THE WILD TRIBES OF THE SOUDAN.

CHAPTER I.

*

We leave Cairo for the Egyptian Soudan. — The Base Country. — Egyptian Offi-

cials.— Quarantine Regulations. — Our Party. — Servants of the Party.— All

the Cook. — Shereef the Staid and Stately Waiter.— Mahoom.— The Agra's

Passengers.

On Dec. i, 1881, we left Cairo for Suez, en route for the

Egyptian Soudan, with the intention of exploring the Bas6

country, a small tract lying between Takar (an Egyptian prov-

ince, of which Cassala is the principal town) and Abyssinia. We were going chiefly for sport ; and, the Base country being

almost if not entirely unknown to Europeans, we hoped to be

successful, especially as it had not previously been shot over,

and, moreover, lies in a part of Africa inhabited by many dif-

ferent kinds of game. We knew that in all probability there

would be considerable difficulties to encounter in exploring the

country ; as only a small part of it, and that a part where there

is little or no game, belongs to Egypt, and consequently no help

could be expected, but rather hindrance, from the Egyptian

officials in endeavouring to carry out our programme. They

naturally dislike the possibility of sportsmen running the risk

of getting into trouble with tribes bordering on their frontier.

The Base are the betes noires, moreover, of all that part of