ARAB INFANTS. 87 earthen pots, filled with durra ; and as every pot is, more or less, cracked and broken, considerable ingenuity is required so to place them, as to only expose to the fire such parts of them as remain sound, and capable of holding in the contents while the cooking is going on. Round these pots crowd the women, occupied in preparing the food ; all of those we saw were old and ugly ; but, bj' all accounts, there is no want of young and pretty girls here, and such are also in much request as female household slaves in Bellad-Sudan. Of these, however, we saw none, as all held their faces closely muffled up in their dirty and torn ferdas; and all the young-looking women we came upon ran off" sideways into the bushes, or hid behind trees to avoid our gaze. Almost all the women wore a skin round the hips, which reached down to the knee, and was lapped over in front. On the march they let it hang down behind like a tail, and when they sit down, they draw the part hanging down behind in between the legs and up in front, fastening it to the girdle. Some of the men were also thus dressed. Two men from the hill regions we fell in with had a similar skin Found the hips, and, in addition, a sheepskin, wool inwards, hanging over the shoulders : this was the whole dress ; and when to it were joined their long hair and fierce wild foces, they were excellent specimens of truly savage life.

In the centre of these family divisions there is always an open space, on which the children, always numerous, play and amuse themselves, all naked as when born, under the burning sun. Their activity and rapidity of motion joined to their dark colour and grinning faces, give them much resemblance to what we would picture a parcel of young devils to be ; even such small children as with us would be in the cradle or nurse's arms, roll and tumble about in the sand, without any one heeding them, but left to look out for themselves. Nothing is more amusing than to watch these young imps, only a few days old, as they crawl and roll about, for in these warm climes development is rapid. Clothes they have none to dirty or spoil, and mixed up among them may be seen cattle of all kinds; and the lambs and goats jump over and play among and with the merry little black creatures.

As we all alone rode on through the village, the men gazed most savagely and angrily at us, and as they certainly took us for o 4