144 TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 
heap to the ground. The wings hung limply around 
the mouse body, and myriads of fleas scattered from 
it. It was larger than our English bats, and the top 
of the head was raised in a sort of crown-like lump. 
As we sat breakfasting, the camel-man in charge of 
the grazing camels ran into the zareba and did a lot of 
excited jabbering. Then most of the men made off 
outside. I called to know what was the matter, and 
the butler said one of the camels had fallen into a pit 
and could not get out. Presently we went off to see 
how affairs stood, and were exceedingly put about to 
find Zeila, our big brown camel, had somehow or other 
fallen into a long disused elephant trap which are still 
to be found in parts of the Ogaden. They were quite 
deep, and the intention was that an elephant would 
tumble in at night and find itself unable to get out 
like our Zeila, whose hump was about level with the 
top of the hole. 
Every order the camel-man gave he countermanded 
as soon as it was about to be put into execution, and 
all they had as a means of retrieving our camel was 
one leather lading rope. We sent back to camp for 
more, and sat on the edge of the trap and waited. 
The other camels grazed about us, and Zeila was very 
quiet indeed, only occasionally breaking into groans. 
The poor beast was ominously down in the fore- 
quarters, and we thought must be kneeling. When 
the ropes arrived the difficulty was how to pass them 
around the camel, and if we did get them round how 
to prevent the leather thongs from cutting into the 
flesh. A rather sporting hunter volunteered to join 
