78 MY SOMALI BOOK 



purpose of the Engineer officer who had indented for 

 pumps is more than I can tell you ! 



That reminds me of another Colonial Office export, 

 an account of which has, I think, appeared in print 

 but may bear repetiton. A Government Department 

 found itself with a big traction engine on its hands. 

 To some brilliant intellect occurred the happy idea, 

 " Send it to Somaliland " ! So over the cables to the 

 harassed Commissioner travelled an inquiry as to 

 whether he could find any use for such an article. 

 The answer came back an emphatic " No." But what 

 did that matter ? Out went the engine to Berbera, 

 and a joyous time they had landing it. And there it 

 lay on the sandy shore a butt for every passing camel. 

 It would be unkind to inquire as to the cost of 

 despatching the unwieldy monster those thousands of 

 miles by sea ; and of course it was natural that a clerk 

 in London should know the requirements of Somali- 

 land better than H.M.'s Commissioner and Consul- 

 General on the spot. But in view of the latter fact, 

 some one ought really to have asked a question in 

 Parliament as to the reason of the unnecessary expendi- 

 ture on a cable in the first instance ! 



J. showed me with pride a pen full of Buff Orpington 

 fowls in splendid condition. You can imagine what a 

 treat, in such a place, their eggs were ; one of them 

 equal to three or four Somali eggs, and even the latter, 

 except at a permanent settlement like Hargeisa, are 

 rarely to be had. By those eggs hangs a tale. The 

 story went that B. one day looted J.'s hen-roosts, 

 asked the latter to breakfast, and served him up his 

 own eggs, professing to have bought them from a 



