142 TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 



the arrival of the beast either, though she says from 

 her zareba his form was at times dimly apparent. For 

 myself, I never saw our prize in life at all. 



He was a glorious trophy, and with perfectly un- 

 damaged skin measured, before skinning, seven feet, 

 and after, seven feet six inches. Then from out of 

 the Somali karia strolled the head-man, not obliged at 

 all, still clamouring for some further souvenir ! I bade 

 Clarence endeavour to explain that the boot was on 

 the other leg now, which the shikari literally and 

 faithfully did, as I heard boots and legs, inextricably 

 muddled with Somali cuss words, being heatedly dis- 

 cussed. Then back to camp and breakfast. 



Sometimes at night, before turning in we would go 

 and sit around the blazing fires and try to talk to the 

 men. We really wanted to find out more about them, 

 where they came from, what they had done, and what 

 they would like to do, but on our approach the chant- 

 ing and the chatter ceased almost invariably and all 

 the naturalness would vanish. I do not think they 

 had any sense of humour. They laughed and were 

 happy enough, but situations that would have taxed 

 the risible faculties of a white man left them solemn 

 and unmoved. 



Almost every one of our men, if you could extract 

 his real name instead of his nick-name, had been 

 christened Mahomed. What a lot of Mahomeds there 

 must be ! I suppose it is like the glut of Jameses and 

 Johns with us. They are tremendous aristocrats, these 

 Somalis ; immensely proud of their descent and origin, 

 and even the most unlettered, though he cannot read 



