144 DAR-HAMMER.

of his four wives ; he changes them, indeed, daily, and the great lady must honour the divan with her presence. By his side lay his sword of justice, with a massive silver hilt and silver head of the size of a hen's egg. The plaintiffs and defendants had arranged themselves in the form of a half circle on the floor. A large earthen pot filled with merissa was placed at the feet of the chief's wife, from which she offered both parties frequently a cup during the transaction of the business. But this was done with a certain degree of ceremony, in order to prove that the sheikh, as arbitrator, knew no partiality, and that both parties were, in fact, equal in his eyes. The decision of the arbitrator is always short and decisive ; is regarded as peremptory, and strictly acted upon, for these good people go upon the principle that their head can never be deceived.

The Dar-hammer do not differ in their domestic habits from the other inhabitants of Kordofan, and are on the whole one of the most amiable class of people in this province. They make a noise with their tongues to express " yes or no," like the other natives of Kordofan ; and this sound must have been frequently heard before it is possible to distinguish between the negative and affirmative tone.

During my whole residence in Kordofan I never heard of their having ill-treated or robbed any stranger, much less of their having committed murder ; always excepting their excursions into Darfour, which they do not regard as wrong, as they