12 
TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 
he was the man who rudely disturbed her slumbers in 
the wee sma’ hours. She, like the inane creature she 
is, went straight to the skipper and reported that 
Captain H. was terrorising her. I heard that evening, 
as a great secret, that the warrior had been requested 
to leave the ship at Aden. Where the secret came in 
I don’t quite know, for the whole lot of us knew of it 
soon after. 
Secret de deux , 
Secret des dieux ; 
Secret de trois , 
Secret de tous. 
Do you know that ? 
I was not surprised to hear Captain H. casually 
remark at breakfast next morning that he thought of 
stopping off at Aden, as he had never been ashore 
there, and had ideas of exploring the Hinterland 
some time, and besides it was really almost foolish to 
pass a place so often and yet know it not at all. I 
went to his rescue, and said it was a most sound idea. 
I had always understood it was the proper thing to see 
Aden once and never again. He looked at me most 
gratefully, and afterwards showed us much kindness 
in many small ways. 
Mrs. R. preened herself mightily on having unmasked 
a villain. She assured me the warrior’s reputation 
was damaged for all time. The silly little woman did 
not seem to grasp the fact that a man’s reputation is 
like a lobster’s claw : a new one can be grown every 
time the old one is smashed. In fact we had a lobster 
at home in the aquarium, and it hadn’t even gone to 
