TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 107 



and why we wanted to ? — to all of which we replied as 

 clearly and comprehensively as we could through 

 Clarence. Then more personal questions were asked. 

 Were we married ? "Say no, Clarence." "No," said 

 the stolid shikari. 



The Mullah reflected a little. Didn't we think we 

 ought to be ? A dreadful flick on the raw this. If we 

 married how many husbands are we allowed ? I in- 

 structed Clarence to say that is not so much how many 

 you are allowed as how many you can get. Cecily 

 broke in and said that it was enough to puzzle any 

 Mullah, and that Clarence must explain that one 

 husband at a time is what English women are per- 

 mitted, but it is very difficult in the present over- 

 crowded state of the marriage market to obtain even 

 one's rightful allowance, hence our lonely forlorn con- 

 dition. The Mullah looked really sorry for us. He 

 said he would like to give us another sheep, and that 

 he did not think he would care to live in England, 

 but he approved of the English he had seen. " Best 

 people I see." We thanked him, salaamed, and left. 

 We were then followed by a pattering crowd who 

 dodged in front of us, peering into our faces, and when 

 we smiled, smiled back crying " Mot ! Mot ! io Mot ! " 

 over and over. It was quite a triumphal progress. 



At our own camp we found the place invaded by 

 every invalid of the Mullah settlement waiting in 

 serried rows for us to cure them. Why every English 

 person, or European rather, is supposed to possess 

 this marvellous in-born skill in medicine I cannot tell. 

 Some of the complaints presented I had never heard 



