156 TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 
of a sudden, he turned and running to a tree, proudly 
patted its trunk. I looked and there I saw in indistinct 
letters — my uncle’s initials. Clarence had evidently 
seen the deed of vandalism committed. I could not 
have believed my relative would do such a thing had 
I not seen the result with my own eyes. Not that I 
mean to say my uncle is anything but truly British to 
the backbone, but I thought he would have been the 
man to rise above the habits of his countrymen. I 
never looked on the stern old shikari as a man likely 
to give the lighter side of life the upper hand. Ex 
fiede Herculem ! 
We turned to get back to the caravan, taking a 
different route, and found it stiffish going. In a little 
shady dingle I came on the remains of a jungle king 
dead and turned to dust. The oasis had been his 
sepulchre these many years, and there was little of 
him left to tell us of long passed monarchy. His 
skull, which I looked at, was practically eaten away, 
and was not worth taking. 
A venomous snake struck at me here, but was turned 
by the top of my shooting boot. It was a near shave, 
and I was off and out of the place in quick time after that. 
I missed a fine lion in this thick forest that evening, 
and followed him in fear and trembling without getting 
him. On the way back to camp, however, disconsolate, 
I bagged a small oryx for the pot, which turned a 
somersault like a hare does when shot in the head. I 
thought I had lost him when I saw him leap about 
seven feet into the air, and then again and again until 
I despatched him. 
