their families, who encamp on the happy pastures
during the season of plenty.
We had now passed the limits occupied by the
Bishareens, and we had entered upon the country of
the Hadendowa Arabs. These are an exceedingly bad
tribe, and, together with their neighbours, the
Hallonga Arabs, they fought determinedly against
the Egyptians, until finally conquered during the
reign of the famous Mehemet Ali Pasha, when the
provinces of Nubia submitted unconditionally, and
became a portion of Upper Egypt.
Upon arrival at Soojalup we came upon the principal
encampment of the Hadendowa during the dry
season. Within a few miles of this spot the scene
had changed : instead of the bare earth denuded of
vegetation, the country was covered with jungle,
already nearly green, while vast plains of grass, enlivened
by beautiful herds of antelopes, proved not
only the fertility of the soil, but the presence of
moisture. Although there was no stream, nor any
appearance of a river’s bed, Soojalup was well supplied
with water throughout the hottest season by numerous
wells. This spot is about forty miles distant from
-Gozerajup, and is the first watering-place upon the
route to Cassala. As we approached the wells, we
passed several large villages surrounded by fenced
gardens of cotton, and tobacco, both of which throve
exceedingly. Every village possessed a series of
wells, with a simple contrivance for watering their
cattle:—Adjoining the mouth of each well was-a basin
formed of clay, raised sufficiently high above the
level of the ground to prevent the animals from
treading it while drinking. With a rope and a
leathern bag distended by pieces of stick, the water
was raised from the wells and emptied into the clay
basins ; the latter were circular, about nine feet in
diameter, and two feet deep. I measured the depth
of some of the wells, and found a uniformity of forty
feet. We halted at Soojalup for the night: here
for the first time I saw the beautiful antelope known
by the Arabs as the Ariel {Gazelle Dama). This
is a species of gazelle, being similar in form and in
shape of the horns, but as large as a fallow deer :
the colour also nearly resembles that of the gazelle,
with the exception of the rump, which is milk-
white.
These animals had no water nearer than the Atbara
river, unless they could obtain a stealthy supply from
the cattle basins of the Arabs during the night;
they were so wild, from being constantly disturbed
and hunted by the Arab dogs, that I found it impossible
to stalk them upon the evening of our
arrival. The jungles literally swarmed • with guinea-
fowl—I shot nine in a few minutes, and returned
to camp with dinner for my whole party. The only
species of guinea-fowl that I have seen in Africa is
that with the blue comb and wattles. These birds
are a blessing to the traveller, as not only are
they generally to be met with from the desert
frontier throughout the fertile portions of the South,