A GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT 
^75 
him a show with blank- cartridge. In spite of a lot of drill- 
ing, the men would jabber in the ranks. At the word 
‘ Present !’ at least three-quarters of the men fired one 
after the other, and at the word ‘ Fire !’ I usually let off my 
twelve-bore gun alone. Every now and then, whilst in- 
structions were being given them, one or two would fire a 
ball cartridge instead of a blank one — -just to keep up the 
excitement, they said. Altogether it was the funniest 
review of troops I ever beheld, and far more entertaining 
than these deadly dull functions usually are. 
Next morning, after filling the barrels with water, the 
pond was entirely dried up I Soon after, our headman 
turned up at last with our remaining camels, and our joint 
caravans now consisted of 100 camels, 80 men, 1 woman, 
2 boys, 6 ponies, 2 riding camels, and a large flock of sheep 
and goats. They brought with them a special message 
from the Consul at Aden, forbidding us to march to the 
Webbi Shebeyli. This was a terrible blow after getting so 
large a caravan together. 
With much regret I now sent my Berthon folding-boat 
and long rope back to the coast with some bundles of skins 
and boxes of skulls. 
We marched next morning from Bally Maroli at 6.15 a.m. 
I knocked over a gerenook, and, after a long chase, my 
shikari brought him to bay with the pony. When we had 
marched for four hours, we halted for the mid-day rest at 
Ololdare. Here I noticed for the first time a most extra- 
ordinary lizard, with the base of the tail broadened and 
flattened out in the shape of a fan. Colour of back, reddish- 
brown ; tail and head ditto, covered with white spots ; legs 
much lighter. Yellow round nose and eyes, under parts 
light yellow ; under head and shoulders a brilliant cobalt 
blue, very patchy, as if put on with a paint-brush using 
water-colour. The Somalis call this creature ‘ asherbody,' 
meaning ^ baby,’ as when touched it utters a cry exactly 
like a little child. 
We loaded up again at 1.30, and marched through 
