326 UGANDA AND THE EGYPTIAN SOUDAN.

curved at one end, and is very useful for defence, killing snakes, and guiding the camels when riding, though it is rarely used for beating them. Their style of dressing the hair is, perhaps, the most curious part of their appearance. The hair is jetblack, coarse, wiry, and dressed up into three divisions, one at each side of the head, and one in the middle, higher than the other two; or else it is dressed into one high crown three or four inches high, with a tail behind, all dripping with oil. A wooden or ivory pin transfixes the hair ; this is used as a comb and insect-destroyer.

These Arabs are very strict Moslems ; that is, as far as praying and telling their beads. They are most regular in performing their devotions, even on the march. I noticed frequently sand on their foreheads, chins, and noses, from their prostrations during prayers. The sand is never wiped off, as it is considered a mark of honour on a " believer's " face. Moslems are not obliged to use water for ablutions in the desert; sand is allowed instead. They use a great quantity of snuff, carrying it in a round wooden ball. They place the snuff under the lower lip. They rarely, if ever, smoke. Sandals are almost universally worn here, as part of the ground is very stony.

The twenty hours' march from Bir Mahobe to Bir Obaek is by far the most trying part of the journey to the traveller. The acacia-trees are soon