A EIDE THROUGH THE CITY. 215 ed, bringing his child, a pretty boy of two years old, born of an Abyssinian mother. He refused to be taken into the Governor's arms, and contemplated me, his Frank relative, with much more satisfaction. M. D'Arfou's house — although the walls were mud, the floors gravel and the roof palm-logs — was cool, roomy and pleasant ; and for that region, where one cannot easily have marble pavements and jasper fountains, was even luxurious.

We mounted again, and the Governor took me through the city, to its southern extremity. It is more than a mile in length, and contains about twenty thousand inhabitants. The houses are all of mud, which, though unsightly in appearance, is there as good as granite, and the streets are broad, clean, and unmolested by dogs. I was well pleased with the appearance of the place. The inhabitants are mostly Nubians, of the different tribes between Berber and Dongola, mixed with a few Ababdehs, Bisharees, and other Desert Arabs. Though scantily dressed, they seemed contented, if not with their masters, at least with their condition. Among the crowd that gathered to see us, I recognized Eesa, arrayed in a new, snowwhite garment, and looking like a bronze Ganymede. He gazed at me wistfully, as if uncertain whether he should dare to speak, but I hailed him at once with : " Salaamat, ya Eesa ! " and he replied proudly and joyfully. After our tour vvas over, the Governor took me to his house, which, after that of the Pasha, was the finest one in the place. His receptionroom was cool, with a broad divan, upon which we stretched ourselves at ease, sharing the single pillow between us. The attendants were dressing in an adjoining room, and presently appeared in all the splendor of snow-white turbans and trow-