THE WILD TRIBES OF THE SOUDAN.

CHAPTER I.

* We leave Cairo for the Egyptian Soudan. — The Base Country. — Egyptian Officials.— 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 province, 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 different 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