50 TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 



work. I do not think we ever did so little washing 

 in our lives before ; water was too precious to juggle 

 with then. 



Haud is a Somali word signifying the kind of 

 country so named, and may mean jungly ground or 

 prairie-like plains. We crossed a part which re- 

 minded us both of the Canadian prairies, dried-up 

 grass as far as the eye could reach. The waterless 

 tract most crossed by travellers and trading caravans 

 is arid and barren, and the paths are not discernible 

 owing to the springy nature of the ground. Parts of 

 the Haud are quite luxuriant, and provide grazing for 

 countless thousands of camels, sheep, and goats. Our 

 route lay over a flat, ugly, and uninteresting expanse. 

 It was no use looking for signs of game. The new 

 grass had not as yet appeared. Even the easily con- 

 tented camels had to make believe a lot at meal-times. 



We were marvellously lucky in our getting over this 

 daunting place. At no time were we overwhelmed 

 with the heat. A quite refreshing breeze blew over us 

 most days, and at night we found it too cold to be 

 pleasant. I called it luck, but Clarence attributed it to 

 the will of Allah. 



I got a fine bustard for the pot. A beautiful bird 

 with a dark brown crest, and a coat, like Joseph's, of 

 many colours. I saved some of the feathers, they 

 were so iridescent and beautiful. The bustard tribe in 

 Somaliland appears to be a large one. I noticed three 

 or four distinctly different species, with dissimilar 

 markings. The Ogaden bustard had the prize, I think, 

 in glory of plumage. Even his beak was painted 



