254 
THROUGH SOMALILAND AND ABYSSINIA chap. 
come out. Vultures were perched on the tops of all the thorn- 
trees, and would occasionally swoop to the ground and walk 
round at a respectful distance from the meat ; but they always 
took alarm again and flew back to their perches, no doubt 
fearing the lion would come out. Lions often watch meat in 
this manner by day. So still did we sit behind our screen 
of bushes watching the dead waterbuck that a spotted hysena 
came up to within two yards of my face without seeing me ! 
I had to cough, otherwise he would have been right on to me, 
and there is no knowing what even a hyaena would do when so 
close. He gave one look and, the hair bristling up along his 
back, rushed away, coming to a halt eighty yards off to look back. 
Then he cantered through the jungle and I lost sight of him. 
Finding the lion did not come out of the grass, we searched 
it through and through, and discovered that he must have heard 
us coming when we first found the carcase in the morning, and 
retired. So we gave it up and returned to camp. We had 
scarcely left the spot twenty yards behind us on our way home, 
when two Adone w^oman, one of them young, plump, and almost 
pretty, came and asked for meat. We pointed to the carcase 
of the waterbuck, which had been partly eaten by the lion, and 
although it had lain under a tropical sun all the morning, they 
at once set to work to cut off the meat which was left, to take 
home for their own dinner. 
The Dair , or rainy season, now coming on, the river began 
to rise rapidly. It was long past the time agreed upon for 
meeting the Galla chief Dubbi Harre at Karanleh, and Yahia 
now sent me word that the Gdllas had looted several animals 
from the Karanleh people, and fighting between the Somalis and 
Gall&s had broken out, all communication with Gdllaland 
being thus interrupted. Finding that I had not enough leave 
left to go into Ghllaland unless Dubbi Harre came down to 
Karanleh to help me, I decided to march as quickly as possible 
through Ogaden and the Habr Gerhajis country to the coast, 
four hundred miles distant. 
On the 15th I went to the burnt plain and shot a buck much 
resembling a lesser koodoo, 1 and in the evening, while marching 
to Yahia’s, bagged two more waterbuck. 
1 These koocloo-like antelopes on the Webbe have hoofs like the South 
African situtunga, and I am doubtful whether they do not belong to the latter 
or some allied species. The hoofs were twice as long as those of Golis lesser 
koodoo and the skin had more stripes and longer hair. 
