MOHAMMED DIN. 93 highly honoured as his own people did, could not be prevailed on by us to seat himself on an angareb, but would use only a palm-mat on the earth, giving us to understand, while scorn curled his lip and glanced from his eye, that this was the position that now best became him.

We now had an opportunity of closely inspecting the physiognomy of this Sheik, whom every Arab from Atbara to the Red Sea honours as a demi-god, and of whom they say " Ragil, taib schatter mafish seie di" (A brave man, full of courage, there is no other like him). His face is round and full, with small hazel eye, sly and crafty, and well denoting his cunning, treacherous, but persevering mind ; his nose is proportionate to his face, but slightly retrousse; his mouth small and ever curled with a satirical contemptuous smile. Were it not for this feature, and his false glance, he might easily pass for a well fed common-place monk, and his bald head would well become the hood. His manner and demeanour were but too evidently intended to impress all beholders with his importance. His movements are slow, measured, and dignified, while his train, ever composed of the first in the land, and many of it his own relations, follow him at a respectful distance. His bald head was uncovered ; he wore a white cotton shirt and ferda, with sandals on his feet ; his colour is brown. He did not speak Arabic, as few of these people can, though of Arab origin, but only Aggem (a mixture of Arabic and the dialect of tlie present natives), such as, with few exceptions, is spoken by the original race of Bischari, and also by the Arab-descended races of Scliukurie, Hallenga, &c. With smiling face he asked us, through one of his train, who spoke Arabic, how the country pleased us, and with much irony added the question, if we had noted down the number of trees we had passed on our journey. He seemed to know we took notes, but could not comprehend we merely did this for our own amusement, but seemed to hold us as spies of the Pascha. After asking; us a few more questions as to our own country, and remarking tliat we should not make notes, as it was neither fair nor handsome, ]\rohamuied Din took his leave.

Some hours afterwards we went to pay our return visit to liim. He lay sleeping on an angareb, while his whole train, lance in hand, stood as body-guard round him, speaking seldom and then