GOVERNMENT. 33

and robbed of his property. All investigations and

endeavours to detect the murderer proved fruitless

;

thus much was, however, subsequently discovered,

that the goods had been sold at Darfour, and it was

suspected that the perpetrator of the crime was

secreted in Kordofan. Several persons were taken

into custody, and examined, but in vain ; the delin-

quent could not be discovered. A prophetess, who,

by casting a handful of shells on the sand, pre-

tended to be able to look into futurity, and to ex-

plain the past, arrived, by means of her mystic art,

at the conclusion, that the son of the Sheikh of

Haraza was the murderer. The result of her sor-

cery was imparted to the governor, Mohammed

Bey, in conversation over a pipe of tobacco. The

governor, a man of weak mind, who placed more

confidence in the idle talk of an old woman, than in common sense, gave credence to this tale, and had

the man accused instantly arrested, and conducted

by a party of soldiers to Lobeid ; he was then

loaded with irons, and cast into })rison ; whereupon

the investigation immediately took place. Although

be asserted that he was at that time in quite a dif-

ferent place, and was able to corroborate this state-

ment by witnesses, the testimony of a fortune-teller

was regarded as better evidence, and the unfortu-

nate man was subjected to the most cruel tortures

to force a confession from him. lie was bound, by

order of the governor, hand and foot, close to a

large fire, whence a soldier took a burning branch,

D