170 TRIBES BORDERING ON KORDOFAN, not one to be purchased in the bazaar at any price ; my servant, however, soon invented a remedy : he went up to a soklier, a Shilluk of course, and bought the flint of his musket, which he unscrewed whilst on duty, and delivered at the high price of four-pence halfpenny.

The dominions of Takele are situated at a distance of about five days' journey to the south-east of Kordofan ; they are governed by a sultan, who is an absolute monarch, and has his residence at Tassin.

This sultan, and the greater part of his subjects, are of the Mahommedan persuasion. In former times, when Kordofan and all these realms were subject to Darfour, Takele paid tribute to that government, and even after Mehemed Ali had taken possession of Kordofan, sword in hand, the fine was annually paid, it being taken for granted that the conquerors should enjoy the same rights as the former administration. But when the Turks, not contented with the tribute, subsequently sought to put their golden rule of raising the taxation into practice, looking ujon everything in the country as their own proj)erty, the Sultan of Takele refused to submit, and opposed their claims in person with an armed force. Mehemed Ali undertook three ineffective campaigns against this country, and was at last obliged to give up the project, after having lost more than half of the forces employed in the expedition. Takele possesses many irregular troops, which proved very galling to the Egyptians ; for they