Evening star., 1896-11-14
Professor Elliott Describes His Expe-
rience in Somaliland.
WHERE WHITE MEN bad NEVER BEEN
The Expedition Not Troubled by
Natives.
INTENSE HEAT SUFFERED

copyrighted 1896, by the Associated Press.I
LONDON. November 14.-Professor d. G.
Elliott the leader of the Field Columbian
Museum of Chicago expedition, with Mr..
c. f. Akeby. the head of the taxidermist
department of the museum, left South
ampton today by the s.. Louis. on their re-
turn to America, after most successful
expedition into Somaliland, whittier they
went in March last for the purpose of max
Ing a natural history collection for the
museum.
In conversation with a representative or
the Associated Press. Professor Elliott said:
I'VE left Berbera at the end of April, with
a caravan. consisting of sixty-eight men. all
armed with Sniders ard Winchesters. and
ffty-six camels. which were afterward In
creased to ninety-eight Our intention was
to explor. certain districts of Somaliland
between Berbera and the river Chibele.
During or stay in Africa we made three
distinct expeditions from the coast. The
first was TO the west of Berbera to the
Gobari plains. and the range of the Coils
This journey inland. which was undertaken
expressly for the purpose OF gett>nS Win
asses, occupied three weeks
THE second was to the south or BerDera
via Mandera and the Jerato pass OF the
Coils range to the south of the Ioyo pain
This trip lasted six weeks. and was EN-.
barked upon because We wanted to get
specimens of Swaine's haartebeest and
Clarke's antelope, both of which are ex-
tremely rare, and of which very few speci-
mems have ever come to Europe.
The third expedition lasted over two
months. This time went from Berbera
and crossed the Hand desert by a route dis
covered by over the Maredleh plain to
d point twenty miles from Milnil
Altogether, we were in the interior six
months. and returned 20 Alden at the be-
ginning of October
Asked regarding the character of the
country visited, the professor said:
"A large portion of the districts visited
by me was quite unknown to Europeans
and certainly had never been traversed by
a naturalist before. The whole country
was absolutely waterless desert True.
there was some kind of stuff with which
to assuage our thirst. but the only water
to be got is from the pools left by the rains
or digging beneath the parched river beds.
But the mixture procurable is thick and
yellow of the consistency of pea SOUP
Even the pools the resort of cattle and
sheep. and their condition may be better
irS'Stned than described. We had to estab-
li>n guard over every pool we reached.
TO prevent its defilement. but often the
water was SO bad that even our mules re-
fused to drink it. Despite this and other
difficulties. we managed TO keep in good
health.
Il had trouble with my caravan. My
head man was the most competent i'll
Africa His name was Dualla IndriS He
had been eight years with Stanley and had
previously travelled with Count Teleki and
Had You any trouble with the natives
No We were SO we'll armed that we were
never attacked The OrSaian people were
not friendly, but they old not proceed TO
hostile measures. One tribe of Midsans,
armed With bows and poisoned arrows,
were lootlng and raidiDg in our neighbor-
hood, but althouga quite close. they did not
modest us.
The country as so unsettled by reason
of the Abyssinian raids that the large num-
oefs or natives joined my caravan for pro-
lection and followed in my wake
The Abyssinians, / am happy to saw We
did not meet They were ahead of us raid
Ing in the valleys, and we heard rumors of
the atrocities, but fortunately for US We
dti not come across them.
The heat during our journey was almost
heyond endurance, and often thought we
should succumb to apoplexy. Such tenn
perdturs L have never encountered before
TWO medical thermometers registered their
highest leo. ard there the mercury re-
mained- The heat in these regions Is so
intense that even natives trying to cross
the desert in the daytime frequently sue
cumb.
The nearest shave the expedition had
was in the case of Mr.. Akely. who was Sc
riously attacked by a wounded leopard.
which was only vanauished by Mr. Akelv
literally suffocating the beast by knealing
on his lung. Mr. Akey had. however. four.
Teen wounds on his and right hand
He got all right. though. in a week"
Asked as to the results of his expedi-
ton, Prof. Elliott said:
Il have otherwise a very large colIact;op
chiefly OF the large mammals probably the
most complete ever brought out of any
country by one party. No less than ffty-
eight cases and barrels were shipped direct
from Alden to Chicago. where they will ar
rive at the end of November. / obtained
moreover over 300 specimens of birds. fish.
insects and reptiles"