WE REACH BERBER A 
267 
were still in the valley of rocks. Huge boulders towered up 
above us, making me almost shudder to look up. Then the 
rock would come straight do urn as though it had been cut 
with a huge knife. Not a sign of animal life was to be 
seen in this desert. First the valley ran east, then west, 
then north. All the afternoon we zigzagged along at the 
bottom of the rocky gorge. Before the sun Tose next 
morning we were on the move, and at daybreak we left 
the gorge and emerged on an open plain. Here I witnessed 
a most extraordinary and beautiful effect. The mountains, 
all bathed in red, appeared to be floating in the air ! 
Soon after I saw a herd of Pelzeln’s gazelle, which 
appeared to be tamer than those close by the sea. I killed 
a male, and shortly after saw another with a very good ' 
head. After a tiring stalk I shot him. This I decided 
should be my last shot in Somaliland. Soon after we 
passed a number of caravans with the news that the 
steamer had gone the night before ! We camped at the 
foot of a steep, rocky hill for the mid-day rest. In the 
extreme heat I ascended the hill with difficulty, and from 
the summit caught sight of Berbera, some nine miles to 
the north. My head was very bad all day, and I was as 
weak and thin as a kitten. Eventually we loaded up for 
the last lap, and slowly wended our way into Berbera, as 
the sun set on my second expedition into Somaliland. 
