TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 293 



wives were well. The Mullah tersely said he had 

 none, and relapsed into silence again. This was a 

 set-back that took some getting over, but I gathered 

 myself together sufficiently to say I trusted the 

 forlorn condition of things was temporary only, and 

 that when he had some wives they would keep well. 

 Cecily pulled my sleeve, and whispered I was getting 

 on very badly. " You try then," I said huffily. 



She asked him how many cattle he owned. Oh, 

 hundreds. Would we like some milk ? 



" I hope he didn't think I was hinting ! " murmured 

 Cecily abashed. But we did look forward to a good 

 drink of cow's milk. When it came we could not 

 manage it, for the milk tasted so horribly. I think 

 the milking vessels must have been dirty. 



In this settlement they made large quantities of 

 ghee for sending down to Berbera, and the whole 

 atmosphere seemed more business-like and agricul- 

 tural than most Somali karias. Quite a crop of 

 jowari cultivation brightened the plateau ground 

 around, and farming seemed to be thoroughly under- 

 stood. Many herds of sheep, watched over by women 

 and children, whitened the hills. A goat of acumen 

 and intelligence led each band, and they were not 

 driven from the rear, with the consequent going in 

 the wrong direction every time that attends the 

 moving of a flock of sheep with us. The shepherdess 

 walked in front, the tame goat followed, and the sheep 

 came wandering after. They were exceedingly fat sheep, 

 and our men revelled in the grease that ensued after the 

 cooking of two presented to us by our friend the Mullah. 



