IV. D 3. OF THE SUDAN 287

7. There were several articles such as a hair-tent, bowls, grindstones, etc., left temporarily by Arabs in chargeof the saint until their return at the end of the season. These were not in any way dedicated to the Sheikh but only entrusted to him for the time being. For this cp. Crowfoot, Customs of the Rubdtdb (p. 123).

The other objects specified were left permanently.

The following quotations from Pere Jaussen's Coutumes des Arabes au pays de Moab show that the tree-cult underlying the practices described is

not necessarily of African origin, although so widely spread through Africa,

e.g. among the Basa on the Abyssinian frontier, who have a "sacred tree" (see James, Wild Tribes..., p. 193), and in Darfur and Wadai (see Chap. 4 of Fart I):

(i) P. 36. "A d'autres sanctuaires on fait une simple visite, relevee d'une offrande, et on laisse un souvenir en attachant a I'arbre sacre qui ombrage la cour, ou aux barreaux des fenetres de la qubbeh quelques morceaux d'etoffe."

(2) P. 310. "En temoignage de confiance un bedouin arrache quelques crins a la queue de sa chamelle, et les attache en ex-voto a une branche

de tamarisc dressee au milieu des pierres de la sepulture."

(3) P- 334- " Les arbres sacres. . .se presentent sous un double aspect: ils sont joints a un sanctuaire ou bien ils sont isoles. Dans le premier cas,

lis ne paraissent pas avoir une origine independante du lieu saint qu'ils ombragent, ni un role distinct de I'influence attribuee au wely \wali] qui les a fait croitre, qui les vivifie et les protege.. . .La seconde categoric

d'arbres sacres ne jouit pas du benefice de la proximite d'un sanctuaire; ils se dressent isoles, pres d'une source, sur une colline, ou au sommet d'une montagne.. . ."

(See also Plate V to Jaussen's book.) Cp. also Zwemer, p. 284, for remarks on what he calls " these rag trees " in Arabia.

74. The Kawahla themselves accept the Delaykab as distant relatives. ^Abd el Kddir is 'Abd el Kadir el Gilani the founder of the Kadiria

order: cp. note to No. 67. The phrase "the fire of 'Abd el Kadir. . .was with . . . " is the equivalent of " the mantle of so and so descended upon. ..." For this succession of Khalifas of the Kadiria see note to No. 226.

''And I was in doubt. . .": for the Arabic see Appendix 16. "To light the fire" is here again used in the metaphorical sense. Sellama is probably Sellama el Hag Yusef near east of Khartoum.

The word '"ugub" (w-j».g) is commonly used in the Sudan to mean "again."

This direction to Bedowi to settle "in the red country with the red people" is fastened upon by the Batahin of Abu Delayk as proving con-

clusively that the country round el Nigfa and Abu Delayk was occupied

by them before the advent of the Delaykab, and as disproving the latter's claim to own those parts. Most of the Batahin are of the red-brown colour that generally distinguishes the nomad Arab.

For "khalwa" see note to No. 11, The MarghumAb are a branch of Kawahla; some of them still graze