TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 
161 
ticks also. Our ponies were much affected by them, 
and the camels, poor things, lived in a chronic state 
of providing nourishment for the hateful little insects, 
which grew and fattened by what they fed on. Some 
of the antelopes we shot had these ticks very badly 
too, and in one or two cases the skin was marred 
thereby, being pitted with small pin-head spots all 
over the even surface. 
There was now such an abundance of water we 
decided to camp for a day and have a washing of our- 
selves and our clothes. It was not clear water as we 
use the word, but limpidly translucent compared to 
most of the water-holes we had struck lately. Game 
was plentiful again, but very, very shy. 
We went out at dawn and saw spoor of many varie- 
ties of game and rhino ; of the last a perfect maze of 
tracks. I had privately no intention, however I may 
have play-acted to Cecily with a view of keeping up 
appearances, of being in at another battue ; but Fate, 
that tricksy dame, ordained otherwise. As we were 
spooring for leopard, and hard on him, we suddenly 
came on a vast rhino calmly lying down by a patch of 
guda thorn. The idea of another fracas with an in- 
furiated animal of the genus was too much for me, 
and I shamelessly turned on my heel, taking the 
precaution, however, to grab my rifle from my hunter 
as I passed him. 
I put myself behind a little adad tree, and turned to 
see what was going on. The great lumbering bulk 
stood up, winded us, saw us too, I should think, and 
sniffed the air. There was very poor cover imme- 
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