126 THE BAKKARA.

They live very contentedly among themselves, and are very happy, as I was assured by one of their sheikhs, who added,—" We have beautiful horses, handsome wives, good fare, suffer no want, and might even call ourselves rich ; but our enemies, who surround us on all sides, and especially the flies, so dangerous to our cattle, embitter our lives ; for, in order to escape the latter plague, we are forced to leave the safe parts of the country. In the neighbourhood of the negroes we cannot remain, as they would rise in mass against us, and destroy us all, in revenge for their kidnapped children ; thus we are forced to choose the least of these many evils, and to deliver ourselves into the hands of the Turks, who treat us with great harshness and cruelty, and take away by force what we will not give them willingly,—but Allah Kerim (as God will)!"

The government of Kordofan treats this people, indeed, with every species of cruelty ; for as soon as they are necessitated to fly from the more distant regions, and make their appearance in the neighbourhood of Kordofan, troops are immediately despatched to demand the tribute of them. I was myself an eyewitness of this scene, and saw nothing but unmerciful extortion and barbarous brutality used, which is, unfortunately, the ordinary proceeding of that government. A major, with three subaltern oflficers, and two hundred men, rank and file, of infantry, attended by a few Bedouin horsemen, and fifty men