TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 273 



There were letters from our old shikari uncle, full of 

 advice, kindly doubts, and a few sharp digs. But his 

 rapiers always had great big buttons on, so did not 

 hurt us as he lunged. Sooner, I know, would he have 

 broken his weapon across his knee. 



All Suburbia was announcing, through the columns 

 of the Morning Post, that marriages had been 

 arranged for them. Who does all this " arranging " ? 

 Nobody ever " arranges " a marriage for me. I often 

 look hopefully to see. I suppose if you come on it 

 " arranged," however unpleasant it may be to you, 

 there is nothing to be done but see the thing through. 

 A quaint business ! Really quite on the lines of the 

 Stone Age, when a furry suitor would arrange with the 

 furry father to exchange the furry daughter for a 

 couple of rabbits. 



Cecily says if some one doesn't arrange a marriage 

 for her soon she'll be left on the shelf, but one can see 

 a lot from a shelf, provided it is high enough. Of 

 course she'd be unpopular. Old maids always are. 

 And this is just because a man sees in every unmarried 

 woman a walking statistic against his irresistibility. 



The Opposition kept us going in meat these days, 

 but at last I prevailed on Cecily to leave me and do a 

 stalk on her own. But Ralph joined her, and I wonder 

 how much stalking they did. Anyway, they were 

 bound for the Toyo to look for hartebeest, and all they 

 came back with was the tail, very much the worse for 

 wear and time, of an aoul. Ralph said he grabbed it 

 as the animal dashed past him, and it came off in his 

 hand ! I told him he reminded me of the Book of 



