SKETCHING IN THE BAZAAR. 265 an evening there, pretending to haggle with some blackguard for the price of one of his things, but in reality watching the people. I tried several times to sketch some peculiarities in costume or colour, but the attempt always came to grief. In the first place, an Arab's dignity is hurt if you stare at him ; secondly, it is strictly contrary to his religion to have anything to do with pictures ; thirdly, if you succeed in overcoming his scruples and getting him to sit to you, he is perpetually shifting his position or jumping up to have a look at the picture ; and fourthly, a crowd of unsweet little boys, in every stage of undressedness, crowd round you and in front of you the whole time, entirely spoiling your temper and your picture. Having regard to these facts, I often wonder how it is that artists present you with a correct picture of an Eastern crowd or bazaar. I believe they do it from memory, helped by a vivid imagination. Do it on the spot you simply can't.

Every sort of nationality, colour, and tribe was united at Dongola. Greeks, Levantines, Cairenes, Portuguese, Abyssinians, Hindoos (in small quanti-