The Shilliiks and their Chief Mek.

3 victim to liis audacity, tliougli often both liou and man are found stretched dead ; but most frequently the Shilluk remains the victor. I shall speak further on of the two brothers Duma, the most intrepid Shilluk hunters.

To return to the chief Mek, avIio had disa})peared for a moment, but came back followed by two negroes, one of wliom carried a sheep and the other an earthen jar full of honey. Pie begged me to accept this little present, excusing himself for not being able at that place to do more, hoping, however, to have the happiness of seeing me again and to receive me worthily in his seriba. He accompanied us to the boat, and, on taking leave of me, said, — " You have never seen me, you have never seen me ; do you understand ? ' ' By this he meant to give me to understand that I must not betray his place of refuge.

On our return to the vessel I found Hussein in great alarm. Not seeing me reappear, he thought some misfortune had happened, and was just going to disembark the crew and send them to seek me. I was very glad to have arrived on board before Hussein had executed his intention, since Mek might have taken it for some act of treachery. But I was obliged to invent some story to account for the sheep and the honey.

The next day, having finished the provisioning of the vessel, the steamer started on its way, leaving the White TSTile on the left, and entering the canal of Bahr-el-Grhazal.

The huts of the Shilluks are well built, and the aspect of their villages makes one infer that a certain order prevails there. The huts are symmetrically placed, the roads clean, and a large enclosure receives the cattle at night. They are counted every evening ; a narrow passage compels the oxen to file in one by one ; in passing, the animal strikes with his horns, head, or hump a piece of Avood hung in the