56 TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 



We tried them first, fearing to be done again, and they 

 seemed willing little fellows, and full of life. Most of 

 the tribes breed ponies on a small or large scale, and as 

 they are never groomed or tidied up at all they cannot 

 help a somewhat unkempt appearance. We bought a 

 few sheep for food, and were presented with a dirty 

 harn full of camels' milk, horrid tasting stuff, which we 

 handed over to the men, and so didn't desert our 

 " Nestle " for it. Going among the squalid tents in 

 the karia we found a woman in a sad state of collapse, 

 although nobody seemed to mind it save ourselves. 

 More of the Kismet business. She had a wee baby, a 

 few hours old, lying on the hcrio beside her. The 

 whole scene was primitive and pathetic to a degree. 

 I am glad to say we improved matters consider- 

 ably. 



Although water was very scarce, we spared enough 

 from our store to tub the quaint little baby, going first 

 back to our tents to procure soap and a few other 

 things. We dressed the mite in a white vest, in which 

 it was completely lost, to the interest and astonishment 

 of a jury of matrons who stood around us, ever and 

 again feeling some part of our clothing, tying and un- 

 tying our boot laces, and even going the length of 

 putting inquisitive hands into our pockets. For the 

 mother of His Majesty the Baby we opened our first 

 bottle of emergency champagne. A right thinking 

 Somali is dead against strong drink of any kind, spirits 

 being entirely taboo, so we thought it safer and more 

 diplomatic to refer to;the champagne as medicine. 

 The bang it opened with astonished the listless crowds, 



