Somali 



On the 23rd we got off on the ss. Woodcock, 

 which we had hired from Cowasjee Dinshaw, a 

 Parsee merchant in Aden. Our start was most 

 exciting. The Somali is not a gentleman who 

 cares about parting with his money if he can help 

 it, and those who cross to Berbera either for trade, 

 to get jobs, or from pure curiosity, always try to 

 "sneak" a passage each way on the cheap if 

 possible. Crowds of them invaded our vessel at 

 starting, all claiming at the top of their voice to 

 be our servants. We had definitely engaged seven 

 only, and as they most of them looked very alike, 

 we had much difficulty in spotting the right ones. 

 Eventually we separated the right number of men 

 we thought we recognized, and the skipper, amid 

 a babel of confusion " chucked " the rest. All 

 this happened right out in the harbour, and as 

 quick as some were shoved down into boats, others 

 clambered up on all sides. During the height of 

 the confusion, a pony appeared hovering in mid-air 

 over the ship ; it had been swung off a boat in a 

 crane. We had bought no pony, and a heated 

 discussion ensued between the now nearly de- 

 mented skipper and the yelling horse-owners in 

 the boat, which was only terminated by one of us, 

 out of pity for the poor pony, declaring it was 

 ours, and could be taken on board. It was accord- 

 ingly lowered into the hold. We might have 

 claimed it at Berbera to give them a lesson ; but 



