THE EGYPTIAN SUDAN when the army was about to move on, and on more than one occasion when the Sirdar's troops arrived at a place they found the Greeks there already in possession, with their wares spread out in booths, ready to do business. A legend was current in 1897 to the effect that, once when the Sirdar sent on messengers to a certain place to arrange with the tribes in the neighbourhood for a supply of camels, they found on their arrival that the services ofevery available camel had been bespoken by Greek traders two or three days before, notwithstanding the fact that the purposed expedition had been kept a secret ! I was told at Berber later that the Greeks who were not allowed to go to Abu Hamed in July, 1897, made arrangements with their countrymen settled in Sawakin to send goods across the desert by camel, and that when the Egyptian troops advanced to Berber on its evacuation by the Dervishes, they found a small Greek bazaar established there. Be this as it may, the boldness and enterprise of the Greek traders in the Sudan are astonishing, and if their ancestors who entered Egypt underthe favour of thekingsofthe XXVIth Dynasty possessed the same business qualities as their descendants, it is small wonder that they obtained such a firm footing in the country.

The needs of the soldiers and their officers were represented in the Greek shops by tinned biscuits, meat, fish, jams, milk, fruit, tobacco, cheap knives, razors, scissors, soap, cooking pots of all kinds, enamelled ironware, &c. Bowls, dishes, cups, saucers, &c.

sold readily, and it was interesting to note how quickly the followers of the Prophet found out the superiority of such articles over the gourds and coarse earthenware vessels which they were accustomed to use in their villages. Besides merchandise of the kinds mentioned above, ihe Greeks dealt largely in brilliantly coloured cotton goods, which were bought chiefly by the Sudani women, who love bright colours and plenty of them. Strong European scents, musk, oil of geraniums, patchouli, &c., and strongly scented soaps and hair oils found a ready sale at Merawi, and the demand for one kind of highly perfumed pomade was so great that at that time it was impossible to obtain supplies from Europe fast enough. An extraordinary quantity of pins, needles, and cottons was sold when we consider how little clothing is 184 i