TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 297 



indeed a charming trophy, and we were intensely 

 happy at having procured one of this species. Our 

 excursion had about put the finishing touch to our 

 garments, which were already on their last legs. We 

 were literally in rags, and had come down to our last 

 suit. Time had indeed made us slovenly. 



If the ascent of the Upper Sheik had been a big 

 matter, what shall we say about the descent ? It was 

 a very serious matter, but Cecily and I laughed and 

 laughed, and hugely enjoyed ourselves. The pro- 

 ceedings of a barrow load of stones tipped over the 

 edge would have been graceful to us. I tried the 

 going down for a short way on my pony, but speedily 

 resolved that if I must die I would at least do it with 

 some degree of dignity, and not be hurled into space 

 in company with a wretched, if well meaning, Somali 

 tat. The camels, one by one, went on before us ; it 

 would have been vastly unpleasant to go before. 

 Westinghouse brakes are what they wanted, Somali 

 camel men are what they got. Clinging on to the 

 already overbalanced creatures, backing, pushing, 

 shouting, rarely have I seen a more amusing sight. 

 The ponies practically tobogganed down, and the 

 accidents were many. One box full of provisions fell 

 off a heaving camel, burst open, and all the provisions 

 spread themselves as far and as widely as ever they 

 possibly could. I scooped up all the coffee I could 

 find, as it was the last we had. We drank it as 

 " Turkish " afterwards, grits and all, and thus got it 

 down with more liking. 



At the bottom of the pass we called a halt for a 



