86 TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 
bushed, but we knew the wind was blowing away 
from the very distant camp. 
I told Clarence we would get away as far as possible 
from the dead oryx, or we should find ourselves in for 
a livelier night than we bargained for, and have a 
regular at-home day of most unwelcome callers. We 
led our ponies and pushed and scrubbed our way 
through dense undergrowth, ominous rents in my 
poor coat greeting me as the vicious wait-a-bit thorn 
held me back. We found the darkness impenetrable 
in parts, and then in kind of drifts it would lighten a 
little. At last we made out a small patch of clearing, 
and decided on camping. The first thing to do was 
to collect wood for a fire, and as this was a difficult 
job on so dark an evening, Clarence just grabbed what 
sticks he could, lighted them, and the welcome glare 
enabled us to amass a great supply of firewood. I 
worked hard at this, for I had no mind to be among 
the jungle folk in darkness. We tethered the ponies 
as near the fire as possible, where we could see them, 
and I took the precaution to move the oryx head, &c., 
from my steed, and place them where I could carefully 
guard them. I did not want to run the risk of losing 
the trophies. Besides, it was rather rough on the pony 
to leave him all baited as it were to attract some 
hungry beast. 
I should, I think, have preferred to lose the pony 
rather than the oryx, but wanted, if possible, to keep 
both. 
Next came our little supper, and this was quite 
excellently managed. I always carried an enamel cup 
