as they came into the world; their bodies rubbed with
ashes, and their hair stained red by a plaster of ashes
and cow’s urine. These fellows are the most un-
earthly-looking devils I ever saw—there is no other
expression for them. The unmarried women are also
entirely naked; the married have a fringe made of
grass around their loins. The men wear heavy coils
of beads about their necks, two heavy bracelets of
ivory on the upper portion of the arms, copper
nngs upon the wrists, and a horrible kind of bracelet
of massive iron armed with spikes about an inch in
length, like leopard’s claws, which they use for a
similar purpose. The chief of the Nuehr village,
Joctian, with his wife and daughter, paid me a visit,
and asked for all they saw in the shape of beads and
bracelets, but declined a knife as useless. They went
away delighted with their presents. The women perforate
the upper lip, and wear an ornament about four
inches long of beads upon an iron wire; this projects
like the horn of a rhinoceros; they are very ugly. The
men are tall and powerful, armed with lances. They
cany pipes that contain nearly a quarter of a pound
of tobacco, in which they smoke simple charcoal should
the loved tobacco fail. The carbonic acid gas of the
charcoal produces a slight feeling of intoxication,
which is the effect desired. Koorshid Aga returned
them a girl from Khartoum who had been captured
by a slave-hunter; this delighted the people, and
they immediately brought an ox as an offering. The
“Clumsy’s” yard broke, in two pieces, thus I was obliged
to seek a dry spot for the necessary repairs. I left the
village Nuehr Eliab, and in the evening lowered the
“ Clumsy’s ” y a rd ; taking her in tow, we are, this
moment, 8.30 p .m., slowly sailing through clouds of
mosquitoes looking out for a landing-place in this
world of marshes. I took the chief of the Nuehr’s
portrait, as he sat in my cabin on the Divan; of
course he was delighted. He exhibited his wife’s
arms and back covered with jagged scars, in reply
to my question as to the use of the spiked iron
bracelet. Charming people are these poor blacks ! as
they are termed by English sympathisers; he was
quite proud of having clawed his wife like a wild
beast. In sober earnest, my monkey “Wallady ” looks
like a eivilized being compared to these Nuehr savages.
The chief’s forehead was tattooed in horizontal lines
that had the appearance of wrinkles. The hair is
yorn drawn back from the face. Both men and
women wear a bag slung from the neck, apparently
to contain any presents they may receive, everything
being immediately pocketed. Course S.S.E.
Jan. 14th.—All day occupied in repairing the yard ;