SUBSTITUTES FOR A BLACK SKIN 121 its counterpart on the other side—and the occupation of the water-holes makes a successful evasion difficult.

The slavery police were polite enough to turn out and present arms. It was fortunate that they were accustomed to seeing Englishmen in garb which has seen wear, else such a mark of respect would not have been forthcoming. Weeks of tramping through thorn and scrub, of scrambling and crawling on rough or burnt ground, of the pounding and beating of native washermen, of incessant scrubbing against the post of a camel viaMiifa (saddle), have a sadly deteriorating effect on the respectability of anyone's appearance.

A large rakuba, or Government rest-house, was here provided, and was a valuable retreat from the sun-rays during the day. One of the great blessings of the Sudan is the darkness of the native tukls. It would seem that it is quite understood that discomfort and danger do not proceed so much from the actual heat of the sun as from either its light or some rays which are not appreciable by the senses. Herein lies the value of advice to wear red or black underclothing to take the place of the pigment with which the skin of the native has been provided, and which undoubtedly enables him to support exposure to the sun in a much greater measure than can a European.

The situation of Abu Ramleh (Father of Sand) is quite charming. The monotony of flat river-bed and long, low, dull coloured bush-line had dis-