niLLS OF BASA. 238 the making of coloured straw mats, and vessels for food and drink; they also make very neat drinking-cups and milk-dishes, covered or lacquered over with rosin. They generally eat their meat raw, drink much merissa, and old and young dance and beat the nogara day and night. The Gash winds through among the hills, and gives these tribes water ; for eight days' journey on each side of it, extend the hills of Basa to Makada, to which succeed the hills of Damljallass, followed by the high lands of Hammasscin, in which the Gohr commences. The houses in Basa are well-built tokuls. The coral-ornamented men, who smoke much, wear a ferda, tin; won»en only a small loin-cloth. In both sexes the eyes are sniall, the cheek-bones very prominent, the face broad, and the lips not even fleshy ; their whole physiognomy displays brutality and savageness. Each hill has its chief; one over all there is not the powers of the chiefs are sniall. Even the Turks admit their bravery, and say that individuals among them Avould take up a position on the rocks, and, after having cast away all their lances, Avould defend tliemselves against a heavy lire witli stones, until they were l)rought down riddled with many 1)alls. The love of homo is very great; nuicli to our joy, almost the whole of the slaves of both sexes have escaped from the camp by the gate, wliich the Schukurie held. The women had actually slain their infants, that tlies<', by tlieir cries, might not betray or impede their flight. Thes(! people run like deer, and in a moment leave much ground Ixdiind them. Their language is perfectly different from all others, and is certainly a Avell-sounding one, e.g.

O'ifo, meaning merissa. Here, and on the way to the liills, snakes are said to be found, not so very long, Ijut tliick as a crocodile, and able easily to swallow a man ; instances an; related of their having half or wholly swallowed the sleeper from his aTigarel). Four days' journey v\\\ liiglier among the iiills, lies Belcha, or Balacha, which, according to these peo])lr, must l)e an immtnsu . and most populous city.

Behind these, a day's journey from here, on a hill towards the cast, is Sabderath, and half a day's journey from thence is ( iedelin, the population of which are of Arab descent, and tributary to the Turks. From the hills of Baria, ]Maria, Basehn, and Semhend and to the north-west, bounded by the lladdenda, extends in a