224 TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 
grouse to a hospital. At last we outdistanced our 
following, and were able to negotiate breakfast. How 
I loved the breakfasts “ out there ” in the open, a 
permanent, everlasting picnic. Many insects came to 
breakfast too, but then, what would you ? Were they 
not all part and parcel of this world of happiness ? 
We went on, and everywhere was beautiful now in 
green splendour ; the jungle had dressed itself anew 
in robes of emerald. How exquisite the colours, how 
drowsy all the air ! Great golden cobwebs hung from 
thorn to thorn, the early sun scintillating on the 
myriad dewdrops clinging to the fragile web. Ants 
here lived in larger palaces than ever. 
The only available track lay through jungle as 
dense as could be negotiated by any caravan. Pro- 
gress was very slow, and sometimes very annoying. 
Camels refused to move through gaps, necessitating 
unloading and reloading, all the time bothered by the 
grabbing wait-a-bit thorn. My pony put his foot into 
a hole of sorts unexpectedly, and I came a terrific 
purler bang into a bunch of thorn. I daresay it was 
a blessing in disguise and saved me a bad shaking, but 
I was grievously pricked and scratched. Besides, it 
really is a very humiliating feeling to be retrieved from 
a thorn bush by a mere camel man. I felt disgraced 
for ever as an equestrienne. It was a 4 4 come off 5 5 
so disgracefully simple. 
At intervals, when the bush lightened a little, we 
came on spoor of lion and rhino. The latter again 
whetted Cecily’s desire to come on another of these 
creatures and give battle. I agreed we would track 
