II. 2. XXXVIII. AND THE INVASION OF DONGOLA i8i
consideration of his solemnly engaging to pay the ancient bakt^ and also to deliver yearly three giraffes, three elephants, five she-
leopards, a hundred russet^ camels and four hundred head of cattle. He also promised to hand over to the Sultan all monies and cattle
that belonged to Daud and to the Nubians killed or captured by the
expedition.
By the same treaty Nubia was divided into two parts, and under
this division the cataract district lying immediately south of Aswan became a fief of the Sultan, to whose person was payable the custom-
ary proportion of the dates, cotton and other produce*. Such of the
people as remained Christian were also to pay a yearly poll tax of one dinar for each adult male. The two amtrs then destroyed the churches of the Nubians^ and carried off the contents. They also
insisted on twenty Nubian chiefs being handed over—as hostages, one supposes—and the release of such Muhammadans of Aswan and
'Aidhab as the Nubians had imprisoned.
^ The "bakt" is spoken of as "400 slaves and a giraffe, of which 360 slaves were for the Khalifa and 40 for the lieutenant of the Khalifa [i.e. the Sultan] in exchange for 1000 ardebs of wheat for the king and 300 ardebs for the royal dele- gates." Compare the terms quoted on p. 158.
^ Burckhardt (p. 514), "camels of good race."
* It is spoken of as "nearly one quarter of Nubia," "Nubia" being apparently used in the sense of Maris or Nubia proper.
* So I interpret the clause. Lane-Poole speaks of (i) the "bakt" of slaves,
(2) the "tribute" of elephants, giraffes, etc., and (3) of an engagement "to pay half the revenue of the kingdom" in addition. Similarly, Burckhardt (p. 515), in his translation, rightly distinguishes between the "bakt" and the "annual personal tribute" of animals, and continues "and that the soil of Nouba should thence- forward be divided into two parts; one half for the Sultan, and the other to be appropriated to the fertilizing and guarding of the country; excepting the territory of the cataracts, which was to belong entirely to the Sultan, on account of its vicinity to Assouan: this alone was about one-fourth of Nouba. Farther, that the dates and the cotton of this part, as well as the ancient customary duties, should be carried off, and that as long as they should remain Christians, they should pay the Djezye, or annual Om Dinar in cash, for every grown-up person."
Bouriant alters the effect considerably by translating "II fut ^tabli que le terri-
toire de la Nubie serait partage en deux parts, I'une destinee au Sultan et I'autre reservee pour I'entretien et la garde du pays; le district des cataractes, voisin im- mediat d'Assouan et formant h. peu pres le quart de la Nubie, serait tout entier la propriete du Sultan qui recevrait les dattes, le coton et les autres redevances que payait le district depuis le temps le plus ancien. Les habitants restant Chretiens furent soumis k la capitation; chaque homme adulte devait payer par ann^e un dinar d'argent comptant." It seems to me inconceivable that the king of Nubia should have been expected to pay (i) " bakt " and (2) tribute and (3) half his revenues and also (4) to give up a quarter of the country, and I venture to suggest the inter- pretation offered. Ibn Khaldun (Vol. v, p. 400, ed. ar. Bk. 11) speaks of " an allotted tribute and certain definite gifts payable yearly, and the strongholds (^^.iA^) near Aswan to pass to the Sultan (^UaX—JJ ^.oJIa. ^J^Ju)." He says nothing of half the revenue of Nubia being taken by Eg>'pt.
° There is no indication in Makrizi's narrative that the Sultan's troops went more than three or four days' march south of Haifa. Lane-Poole (Hist. p. 271) says "the forts of Daw [Derr?], Stis and Dongola were taken."