AT BEDEN. 3

the rapids. Here the goods are again shipped for transport to Kiri. . In conversation with Sheikh Bedén, who came with six sons to greet me, I learnt further details about the existence of

a race of dwarfs who are said to inhabit mountain caves to the west of Bedén. These little people, of about forty inches in height and of a brown colour, are greatly dreaded by the negroes. They are said to shoot very small arrows, which -are deadly poisoned and very difficult to extract, and to live on

white ants and roots, not, however, despising a sheep or a goat. On account of their great agility, they are difficult to catch ; and as they live in their caves, the negroes do not trouble themselves about them, but avoid going too near the mountains. I was told that the mountain which they inhabit was named

“‘ Nyan-Nyan,”’ and some of the people call the dwarfs by the same name, but others call them ‘“ Nyam-Nyam.” Now, this ‘name would curiously coincide with the statement made by

Mariette Bey, that all dwarfs were called by the ancient Keyptians “Nam,” or reduplicated, “Nam-Nam.” I refrain from any comment on this point. I had heard several months before of the existence of such pigmies, who appeared to be the remainder of a dwarf population which ages ago spread itself over Central Africa, but I had considered the rumour to be a myth, for I was loth to believe that such curiosities could exist

in a country which had been occupied by us for years, without any one knowing of them.

Bedén igs some 1490 feet above sea-level. ‘The island suffers from a plague of ants, which renders the cultivation of the soil almost an impossibility, and compels the frequent re- building of the huts. The soil is composed of coarse sand. Karly next morning, the “ Nuggers” (boats) were ready to start, and we made our way up-stream; but progress was slow, owing to rocks obstructing the navigable channel. It was lucky that the boats, which were built of very tough acacia wood (sunt), could bear with impunity many a hard bump on these rocks, although after a sharp collision they often shipped great

quantities of water, on account of their badly calked seams. European boats would fly into a thousand pieces if subjected to ‘the rough usage customary here, apart from the fact that no