A FALSE ALARM 
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searching in vain for elephants. I held swimming races, 
some of which were most exciting, and a shooting competi- 
tion, giving money prizes to the winners. The heat during 
the time I was there was very great. 
Early one morning my headman rushed into my tent 
and woke me with the pleasing news that ‘ A force comes.’ 
I then heard the well-known ‘ Ou, ou, ou, ou, ou !’ shouted 
by men when on the war-path, and hastened to get at my 
rifle and cartridges ; but it proved to be a false alarm, the 
noise being occasioned by a crowd of men and boys pursuing 
a hyaena which had run off with a sheep. 
From Sinnadogho I had my best pony looted by natives, 
whilst my syce, who was supposed to be looking after it, 
was asleep. I at once sent out men in every direction 
to get news of it. Some of the men came reporting fresh 
elephant tracks, so I went after them with seven camels 
and ten men, with four davs’ rations. The track turned 
out to be at least a day old, and after walking for six hours 
without a halt, we camped for the mid-day rest. 
On the way we stalked two Midgans (low-caste Somalis), 
and when they were in the act of putting poisoned arrows 
into their bows, we put up our hands, and they sat down. 
They were seeking gum, and had seen no elephants. 
Soon after restarting, two men we had sent some days 
ago to a well far off, in search of elephants, came racing after 
us with the news that elephants were to be seen in plenty 
at a place called Job, two days’ march from Sinnadogho. 
I asked them if they had seen the elephants, and they 
replied : 
' No ; but we hear him drink and shout at the well.’ 
As there was absolutely no hope of ever coming up with 
the elephants we were following, I turned round and made 
back again for Sinnadogho, where I had left the main camp. 
On the way we discovered an ant-hill some 12 feet high, in 
and out of the top of which flew bees by the thousand. 
We held a council of war. I was for making a huge fire, 
but my men pooh-poohed the idea. No, they would knock 
