218 AFRICAN WANDERINGS.

derath and murdered all he met with therein ; he had large pyramids built of the corpses, to contaminate the air, and so force the fugitives to take up, at least for some time, a new location. He acted less savagely in Hallenga, as he was not resisted there, all having fled to the hills, but he carried off all their fine horses, which were of the famed Dongola breed, and also all their horned cattle, which are of a fine form and bright colour, the darkcoloured ones not being admired by the natives. Judging from their language, some mixture must have taken place with the original native race, perhaps by means of their women ; but of this the natives will not hear, but claim a pure origin.

The Sheik Mussa of Ilauathi had often visited us, and invited us to come to his village, as there many birds of paradise are to be found. We started, and we were yet a good distance from the village, when we perceived a large tree, on which, even when some way from it, we saw, glistering in the sun's beams, many of these splendid birds. We entered Mussa's court-yard, and the first thing that struck our eyes was his beautiful slave-girl Melka. She had a regular, handsome face, was a native of the Basa hills, and had, like all these hill-races, the advantage over the Arabian females in displaying well-turned, round calves. She had been the person who for some time had brought us milk in the mornings, and so we were old acquaintances. We also saw the Sheik's wife and daughter, both of good stature and with delicately cut features. On returning from our bird-chase and from the before-mentioned tree, from which we procured many of the gay birds, as also of their artfully formed nests suspended from it, we found our dinner prepared; this consisted chiefly of a number of fowls, brought on in a great pot, floating in butter. The Sheik seemed much vexed that our stomachs were not those of two starved Arabs ; he scooped with a small gourdshell the melted butter out of the pot, and begged us to drink it, as it was most wholesome, and would make us fat. On this occasion he told us, that every rich man took from five to eight pounds of butter to breakfast, a statement incredible, though confirmed by many other informants.

Sheik Jacob, a relative of Mussa, visited us, inviting us to enter his hut; on so doing, we there saw his wife, who was distinguished by very long nails tinged red and yellow with henna. He