24 TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 



The same pandemonium attended our disembarking. 

 All our fellow voyagers seemed to have accompanied 

 the trip for no other reason than to act as porters. 

 There were now more porters than packages, and so the 

 men fought for the mastery to the imminent danger of 

 our goods and chattels. Order was restored by our 

 soldier friends, who at last displayed a little talent for 

 administration ; and sorting out the porters into some 

 sort of system, soon had them running away, like 

 loaded-up ants, with our packages and kit to the 

 travellers' bungalow in the European square, whither 

 we speedily followed them, and established ourselves. 

 It was quite a comfortable auberge, and seemed like 

 heaven after that abominable toy steamer, and we 

 christened it the " Cecil " at once. 



Cecily began to sort our things into some degree of 

 sequence. I could not help her. I was all at sea still, 

 and felt every toss of the voyage over. These sort of 

 battles fought o'er again are, to say the least, not 

 pleasant. 



We had not arrived so very long before our master 

 of the ceremonies came to discover us, with my 

 uncle's letter clasped in his brown hand. I shall 

 never forget the amazement on the man's face as we 

 introduced ourselves. I could not at first make out 

 what on earth could be the matter, but at last the truth 

 dawned on me. He had not expected to find us of the 

 feminine persuasion. 



Our would-be henchman's name was unpronounce- 

 able, and sounded more like " Clarence " than anything, 

 so Clarence he remained to the end — a really fine, 



