1 68 TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 



Finally, the whole thing resolved itself into this. Our 

 butler refused to " buttle " any more. He gave notice, 

 and desired to leave our service. When I understood, 

 I could not help laughing. I said of course I accepted 

 the notice, but how he proposed it to take effect was 

 beyond my understanding, as we were miles from 

 Berbera, at the very back of beyond, and there could 

 be no means of leaving the caravan with any degree 

 of safety or sense. If the butler remained, as remain 

 he obviously must, I insisted on his buttling as usual, 

 but better. He withdrew at last, angry looking and 

 discontented, and we went to bed. 



I remember what a lively night it was. A lion 

 roared for two hours or more at intervals of ten 

 minutes, very close to camp — such fine majestic, 

 rolling roars, ending each time in three rumbling 

 " grumphs." I hoped the watch watched, and looking 

 forward to meeting my serenader next day, I turned 

 over and tried to sleep. What a glorious country to 

 be in ! I might anticipate presenting myself on the 

 morrow to a king, and no mere ordinary mortal, with- 

 out the " open sesame " of " let me introduce " being 

 necessary. What a glorious country ! Convention 

 spelt with a little c, and originality — that most ex- 

 cellent of things — everywhere rife. No running of 

 jungle affairs on the deadly tram-lines of tradition, and 

 everything new looked on askance. Mrs. Grundy does 

 not live in the wild ; an' she did conventionality would 

 be taught to the jungle people, and she would rob 

 them of all their naturalness. Doesn't she regard 

 originality very much in the light of a magazine of 



