THE EGYPTIAN SUDAN probably no one will regret the disappearance of Berber as the chief market town of the district. As the capital of the province it has been superseded by Ad-Damar.

From Berber we proceeded to the camp on the Atbara, which was situated quite close to the junction of that river with the Nile. During their stay at this place the soldiers had built rows of small mud houses, which were used for administrative purposes, barracks, &c. ; huge stacks of bags of rice, grain, and mounds made of tree trunks to be used as firewood rose in all directions, to say nothing of thousands of sleepers, and layers of rails for the continuation of the line to Khartum. There was a post-office, and the general public was allowed to despatch telegrams both to Cairo and Khartum, a striking proof of the rapidity with which the country was settling down. To the north of the camp was the market where the Greeks carried on a fair amount of business, though nearly all btiying and selling was done without the help of money. From time to time the Greeks told their English customers how much they owed them, but, whether they were paid or not, they went on supplying goods just the same. The officers paid by cheques, which pleased the Greeks, for they could be more easily taken care of than cash at that time, and the Englishman's word was as good as his money. A little beyond the Greek bazaar was the native market, where most Sudani products were obtainable. One fact in connection with the advance of the Anglo-Egyptian Army up the Nile is very noteworthy, I mean the strict supervision which the Sirdar exercised over the admission of strong drink into the Sudan. The supplies which the Greeks brought into the Sudan, whether by camel or railway, were closely examined, and if any merchant imported more spirits or spirituous drinks than the Sirdar thought necessary, effective measures were taken to prevent their finding their way down native throats. I have even heard of instances in which the bottles were broken in the cases in which they arrived, and their contents allowed to sink into the desert sand ! People of Negro origin and many black-skinned tribes in the Sudan love strong drink, especially that of European manufacture, for it affects them more quickly and more powerfully than the homemade article.

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