374 THE NATIVE MANUSCRIPTS iv. d 7. cxxiii.

whence they came after Nasir had honoured them and given presents to their chiefs.

CXXIV Now Sheikh Nasir had entrusted the management of the

kingdom to his vizier el Arbab Dafa'alla, while he himself devoted his time to frivolity and amusement; and he had become infatuated with his slaves, and they took to oppressing the people without any hindrance from him, for he had given them orders that none of his brethren nor the chief men of the kingdom were to have access to

him until they had applied to his vizier el Arbab Dafa'alla. CXXV And [the nobles] were thereby irritated, and the hearts of the people were alienated by the oppression they suffered; and his brethren for the same reasons threw off their allegiance to him and

defied him. So they openly rebelled, and collected at 'Abud and thereabouts, and were joined by all those whose purpose it suited that

Nasir's rule should come to an end.

CXXVI This was in 1212^; and when Nasir learnt of it he went out

to fight them, and camped at el Sabi'l and tried to win them over by the medium of men of learning and rank. He likewise sent to them their sisters the daughters of Abu el Kaylak; but they would have no

truck with him at all on any condition save that he should resign the sheikhship. And when he saw there was no hope of winning them back to allegiance he returned to Sennar; and his brethren quitted

'Abud and followed him until they reached el Bukera, a village near Sennar. And when Nasir saw they were at el Bukera he took some of his treasures and fled to the southern districts by night. And news of his flight reached them the following morning, and on receipt of it they entered Sennar.

CXXVII Then Idris remained at Sennar, and 'Adlan followed in

[Nasir's] tracks as far as the village of Si'ru, which lies west of the Nile, but failed to overtake him, and, hearing that he had made for Deberki on the river Binder, and despairing of coming up with him, he returned to Sennar.

CXXVIII And Nasir remained near Deberki for a time and then

moved northwards to seek protection with Sheikh 'Abdulla walad 'Agib.

CXXIX And when Nasir arrived Sheikh 'Abdulla gave him pro-

tection, and he stayed with him at el Halfaya, and after a while he

crossed the Nile and took up his abode at the village of 'Abud.

CXXX But when his brethren heard of his whereabouts they set forth from Sennar and went to the village of Abu Haraz, which lies

east of the Nile, and camped there. And Idri's remained at Abu

^ 1797 A.D.