6o Seven Years in the Soudan.

could not certainly assert that they were ignorant of it. At Khartoum they hired nugars, enrolled volunteers, and prepared provisions for the expedition, Avhich started publicly with great pomp. They returned with abundant cargoes of ivory and human merchandise. The slaves, crowded into the vessels like herrings in casks, could hardly stand on their stiffened limbs when released, and were led in long files across the city, followed by hundreds of ])urchasers.

The slaves were seen all the world except the governor, who naturally must see and know nothing, so that the authorities at Cairo may be deceived, and the odious traffic continued.

Where can a man be found who could persuade the public that governor and people were not in league with these brigands ?

The Soudan might be the richest countr}' in the woi'ld ; its climate and soil are adapted for every kind of cultivation. The products are very plentiful. Sesame, the india-rubber tree, and every kind of corn and vegetables grow there freely, often yielding two crops a year. If the indigo-plant Avere subject to the cultivation introduced by the English, it would compete with the Indian jilant. Ivory, ebony and ostrich-feathers are abundant. And to think that such a country suffers famine and misery, and yields the Government only the miserable sum of 60,000/. a year ! On what this depends no one could tell ; but the people of the country have explained to me the enigma.

The Arab knows that if he cultivated the land better, much heavier taxes would be demanded, and that if he were so fortunate as to enrich himself, he would run the risk of being kept in prison till he had disembursed his very last farthing ; pretexts are never wanting to the governors to justify such acts. I know several of these poor Avretches who were imprisoned on false charges and paid dearly for their liberation. The Arab has, however,