188 TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 



in Canada. The camel-bell is made of wood, carved 

 by the natives, and, ringing in dull, toneless fashion, 

 localises the band. 



We now began to be afraid of our reception. We 

 were out of the beaten track, and Clarence was getting 

 a bit out of his depth. Nothing untoward happened 

 We did not allow any stranger into our zareba, and 

 met every caller outside. We felt that if we played the 

 Englishman's home is his castle idea for all it was 

 worth we should be on the safe side. The Somali chil- 

 dren seem to begin to work and carry heavy weights 

 when ours at home are just about beginning to think it 

 is time to sit up, and I never saw such out-sized heads ! 

 They were all head and " Little Mary." With age equi- 

 poise asserts itself and the whole structure seems to 

 revert to humdrumidity. For three years at least 

 every Somali could qualify for Barnum's as a freak. 

 After that he begins to look like every other of his 

 countrymen. But not all are alike. For instance, the 

 head-man of this particular tribe was the most atrabi- 

 larious creature possible to meet. I don't think he 

 could smile. We thought he must be crossed in love, 

 but Clarence said the Lothario had already worked 

 through a little matter of four wives, so I suppose his 

 excursions into the realms of Cupid had been fortunate 

 rather than the reverse. 



A Somali is entitled to four wives at once, and the 

 number of his children, as a rule, would rejoice the 

 heart of President Roosevelt. The more children the 

 better for him, because they make for the strength of 

 the tribe. Even girls are not altogether despised assets, 



