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SOMALILAND 
mot, io mot !’ (Hail, all hail !), as two horsemen galloped up, 
followed by a crowd bearing the looted goods. A pair of 
sandals which had also been looted were not to be found, so 
one of the men took his own off his feet and gave them to 
me. The pony was immediately given back to them and 
peace restored. Great praise was due to my men for 
keeping so calm and reserving their fire, for at one moment, 
had they used their rifles, we should most assuredly have 
been in for a big fight, the crowd being of course far 
superior to us in point of numbers. 
Next day, in the presence of an enormous crowd, we 
marched for Sinnadogho, where elephants were reported. I 
started off with my shikaris a little in advance of the main 
body, but was not destined to go far, as shortly afterwards 
one of my men rushed after me with glaring eyes and 
intensely excited, and began, ‘ Five hundred men ’ 
‘ Great Scot !’ thought I to myself, ‘ has the whole 
caravan been annihilated, or what ?’ 
He went on to say that a great crowd of natives had 
entered the zareba just as the last two or three camels 
were being loaded up, and had looted some of my rifles. 
My headman had then harangued the crowd, telling them 
that, as the sahib was not there, he should do nothing until 
he had seen him, and that unless the rifles were forthcom- 
ing on the morrow at the ‘ well ’ at a certain time, further 
steps would be taken against them. 
On hearing the news I pitched camp, intending to take 
an armed escort against the village on the morrow, and 
drive off some cattle or camels from them in the event of 
my rifles not being returned to me. These steps had to be 
taken, as the news spreads so quickly in this country. 
Otherwise every tribe in the Marehan country, on hearing 
that we had been looted would have at once come down 
upon us to see what they could do in the same direction. 
At daybreak next morning I set out at the head of my 
little army of twenty men (leaving the rest on guard in 
camp) to do battle if needs must with the ‘ five hundred 
