POWER OF TRIBAL LAW. 253 be purchased for thirty dollars, besides two dollars which must be given to a man who would go round with some noisy instrument to the various villages about, somewhat in the manner of a town-crier, and proclaim his freedom ; in addition to which, a dollar each would have to be given to three witnesses. Dra did not know that all this had been told to us ; and when we called him into the tent, and interrogated him on the subject, he became greatly excited, and evidently did not at all like our knowing about it ; he, however, confessed that it was all true. We left the requisite sum with the priests to procure his freedom ; with which he was greatly pleased, though they said it would take some time to accomplish. They told us, that, if we spoke to the government about it, they would deny the existence of such a thing ; as, although they would disapprove of it, they would be powerless to prevent it, because it was a purely tribal law, which with such people was of far more weight than any that the Egyptian authorities might endeavour to pass.

The first day out of Sanheit, we accomplished only about eleven miles. We descended a considerable distance, Sanheit being about five thousand feet above the sea, and pitched our tents in the Anseba valley. For some distance we passed flourishing-looking gardens, where vegetables of various kinds were growing ; some of the natives having followed the example of the mission.

Although no water flows in the Anseba in the dry season, in many places it comes to the surface, and can always be obtained by sinking wells to no great depth ; so that irrigation becomes comparatively easy, and this was being taken advantage of in many places. Some three or four miles after leaving the town we passed a fort called Sobab, garrisoned with soldiers, and situated on the top of a hill commanding the approach to Sanheit. The valley of the Anseba is a most favourable ground