, 1884-12-27

threw his rider into the ar. he WISHED
to gauge whether his own was an extra
ordinary one or not. A Blue Jacket at
Wady Halfa admired a camel he rode eX-
ceedingly, because he, pitched up out Of
his saddle necessarily, and caught dexter
ously as he descended, "the camel had
only missed him twice during the after
nOOn.' After the usual delays and ObSta-
cles to making a start which the traveller
in the East has always to overcome on
beginning a journey, | left DongOla behind
in the early morning, having on the preyi-
Gus evening encamped outside the walls.
Nv camels were induced to leave the
town with difficulty. They seemed to un-
derStand thoroughly that it was no mere
afternoon ride upon which they were
bound, and made their protests according
ly. These they did by sitting down every
few yards and remaining on the ground
until flogged up again. y camel is always
in a state of extreme mental depression.
He whines and groanS necessarily, and
never, apparently, like other animals,
makes friends with his master. My own
beast trots along all day with an air of
hopeless misery which nothing | can do
seems to alleviate. Only the courbash has
any effect upon HIM. The courbaSh is
as necessary an accessory to comfortable
camel riding as according to lShmael
Pasha, it was to successful Government III
Egypt. The hide of the Nile %hippOpOta
mus tanned and oiled and cnt into long
strips forms a whip that, as elastic as
gutta percha, is yet much harder than that
material; and it twines round the body of its
victims with electric effect. Probably there
is no more eXcruciating pain than the cut
of a courbaSh, and it switches through
the air with a ping like a rifle
bullet-a sound by itself generally
sufficient to induce he most obstinate
camel-0r tellah-prompt!y to obey
orders, and so my two guides. my servant,
and myself Jog n%orthwards again at five
miles All hour in that dead silence peculiar
10 camel travelling. BY the margin of the
Desert we rode whore It rncyoachpS On tie
strip Of cultivated land that follows the
Nile from its source almost TO the sea.
Overhead, the sun glazed ticrecly, and en-
every side Il misty mirage distorted the
horizon. From the first moment OF start
ing Until the end Of the days march our
four cameiS stretched ont their long ueckS,
perring anxiouSly for the halting place,
and grooming with disappointment rs each
clump Of palm trees was passed, and we
still pushed on. For the night We stopped
at Il small hamlet of lalfa dozen huts, The
inhabitants OF which brought us, bE way Of
hospitality, d chicken IN the last stages Of
starvation, some dates, an egg or two, and
a gourd of milk. Foolishly, we rewarded
them with liberal backSheeSh, and, as a
result, were peStsred tor more throughout
our stay. \ large number OF that most
useful class of servants known in Lower
Egypt as BarbeIneS cpme from this por.
tion Of Nubil. just before gong to sleep
| was aston SHED by one Of the haltnakcd
villagers grteling me with "Good evening
Sar.' He had served on board a Z. and
o. steamer as an officers servant for nearly
six wears, and had visited Bombay, SInTa-
pore, and China, Yet here we found him
with the savings accumulated during that
period, once more among the S0rdld sur
roundings Of his youth; so strong IS the
love Of lUme planted even III the Seml-clvl-
Used Nubian breast. From his Individual
| obtained much interesting information.
According to him the weather. classes OF
The pOpulation-an0 he himself, III his
native village, is considered a capitalist
view the threatened approach of tle Mahdl
with dread. The radical theories as to
distribution Of property and so on preach
ed by the Mahdi, are no more fancled by
men of substance in Nubia than they are
elsewhere. Early III the morning through
out my journey, away on the other side OF
the Nile, a red CLEAN III the sky betOkens
the approach of dawn. / am awakened by
the early prayers of my two guides.
Kneeling on mats on the ground, and with
heads turned towards Mecca, they alter
nately cry out with loud voices and alter.
nately mutter their petitions for a success
cI Ior3. "a, ~, Nnrxy Ool1 towards