352 
THROUGH SOMALILAND AND ABYSSINIA 
guiding shots are required, especially at night. The men should have 
blank ammunition for this purpose, and should be fined for every ball 
cartridge wasted in this way or fired indiscriminately at game. Firing 
at game by men of the caravan, except under special circumstances, 
should be strictly prohibited, as it causes danger to any natives or live 
stock that may be about in the bush, and may land the traveller in a 
troublesome blood-feud. Men who are paid off and sent to the coast 
towards the end of a trip, or who are sent down in charge of camels, 
should, if they are trustworthy, be allowed to take their rifles with them, 
and they should be given cheques for their back pay, arrangements hav- 
ing been made so that the cheques will not be honoured till the rifles 
have been safely given up. It is not fair to expect a man to go through 
the territory of strange tribes without his rifle, or, at any rate, a spear 
and something to show that he is the servant of an Englishman. 
If organising a Somali expedition I should begin by writing to the 
authorities at Aden mentioning where I wished to go, and asking 
whether political conditions were favourable, whether I should be 
allowed to enter the country through British ports , 1 and what escort I 
should be required to provide myself with. I would, at the same time, 
write to one of the Aden firms which I have named for information 
regarding the times of sailing of coasting steamers. The securing of a 
headman, on whom so much depends, may be seen to at the same 
time ; the most reliable quarter to go to for information on this point 
would probably be friends who have already been a trip and can 
nominate a man. The name of a reliable headman, who is available, 
having been obtained, he should be ordered to meet the traveller at 
Aden on a named date. 
Meanwhile all such articles as coats, cartridge-belts, store-boxes, or 
Arab camel-saddle, which, if wanted at all, have to be made to order, 
should be prepared by the Parsi firms. On arrival at Aden the traveller, 
having already prepared a list of the number of men, camels, and caravan 
kit he will require, can procure them with the help of the headman. It 
may be advisable, if time is limited, for the headman to be sent to 
Berbera (I am assuming Berbera as the starting-point) to buy camels, 
camel-mats, axes, and other caravan kit, and have them ready by the 
time his master comes out to Aden, the funds being provided for the 
headman through the Aden firm acting as banker. 
The simplest course, and one I have generally adopted, has been to go 
over to Berbera, stay in camp there four or five days, and purchase camels 
and necessaries myself, with the assistance of the headman. If, however, 
more than forty camels are wanted, this may involve a delay of perhaps 
ten days. 
When returning from the interior I have found it saves a good deal of 
worry to stay a few days in camp in the hills, and pay off the bulk of the 
caravan with cheques on the Berbera agent. The men’s characters should 
be at the same time given them, and they should be told firmly that they 
i It must be remembered that there are generally more sporting parties than lions 
near the coast, and the game is being driven farther and farther towards the distant 
interior every year ; so it is necessary to go to unexplored tribes to get good sport. 
It must be remembered also that a large coast belt has been reserved for shooting over 
by officers of the Aden garrison ; and that the last Abyssinian treaty has further 
curtailed the limits of the hunting-grounds. 
