IIOSARIES. — BEAD?. — AMULETS. 129 The whole string of 99 beads is called Sebba. The Sheiks and Faki are distinguished by extravagantly large and long rosaries and in Ilallenga, where almost every man is a Faki, we have seen some rosaries three or four feet long, each bead as large as a musket-ball. Such a rosary we were anxious to buy, to present to an aunt in our fatherland, to smooth her path to heaven, but were indignantly refused, called Christians and heathen dogs, told that this rosary had made the tour of the holy shrines, and been washed in the Purifying Well at Mecca.

Such rosaries form no small branch of trade with Hedjas, and there is also a considerable trade in glass beads and false pearls carried on between that place and Nubia, Bellad-Sudan, andTaka ; and more than probable, this trade extends to the Abyssinians, Negroes, ?.nd inhabitants of the upper part of Faszogl and of the AVhite Nile.

IMany houses trading in these beads are to be found in Cairo and Alexandria. The glass beads come chiefly from Europe (Bohemia, Venice, Conterie di Venezia), and from a place near Jerusalem ; formerly from the latter alone. They are of all sizes and colours ; in Abyssinia the large amber-like ones are the most valued, although now become much more common, and no longer bringing their earlier high price. These beads form all over the land of the coloured (Sudan) the chief ornament of the women, wlio wear them in rows round the neck, ancles, arms, both above and below the elbows, in the hair, and some, as also in Kgypt, round the naked waist, with some one of the many higlily-prized amulets of these lands hanging from them. We have now and tlien seen them worn as nose and ear rings. Little children are laden with strings of these beads, and of the small white mussel shells (cypraja moneta). The women often are dressed in nothing else save these, tlie rahat or short skin apron, and the well-known long cloth or ferda rolled round head, breast, and loins. Armlets and bracelets they must ever have, the poor of glass, black liorn, or false pearls ; the rich of ivory, silver, and even gold ; and such are often also worn on tlie ancles. Cliildren have narrow iron rings with small bells attached to them, fastened round the ancles, perhaps as ornament only, per-* The Faki should be well versed in the Konin, able to read and write ; they arc not allowed to smoke or drink inerissa, and tlicy shonld be jiious men, but, in spite of (heir outward holiness, they are frenerally the greatest rascals g'liiig.