I have seen a Somali myself, when half-starved by long fasting, and
his stomach drawn in, sit down to a large skinful of milk, and drink
away without drawing breath until it was quite empty, and it was easy
to observe his stomach swelling out in exact proportion as the skin of
liquor decreased. They are perfect dogs in this fashion. I may here
add, that although the Abban in this speech seemed to show so much
consideration for my property, by several recent tricks of his I
entertained much suspicion of his honesty; and this little address,
though uttered plausibly, was too common and transparent a trick in
the East to beguile me. All Orientals have a proverbial habit of
saving their master's property to leave greater pickings for
themselves, and such I considered was Sumunter's dodge now.

8th November.--This morning the sultan, having now recovered, came to
return my salaam of the previous evening, when I opened to him the
purport of my expedition in minute detail: how I wished to visit the
Southern Dulbahantas, cross and inspect the Wadi Nogal, and thence
proceed west to meet my friends, Stroyan and Herne, at Berbera. He
listened very attentively and politely, but at the conclusion repeated
the words I had already heard; adding that the Dulbahantas had
intestine wars; they had been fighting many years, and were now in hot
strife, dividing the government of their country. Not many days since
a report had arrived that the southern portion of them, who occupied
the countries about one hundred miles due south of Bunder Heis, had
had a fight with the northern ones, who were living on the same
meridian, immediately to their northward, and had succeeded in
capturing 2000 horses, 400 camels, a great number of sheep and goats,
and had wounded one man severely: it was therefore impossible I could
go from the northern division to the southern, for I should be treated