TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND. 19 
assertions to the contrary, for he stuck to us like a burr. 
He was really by way of being a nuisance, as we had a 
great deal to do in the way of satisfying the excise 
people, procuring permits and myriad other things. 
One evening I heard the two warriors talking and the 
elder said, not dreaming that his voice would carry so 
clearly : “ Look here, if you are not careful, we shall 
have those two girls trying to tack on to our show. 
And I won’t have it, for they’ll be duffers, of course.” 
I laughed to myself, even though I was annoyed. 
Men are conceited ever, but this was too much ! To 
imagine we had gone to all the initial expense and 
trouble only to join two sportsmen who, true to their 
masculine nature, would on all occasions take the best 
of everything and leave us to be contented with any 
small game we could find ! 
It is true that being called a girl softened my wrath 
somewhat. One can’t be called a girl at thirty without 
feeling a glow of pleasure. I am thirty. So is Cecily. 
I expect you are smiling ? I know a woman never 
passes thirty. It is her Rubicon, and she cannot cross it. 
My uncle had written ahead for us to Berbera to 
engage, if possible, his old shikari and head-man, and 
in addition had sent on copious instructions as to our 
needs generally. Our trip was supposed to be a secret 
in Aden, but we were inundated with applications from 
would-be servants of all kinds. I afterwards discovered 
that a Somali knows your business almost before you 
know it yourself, and in this second-sight-like faculty is 
only exceeded in cleverness by the inhabitants of a little 
island set in the Irish Sea and sacred to Hall Caine. 
