Her parents prevented her from testifying for fear of punishment, and it is common among the locals to believe that if a person testifies, especially in cases of murder, they will be punished, and for this reason, they tend to remain silent.

Furthermore, from the following period, taken from the report of Al-Sirhanzi, one of the good customs of the Easterners appears clearly and distinctly. He said: "Two Manyaans, a Christian and a Jew, were poor and heading to Wadi Halma and traveled along the bank of the Nile for a distance of 600 miles. During this time, they ate what the locals offered them as charity. One day, I met some sheikhs whom these men had passed by and praised them for the generosity and kindness they had shown, even though they differed from them in religion and nationality. They replied that they would not let anyone pass by hungry and would give them some of their food."

It appears to me that progress in this province is progressing. What indicates the obstacles that must be overcome in the path of progress is what Al-Sirhanzi said in his report: "There are many religious schools in the province. However, it is regrettable that the sheikhs who teach in them are limited to religious education only and do not teach the children much beyond a little simple arithmetic. The rooms where the children learn are mostly dark and not suitable for learning, and therefore the children are weak. I often advised the sheikhs to teach the children in the shade of a tree or a wall, as this would be beneficial for their health. They promised to accept my advice, but they did not follow through."

(47) Blue Nile Province This province suffered greatly due to the appearance of locusts in 1905, and many of its livestock died of starvation. The official Dixon wrote: "The general material condition of the locals has become much better than it was in 1905, due to the absence of locusts and the heavy rains that fell in 1906. I see that the rush of foreigners to buy land has brought about a great change in some parts of the province. When the Arab inhabitants saw that they could sell large tracts of land and receive cash payment, their inclination to improve their material condition weakened. The improvement is evident and continuous in the inclination of the Bedouin tribes towards the government. The evidence suggests that they have begun to lean towards a settled life...