IV. D 7. cxxxviii. OF THE SUDAN 375

Haraz and sent on 'Adlan with his slaves and some of the troops, but he took the precaution of including no Hamag or Fung among them for fear of disaffection.

CXXXI And when el Arbab Dafa'alla, the vizier of Nasir, got the news of 'Adlan and the dissension among the troops, he took his helmet off his head and went to meet 'Adlan 's army and sought peace for himself.

CXXXII And Nasir was captured without any bloodshed and taken

back by 'Adlan to Abu Haraz and handed over to Subahi walad Badi to be slain in revenge for the slaying of the latter's father Badi walad Ragab. And Subahi slew him and buried him at Abu Haraz close by

the tomb of Sheikh Dafa'alla el 'Araki, This was in the early part of

1213I. CXXXIII Idris was then chosen to be Sheikh. He was a patient and brave man, kind of heart and just to the people, and by nature he loathed thieves and never inflicted upon them any other punishment

than death, so that in his days the crime of theft w^as stamped out, and men left their possessions and their wares spread out in the market-

place all night and all day with no one to guard them, and yet nothing whatever was taken, and there was no fear unless it were that a dog might take some meat.

CXXXIV And complete contentment reigned, and Idri's was assisted by his brother 'Adlan in organizing his kingdom and quelling such Arab tribes as were rebellious and seditious; and indeed 'Adlan undertook no expedition but he returned victorious.

CXXXV Most of their efforts were directed against the nomad Arabs with a view to weakening their power of revolt, and in consequence the inhabitants of the villages enjoyed a period of peace.

CXXXVI Among the viziers of Idris were el Arbab Kurashi and

el Arbab Zayn el 'Abdin walad el Sayyid el feki 'Abd el Gelil w^alad

'Amir and the feki el Ami'n walad el 'Asha, but he did not entrust them with the management of his kingdom as his brother Sheikh Nasir

had entrusted it to his vizier el Arbab Dafa'alla, preferring to direct affairs himself.

CXXXVII In consequence his position w^as strengthened, as the poet has it of a man who does his work in person. . .(a few verses follow).

CXXXVIII Then, when everything had been settled. Sheikh Idris

went in person to el Halfaya, towards the close of 1214-, to war upon

Sheikh 'Abdulla walad 'Agib on account of certain words the latter had been reported as having uttered in favour of their brother Sheikh Nasir.

1 1798 A.D. ^ 1799 A.D.