8 INTRODUCTORY

Kordofan Nubas and the Barabras, who are thought

to be the descendants of the original opponents of

the ancients. That the negroid survives after

centuries of ravage, spoUation, and intertribal

warfare, speaks volumes for his persistence in

living; his physique under trying cHmatic con-

ditions is a proof of his vitality, for the fever-

stricken swamps of the Bahr-el-Ghazal appear less

destructive of stature and strength than the factories

of Europe.

Divided into a vast number of tribes, incohesive,

fickle in their alliances except under extraordinary

stimulus, the varied inhabitants of the Sudan yet

exhibit cosmical characteristics, for their differ-

ing occupations render them considerably inter-

dependent.

Particular tribes, such as those of Darfur and

the nomads of the Bayuda desert, specialize in

camel-breeding, the latter being famous for the

swift hagin ; the Baggara are noted for their cattle

and horses ; the Dongolese for their dates ; salt is

produced in many localities, and iron, less im-

portant in these days of importation, is smelted by even such savage tribes as the Jur and Bongo,

for the purpose of being manufactured into spear-

heads and hippo harpoons, considerable skill being

shown.

Pacification and instruction are proceeding surely

and with remarkable success. Sporadic outbursts,

mainly fanatical or purely savage, occasionally

occur, and in the less accessible districts it is