A barren desert with no vegetation and very little water, found only at the base of mountains or in depressions. In general, there is little to be found, and people move from place to place. The inhabitants of these lands are familiar with its surroundings and paths, roaming its plains, valleys, and mountains. In these mentioned deserts, nomadic peoples settle, moving within its confines and grazing their livestock on its edges and peripheries. They have no permanent dwelling in any place, nor are they settled in any land. They are always on the move, traveling and migrating, but they do not leave their borders, nor do they abandon their land, nor do they mix with others, nor do they trust their neighbors. Each one of them is cautious and looks out for himself as much as he can. The city dwellers who are their neighbors, and of their own kind, steal the children of these nomadic peoples who inhabit these deserts. They take them to the Nile and bring them to their lands, hiding them for a time, then selling them to incoming merchants for a pittance. They are taken to the far Maghreb and countless numbers are sold each year. This practice of stealing children from their own people in the lands of Sudan is a custom that exists among them, and they see no harm in it. They are the most corrupt and promiscuous people, and the most boastful of their sons and daughters. A woman among them may be accompanied by four or five children. They are like beasts in themselves, unconcerned with anything in this world, except for what is amusing or witty, and nothing else crosses their minds. In the lands of Ragawa, among the cities and settlements, there are people of courage and valor, and among them are men called Sadarana, who are said to be...