Through unknown African countries; the first expedition from Somaliland to Lake Lamu . e Ruspoli and Captain Bottego,had attacked them continually. These two Italians hadgone far up the Ganana, or river Jub, taking with themlarge armed forces, and the Gallas had resolved to uniteto prevent any other Europeans from coming amongthem. The greater part of the country west of the ShebeliRiver to Lake Rudolf was therefore a terra incognita toEuropeans, except in a few instances, where very indefi-nite native reports had been conveyed to residents onthe coast, and to the two explorers, M. Borelli and
Through unknown African countries; the first expedition from Somaliland to Lake Lamu . e Ruspoli and Captain Bottego,had attacked them continually. These two Italians hadgone far up the Ganana, or river Jub, taking with themlarge armed forces, and the Gallas had resolved to uniteto prevent any other Europeans from coming amongthem. The greater part of the country west of the ShebeliRiver to Lake Rudolf was therefore a terra incognita toEuropeans, except in a few instances, where very indefi-nite native reports had been conveyed to residents onthe coast, and to the two explorers, M. Borelli andM. DAbadie, who had endeavored to penetrate thecountry from the north. Dr. W. L. Smith and I got a little beyond Milmil onour sporting trip; and on inquiries from Somalis I judged INTRODUCTORY. 3 that, with a well-equipped expedition travelling throughthe Galla countries, there would be very reasonable hopesof success, especially if patience were exercised, and every-thing done to conciliate the natives. It would be neces-sary to provide against little acts of treachery by taking a. ELEPHANT KILLED BY THE AUTHOR IX substantial armed escort; but as I hoped to succeed byconciliating the natives, and not by fighting my way, Iresolved upon taking only about seventy rifles, — a numberaltogether inadequate to resist the natives, had they unitedto attack us. 4 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. Returning to the coast on the ist of February, 1S94, Ileft orders with Mohammed Hindi, a merchant of Berbera,to buy me the best camels he could find. I also engagedmany of the Somalis we had had with us in our sportingtrip. Mr. Malcome Jones, English Resident at Bulbar, andMr. Charles McConkey, Agent of Messrs. Brown, Shipley, &Co., at Aden, very kindly offered to aid me in every way, sothat when I came back in the summer I should not beobliged to delay long on the coast. On my return to England I set to w^ork to prepare my-self for doing as much work as possible from a geographi-cal a
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