2o8 
SOMALILAND 
man was positive it was a leopard, and so, as we could not 
possibly get out of the zareba alone, we shouted to the men 
in camp to bring a lantern. After a great deal of talking 
in camp, and an interval of what seemed to me an age, 
some men were heard approaching bearing a lantern. 
I grew quite excited. Would it turn out to be a leopard 
or merely a spotted hyaena ? The light arrived at last ; I 
saw the beautiful spots at once. Hurrah ! I had killed a 
leopard. They bore him to camp, whilst I took a drink of 
water, for the night was very hot. 
When the men had, as I thought, all but reached camp, 
two rifle-shots were fired in quick succession. At first 
I thought it must be my shikari again firing at the bull. 
My men, however, assured me the sound came from the 
direction of the tr^ps. Nothing further occurred, and I 
got out of the zareba at daybreak. 
On reaching camp, my first inquiry was into the firing we 
had heard. I was told that the men who were bearing 
back my leopard to camp thought they might as well have 
a look at the traps on the way. On reaching one of the 
little zarebas, out jumped a leopard, and they had both 
fired, the bullets striking the ground between my boy and 
a camel-man, who were lying in the middle of my camp. 
‘ I go very near to dead,’ said my boy to me, with a piteous 
grimace. The camel-man echoed his sentiments. In one 
of the traps we found a little animal of the ferret tribe, 
with long black and yellowish -white hair and bushy tail, 
which I was very pleased to get. I now examined my 
leopard. The bullet had gone through his left eye. He 
was small, but possessed a beautiful skin. He measured 
5 feet 4 inches from tip of nose to tip of tail before skinning. 
And the pegged skin measured 6 feet 10 inches. A lion 
and a leopard in two nights ! Come, things were im- 
proving. 
During the day one of my men had a fight with a 
stranger at the well, the stranger getting off second best. 
He came up to me for money, but I told him I did not give 
