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THROUGH SOMALILAND AND ABYSSINIA chap. 
Dubbi Harre said that his country had been peaceable and 
happy till Europeans came a few months ago ; but that they 
and the Abyssinians had brought in rifles, and had fought ; 
and now the people were firmly resolved to allow no one into 
the land who carried firearms or were escorted by men so 
armed. I contended that I had come as a friend. He answered, 
“Yes, the other white men said that too.” Without going 
into the rights and wrongs of the case, it seemed to me that 
the caravan which had gone before me had been singularly 
unfortunate in the impression left behind, and I thought, that 
being the case, in the limited period of my leave it would be 
uphill work ingratiating myself. I did my best, however, and 
Dubbi Harre and I became good friends over our coffee. He 
said he had seen my men as he came into camp ; he liked the 
look of them ; they were well-behaved and orderly ; they were 
clean and respectable Mahomedans and few in number, and 
altogether different from the rabble of Abyssinians, Arabs, and 
Soudanese whom the other Europeans had brought ; and now, 
having seen us, he believed we wished him no harm. He and 
his two companions were no longer afraid to be with us — though 
he had been so at first. I told him that if I had come for war 
I should have brought more men, and that he, a chief skilled in 
fighting, had seen there were only thirty, and could judge for 
himself whether we looked like invaders. 
Dubbi Harre spoke quietly, with a pleasant smile on his face. 
He looked what he was, a fighting chief, of great intelligence. 
I said, “What will happen if we go to Web, in your country ?” 
He said his people would fight. I declared we would hurt no 
one. He said, “No, but they will hurt you, and I wish to pre- 
vent you going. They are looking for a white man to kill, 
because they are angry with your countrymen the white men, 
who came first and fought with them. If your countrymen had 
not come first we should have received you well, but now it is 
different. I believe jmu, but the tribes won’t ; so take my advice 
and don’t go. You will find game in the empty country between 
the Aulihan Somalis and the Gerfre Gallas ; there are elephants 
and giraffes; you can get Yahia here to arrange your trip. If, 
however, you persist in wishing to go to the Webbe Web, I will 
go on and tell my people, and will come back, and if I think it 
safe I will take you there myself.” 
Attracted by the prospect of shooting buffaloes and hippo- 
potami, which were to be found at the Web, and not in the 
