— 100 — from Halfaya, he made a present of 5,000 thalers, to Abdel Kerim another 5,000, and, finally, 800 napoleons, two horses with richly caparisoned saddles to a certain Pasha H Even the nomad sheikh, who accompanied him to Korosko, received 2000 thalers as a present (i). By such means it was easy to introduce gunpowder and anything else that was wanted. All of these materials travelled immense distances without any opposition on the part of the Officials : on the contrary the transportation was facilitated and overlooked, as if the officers had been paid by the Government, not to prevent the introduction of war materials, but to help Zubeir. (2) If a poor traveller or explorer came to Assuan with one gun only he was subjected to such embarrassments and difficulties that, in the greater number of cases, rather than lose time he left his gun behind with his hundred cartridges, while thousands of okes (3) of powder were subject to no prohibition (4).

(i) Gessi p. 331.

(2) When Gessi occupied Deim Suliman he found a letter from El Obeid addressed to Suliman Bey in which was written "Your father is still in Cairo and sends you greeting. Please forward a thousand okes of powder which I will have put at your disposal. For which reasons make arrangements for collecting the powder quickly in order that the Government may not come to know of it. " (3) An oke is about two and three quarters pound weight avoir tlu-pois.

(4) Gessi p. 332.