NEWS FROM THE COAST 
249 
water harms. Five men said they would come with us with 
five camels, but of course they did not turn up. I could 
now carry five days’ water-supply for the whole caravan, 
but not a drop more. I had obtained with great difficulty, 
however, a guide to take us as far as Hodayu, three days’ 
march from Well Wall. From Well Wall we took a 
straight road to Sirro, leaving my former route to Wardare 
far to the east. 
On reaching Sirro again, I could hardly recognise the 
place in its spring dress. Now the burnt-up plain had 
been transformed into a garden, covered with a mantle of 
brilliant green, to the great joy of the camels, sheep, and 
donkeys. There was very little water, but enough to fill 
up the empty hams. 
When watering the animals, one of the camels fell into a 
hole, and had to be hauled out with ropes by twenty of my 
men ! Here we found a man who had just returned from 
Berbera, and we at once besieged him with a thousand 
questions as to which route we should take in order to find 
water. We were told to go east of Farfanya. He told me 
that Mr. and Mrs. Stanford had reached the coast more 
than a month ago, and that the poor little rhinoceros they 
captured had died, and gave us a host of interesting news 
from the coast. He seemed so well informed. I almost asked 
him how the Queen’s Jubilee procession went off! 
Next day, after losing our way, and having to march 
through frightful bush, we reached a place called Mus Arra, 
which resembled Sirro exactly. We passed on the way 
several fresh rhinoceros tracks and a lion’s spoor of the 
night before, but saw no game. In the evening I shot five 
guinea-fowl at a single discharge, which formed a most 
welcome addition to the larder. 
Next morning my Marehan pony was so fresh with the 
green grass he had eaten all night, that he broke the rope 
with which he was hobbled, and galloped away, eluding all 
our efforts to catch him. The caravan moved on and the 
pony followed, but he was not finally captured until we had 
