THE EGYPTIAN SUDAN the nineteenth century, though some place his date much earner. He was a doer of wonders and is much venerated in the neighbourhood, but his fame and works are echpsed by those of the great Shekh Idris, whose tomb will be described later on. Kubba Salim is kept up by the gifts of those who make pilgrimages thither, and the care of it is hereditary in the saint's family. Though Salim is so much venerated it is astonishing how little the people seem to know about him. Many of the mud houses in the villages here have low benches of mud, with slightly concave tops, built on their north side ; they form very pleasant shady places to sit on in the afternoon, and the natives sleep on them during the hot weather.

On our return we had our boats loaded up, and so soon as possible we bade farewell to the hospitable Omdah, or chief shekh of the district, and set out for the Island of Nilwitti, where we intended to sleep. Our journey was a pleasant one, for the day was lovely and there was no wind. As we dropped down the river we passed many beautiful little islands, the trees of which harboured whole colonies of small birds, but so soon as the sun had set it became cold, and we were glad to land on Nilwitti, and take up our quarters in two tukls which had been recently built, I think, for one of the Government Inspectors. Early the following morning Mr. Crowfoot and I set out to visit a building on the island which was said to be extremely ancient ; it was situated about half a mile inland, and was surrounded by mounds of rubbish, the remains probably of an ancient town. When we came close to it, we saw that it was solidly built of crude mud bricks, and that it had a dome. In walking through it we noticed two or three cell-like rooms and doorways, which had been walled up, and the building more resembled the martyrium of a Coptic saint, or high ecclesiastical official, than anything else. The central portion probably contained the tomb, and the rooms at the side served for the chapel and the sleeping-place of the caretaker, who was probably a priest. The natives told us that many years ago a holy man " from the East " came and lived there for several years. One night, however, the pinnacle or ornament from the top of the dome fell to the ground with a crash, and the next day the holy man departed, 456