r6 AFRICAN WANDERINGS.

heavy-armed followers on, the Tokruri enjoyed a pretty considerable power, highly dangerous for their frontier neighbours, as they had also for warfare about a hundred muskets, a large number for these lands ; but since Sheik Myri's death, they have sadly declined in power and force. Arabs are now and then at length seen in our bazaar, and various goods are brought in for sale, but the Arab sellers are yet very few. The Okka (2 lbs.) of beef costs twenty paras, about one penny farthing, and the same weight of mutton about double, or one piastre. A whole ox of the better kind could have formerly been bought here for fifty piastres, nine or ten shillings, and government (Bilik) gave forty. In general, the cattle are not large, but strong-built, with high withers and flanks, and large fat folds about the belly ; the cows are larger, but not so comely to look on as the Swiss breed. The beef, from the better pasturage here, is far tenderer and better flavoured than in Sennaar, where it is generally tough and hard of digestion, trying both teeth and stomach.

Mussa, Mohammed Din's young son, a sad and silent lad, who seems, while now a hostage in our camp, to pine for his home, paid us a visit to-day ; but we unfortunately could do little to cheer or amuse him, as, from his ignorance of Arabic, all our intercourse had to be carried on by signs and gesticulations. When this lad waits on the Pascha, his short, curly, but not woolly hair is whitened with camel-fat ; he is ever closely and carefully guarded, and never moves without an escort ; but that this escort is furnished from Defalla's followers, the Pascha having given that Sheik the special charge of the lad, surprises us, as Defalla has already given many causes for suspecting his fidelity, and both his own and father's names are too often connected with that of Nimr (tiger). The Pascha wishes to send the lad to Cairo (this being the best thing for his country), to receive a Turkish education. Slay this education be better conducted than usual Mohammed Nimr, called Sedab by his own people, from the village in which he usually dwelt, was Melek of the Gallihn ; or Djalin, a numerous, far-spreading Arab tribe, which chiefly frequented the eastern bank (Scherk ) of the Nile and Blue River (Bachr asrek ), from Abu Haramet to Abu Ilarrasch many also of them were to be found on the western banks (Garb),