IV. D 3. OF THE SUDAN

is reputed to have owned all the surrounding country and some sixty-four hafirs [reservoirs, dug to hold the rain water] and innumerable slaves.

The brand he used for his animals was » \k, i.e. 118, that being the total arrived at by adding together the numerical values of the consonants of his name (HSN), but his descendants of the present day use iy\, i.e. 171,

as their brand: see Hughes, p. 3, siih " Abjad."

The kubba of Sheikh Hasan is one of the most highly venerated in the Sudan and liars are very chary of swearing upon it, for "it kills." Just outside it is the "tree of the Sheikh" covered with votive offerings (see note to No. 73).

For the Arabic of the first portion of the biography see Appendix 24.

''Andalus " is southern Spain : the author probably regarded it as a part of Morocco.

"/ have put my seed. . .": there is a play on ''nasi" and "asl": it is implied that the ancestors of Musa were originally connected with those

of the Mesallami'a : the latter consider themselves descendants of the Khalifa Abu Bukr el Sadik (see C 8).

''And by Fdtima. . .." Hasuna had other children by another wife, as will be seen later from the text. For "Wahshia" ABC, x, gives "Ha-

bashia."

" Kagoi" (so pronounced as a rule) is spelt "Kagog" [--^-fc<^]- cp. note to No. 60, and No. 151. It lies between Khartoum and Shendi

(maps, "Koggug").

"He went up to el Dururba. . .": for the Arabic see Appendix 25. "El Dururba" is a hill near to the north-west of Wad Hasuna. "Donkey's Dam" was so called, it is said, because Sheikh Hasan killed a wild ass there.

"Plate and pin of silver": on the sling of a sword is hung a circular plate of silver ("mihdhir," sing, "mu- hdra"), through which the leather passes. This is held in position by a long silver

pin {"ibzaym") which is welded on to the plate thus (the shaded part being the leather) :

"Commander" is " sid kum." The same phrase was used at the Fung court to denote the marshal or "mayor of the palace," whose prime duty was in early times the ceremonial slaying of a king when, through age or impotence, it was considered that he should for the good of the state be superseded: see Vol. I, p. 50.

" Troops": the word is " gundi" and the plural " gunud" means troops. It is possible "gundi" here denotes some officer of rank.

" The property of her father. . .for me": the Arabic is JU aJU U^I ^J Xy^j^ j>\jx>^. The father was presumably a thief and the expenditure

of illgotten money on a shroud would be regarded with abhorrence;

"hardm" is the Latin "nefas."

"And [then] he shaved. . .": for the Arabic see Appendix 26. The reference is to the cutting of the " 'uruf" (see note to No. 73).