HILLS OF BASA. 233 the making of coloured straw mats, and vessels for food and drink ; they also make very neat drinking-cups and milk-dishes, covered or lacquered over with i-osin. They generally eat their meat raw, drink much merissa, and old and young dance; and beat the nogara day and night. The Gash winds through among the hills, and gives these tribes water ; for eight days' journey on each ,side of it, extend the hills of Basa to Makada, to which succeed the hills of Damballass, followed by the high lands of Hammassein, in which the Gohr commences. The houses in Basa are well-built tokuls. The coral-ornamented men, who smoke much, wear a ferda, tlie women only a small loin-cloth. In both sexes the eyes are small, the cheek-bones very prominent, the face broad, and the lips not even fleshy ; their whole physiognomy displays brutality and savageness. Eacli hill has its chief ; one over all there is not ; the powers of the chiefs are small. Even the Turks admit their bravery, and say that individuals among them would take up a position on the rocks, and, after having cast away all their lances, would defend themselves against a heavy fire with stones, until they Avei-e brought down riddled with many balls. The love of home is very great ; much to our joy, almost the whole of the slaves of both sexes have escaped from the camp by the gate, Avhich the Schukurie held. The women had actually slain their infants, that these, by their cries, might not betray or impede their flight. These people run like deer, and in a moment leave much ground behind them. Their language is perfectly different from all others, and is certainly a well-sounding one, e. g.

O'ifo, meaning merissa. Here, and on the way to the hills, snakes are said to be found, not so very long, but thick as a crocodile, and able easily to swallow a man ; instances are related of their having half or wliolly swallowed the sleeper from his angai-eb.

Four days' journey otl", higher among tlie hills, lies Belcha, or Balacha, which, according to these people, must be an immense and most populous city.

Behind these, a day's journey from here, on a hill towards the oast, is Sabderath, and half a day's journey from thence is Gedehn, the population of wliicli are of Arab descent, and tributary to the Turks. From the hills of Baria, Maria, Basehn, and Semhend and to the north-west, bounded by the Iladdenda, extends in a