
shikari back for the pony and my shot-gun. The latter 
was forthcoming first. Cramming in a ‘ BB ' cartridge, I 
stalked the antelope, which was now squatting flat on the 
ground, with its head closely pressed against the sand. As 
I crawled up to him, he jumped up and bolted ; but I fired 
the twelve-bore, knocking him head over heels, whilst a 
yell of triumph rose from me and my shikaris. He had a 
very good head (lOj inches round the curve), and I was 
mightily pleased with him. This animal is usually very 
shy and difficult to bag. 
I had promised my men a couple of sheep if I killed a 
buck, so that I was received with quite an ovation when I 
arrived in camp at Bally Maroli, a curious little oasis on the 
edge of a large plain. In the centre of this patch of trees 
'was a small pond with enough water in it to last us a few 
days. The trees were covered with the nests of a lovely 
little gold-and-black weaver-bird. These nests, which con- 
tained little blue eggs and a few young birds, were beauti- 
fully made with a kind of tunnel- like entrance, so : 
One day I was most successful with Clarke’s gazelle, one 
