30 TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 



at pasture these birds never leave the browsing camels 

 alone, clinging on to shoulders, haunch, and side, in 

 threes and fours. 



We had now in our caravan, not counting Clarence 

 and the cook, two boys (men of at least forty, who 

 always referred to themselves as " boys ") to assist the 

 cook, one " makadam," or head camel-man, twenty-four 

 camel men, four syces, and six hunters, to say nothing 

 of a couple of men of all work, who appeared to be 

 going with us for reasons only known to themselves. 



In most caravans the head-man and head shikari 

 are separate individuals, but in our show Clarence was 

 to double the parts. It seemed to us the wisest 

 arrangement. He was so excellent a manager, and we 

 knew him to be a mighty hunter. 



The chaos of purchases included rice, hams or native 

 water-casks, ordinary water barrels calculated to hold 

 about twelve gallons apiece, blankets for the men, 

 herz'os, or camel mats, potatoes, ghee, leather loading 

 ropes, numerous native axes, onions, many white tobes 

 for gifts up country, and some Merikani tobes (American 

 made cloth) also for presents, or exchange. Tent-pegs, 

 cooking utensils, and crowds of little things which 

 added to the confusion. A big day's work, however, 

 set things right, and meanwhile Cecily had discovered 

 a treasure in the way of a butler. He had lived in the 

 service of a white family at Aden, and so would know 

 our ways. 



We had taken out a saddle apiece, as the double- 

 peaked affair used by the Somalis is a very uncom- 

 fortable thing indeed. 



