TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 167 



indispensable to housewives, Home Snips. Two 

 wooden boxes up-ended, with a box lid for top, formed 

 the table. It was simple and effective, and only lacked 

 the necessary Aspinall, hedge-sparrow blue for choice, 

 to convert it into a joy for ever. The remainder of 

 "the suite" matched. A herio made me a carpet, 

 a biscuit-box a foot-stool. Cecily went in for Spartan 

 simplicity, and her tent was quite like you read of 

 famous generals who wilfully make themselves un- 

 necessarily uncomfortable. 



Late one evening we had a fracas with the butler. 

 That henchman entered the precincts of our tent where 

 we were hungrily awaiting supper, and instead of 

 depositing my cup of soup on to another " art " table 

 presented me with it in the form of an avalanche down 

 my back. The soup was not only hot, burning hot, 

 but exceedingly messy, being of the variety known to our 

 cook as " thick" — Anglice, not sieved — and with more 

 bits in it than usual. Our appearance was not so 

 enticing that it could bear being played any pranks 

 with, or putting to any additional strain. Moreover, 

 the cook had no more soup prepared. I had it all, 

 he said. I had indeed ! 



I gave our butler a sound talking to for his careless- 

 ness in this matter and in others, and incidentally cast 

 doubts on the savoir faire of that English family who 

 know what's what. This was the last straw, and I was 

 answered in a furious jabber of talk. I could not 

 make head nor tail of it, or even get a word in edge- 

 ways. Clarence came to the rescue as usual. He 

 translated, and tried to stem the torrent of language. 



