394 THE NATIVE MANUSCRIPTS iv.d7.ccli.

el Kadir, and Khurshid Agha at once issued a firman to him making

him Sheikh over all the other Sheikhs from Hagar el 'Asal to the far end of the Fung mountains, and gave him a splendid robe and a sword of honour.

CCLII And when he had finished all he wished he fixed the amount

of taxation per fedddn with the universal consent of the Sheikhs.

CCLIII In Muharram iz^^i^ he made an expedition against the DiNKA, and thence proceeded to the Fung mountains. . .

(The author mentions the death there of one of Khurshid Agha's mu'dzvins, and speaks of them as an experienced company whose advice the Governor-General always took.). . .

CCLIV In the same year trouble was caused by Sheikh Khalifa

el 'Abadi walad el Hag, who showed himself disobedient and rebellious and came to Berber and attacked the troops stationed there.

And when the news reached Khurshid Agha he at once started with a force of Gehadia in boats, and when he reached Berber he found the soldiers had killed Khahfa and the trouble had died down ; so he returned.

CCLV In '44^ he attacked the Fung mountains in person and slew some of [the people of] Gebal Abu Ramla, and the hearts of the people

of el 'Atish were filled with respect for him, and some of those who had fled returned.

CCLVI Then Sheikh 'Abd el Kadir advised him to exempt the chief men among the people from taxation in order to obtain their goodwill in the development of the country. And he did so, and the

result of this policy w^as apparent, for, as an example, if he exempted one of the fekis or chiefs from payment on ten kadaas, the man so exempted at once reassured the people and persuaded them to re-

turn to their lands, so that Khurshid Agha obtained from them [the

taxes on] one or two hundred kada'as or more: thus owing to his wisdom and the farsightedness of his advisers the development of the country progressed and the population increased.

CCLVII In 1245^ there was such a high Nile that the people were afraid of being drowned on their lands.

CCLVIII The same year Sheikh Ahmad el Rayyah el 'Araki came from Dar el 'Ati'sh . . . (The author tells how the Governor-General honoured him and sent him back with letters, to reassure the people of his district, and to promise them that he was coming to visit them shortly, and that such as came down from the hills he would pardon and such as did

not he would put to death. He then went to el 'Ati'sh district and collected the people, many of whom came to meet him and others of whom he compelled to come in by force, and sent them, to the number

^ 1828 A.D. reading wtr for »TiY. 2 1829 a.d. ^ 1830A.D.