Bahr El Ghazal. 161 Wau, and Jur Ghattas), these tribes, Dinkas excepted, clearly realise the protection and other benefits accorded by a civilised Government.

The Nyam Nyams. — The Nyam Nyams or Azande are the most intelligent, keen and well-ordered tribe in the Bahr Nyam El Ghazal province. Nyama.

The tribe — covering, roughly, the south-west third of the province and a portion of the Congo Free State and Haut Ubangi to the south and west of the Nile-Congo watershed — is split up into five districts, each governed by a chief, holding absolute power, and these chiefs form two factions, which constantly quarrel.

Tembura, Zemio and Sasa make the western faction ; Ndoruma and Yambio the eastern.

Colonel Sparkes, says in the account of his patrol to Tembura's country : — " Tembura is a shrewd, intelligent man, anxious for progress and development, and the Nyam Nyams generally are far superior to any other people I have met up here.

" Tembura's standing army, which is quartered round him, consists of about 4,000 men, of whom 1,000 have rifles or guns of sorts, and the rest spears, bows and arrows. They look after and handle their guns exceedingly well, and have been taught a certain amount of drill by the French.

" Besides quantities of dura, the Nyam Nyams grow bananas, limes, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, manioc, onions, and many other sorts of vegetables. Excepting a few of the head men, they have no cattle, sheep or goats, though quantities of fowls are kept everywhere.

" Yambio has the largest number of people under him, but is the least civilised, never having been brought into direct contact with Europeans, as have the others."

The Nyam Nyams are great hunters, and all the chiefs possess a considerable quantity of ivory. The men wear well-woven straw hats, with cock's feathers, and loose breeches made of " Roko " bark. The women are clad like the Golos and Bongos, but are more reserved and retiring than the latter. Both men and women dress their hair, grown long, in various styles. Beards are cultivated and are greatly admired if long.

Of cannibalism amongst the Nyam Nyams there is not much heard, but it is a fact that they eat their enemies who have fallen in battle and those who die. They eat dogs when they can get them. Schweinfurth considers this custom as allied to cannibalism.

Lighter coloured than the other tribes, they consider themselves " white men." Both Tembura and Yambio have a fine country, perhaps the cream of the Bahr El Ghazal, well watered by flowing Country, etc. streams, undulating, and growing many lulu, banana, and other fine trees. The country teems with many kinds of game : elephant, eland, rhinoceros, and buffalo all being numerous, the former especially so. The Nyam Nyams manufacture a white cotton cloth, similar to fine sacking. They are practically all clothed, and would probably readily purchase cloth.

Their arms are bows, arrows and spears, but both these sultans now possess a considerable number of rifles. They were formerly, in the old Government days, converts to Islam, but they (Tembura at any rate) both now merely believe in the existence of a God, without participating in any form of religion.

The Mittu, Madi, and Wira Tribes. — These tribes, living on the eastern border of the Nyam Nyams, resemble Mittu, Madi the Bongos, but are physically inferior to the latter. They have suffered too, in the same way as the Bongos, from the and Wira. raids of the Nyam Nyams.

The Madi and Wira tribes are really sub-tribes of the Mittu, and they all speak the same Mittu dialect. Regarding the teeth of the different tribes : — Teeth. Jurs and Dinkas extract the lower incisors ; the Nyam Nyams file the upper incisors to a point ; Golos, Ndoggos, Bongos, and Belandas file the upper incisor only on the inner aspect. But many of the latter, who have been brought up in the Nyam Nyam country, have the tooth-marks of that tribe. In fact, the tooth distinction is becoming less characteristic, owing to interchanging of tribes.

10. Gnm>:.

The following is a list of the game which is to be found in the Bahr El Ghazal province ; — Elephant (numerous throughout). Hippopotamus (in all rivers). Buffalo. Roan-antelope. Eland exist in the higher plateaux, near Wau Waterbuck (throughout).

and DeimZubeir, and the Situtungais said Mrs. Grey's waterbuck (Cobus Maria) (swampy to be found in the marshlands of the Jur grass land on banks of Jur and Bahr El River. Ghazal Rivers.)

Giraffe (in eastern and north-western portions). Tiang.

Rhinoceros (throughout). Jackson's hartebeeste.