TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 167 
indispensable to housewives, Home Snips. Two 
wooden boxes up-ended, with a box lid for top, formed 
the table. It was simple and effective, and only lacked 
the necessary Aspinall, hedge-sparrow blue for choice, 
to convert it into a joy for ever. The remainder of 
4 4 the suite ” matched. A herio made me a carpet, 
a biscuit -box a foot-stool. Cecily went in for Spartan 
simplicity, and her tent was quite like what you read 
of famous generals who wilfully make themselves 
unnecessarily uncomfortable. 
Late one evening we had a fracas with the butler. 
That henchman entered the precincts of our tent where 
we were hungrily awaiting supper, and instead of 
depositing my cup of soup on to another 44 art ” table 
presented me with it in the form of an avalanche down 
my back. The soup was not only hot, burning hot, 
but exceedingly messy, being of the variety known to 
our cook as 44 thick ” — Anglice , not sieved — and with 
more bits in it than usual. Our appearance was not so 
enticing that it could bear being played any pranks 
with, or putting to any additional strain. Moreover, 
the cook had no more soup prepared. I had it all, he 
said. I had indeed ! 
I gave our butler a sound talking to for his careless- 
ness in this matter and in others, and incidentally cast 
doubts on the savoir faire of that English family who 
know what’s what. This was the last straw, and I was 
answered in a furious jabber of talk. I could not 
make head nor tail of it, or even get a word in edge- 
ways. Clarence came to the rescue as usual. He 
translated, and tried to stem the torrent of language. 
