put in their hands, they never wiih to defert, but live a
very domeftic and fober life. Many o f them that I have
converted with feem a much gentler fort o f negro than
thofe from Bahar el Aice, that is, than thofe o f whom the
Funge, or government o f Sennaar, are compofed.
T hese have fmall features likewife, but are woollyheaded,
and flat-nofed, like other negroes, and fpeak a langu
age rather pleafant and- fonorous, but radically different
from many I have heard. Though the Mek, and their
matters at Sennaar, pretend to be Mahometans, yet- they
have never attempted to convert thefe N u b a ; on the contrary,
they entertain, in every village, a certain number o f
Pagan priefts, who have foldiers. pay, and aflift them in the
■ offices o f their religion. Not knowing their language per-
fe illy , nor their cuftoms, it is impofiible to fay any thing
about their religion. Very few o f the common fort o f
them fpeak Arabic. A falfe account, in thefe cafes, is always
worfe than no account at all. I never found one o f
their priefts who could fpeak fo much Arabic as to be able
to give any information about the objerts o f their worihip
in diftinft and unequivocal terms; but this was from my
not underftanding them, and their not underftanding me,
not from any defire o f concealment, or ihynefs on their p ar t;
on the contrary, they feemed always inclined to agree w ith
me, when they did not.comprehend^my meaning, and there,
is the danger o f being mifinformed.
T h ey p a y adoration to the mo on ; and that their worihip
is performed with pleafure and fatisfadlion, is obvious every
night that ihe ihines.. Coming out from the darknefs o f
their
their huts, they fay a few words upon feeing her bright-
nefs, and teftify greaj joy, by motions o f their feet and
hands, at the firft appearance o f the new moon. I never
law them pay any attention to the fun, either riling or fet-
ting, advancing to or receding from the me ridian; but, as
far as I could learn, they worihip a tree, and likewife a
ftone, tho’ I never could find out what tree or ftone it was,
only that it did not exift in the country o f Sennaar, but in
that where they were born. Their priefts feemed to have
great influence over them, but through fear only, and not-
from affection. They are diftinguifhed by th ick copper
bracelets about their wrifts, as aifo fometimes one, and-
fbmetiroes two about their ancles..
T h e s e villages are called Dahera, which feems to me to
be the fame word as Dalhrah, the name given to the
Kabyles, or people in Barbary, who live in fixed huts on
the mountains. But not having made myfelf mafter.
enough o f the Kabyles language when in Barbary, and
being totally ignorant o f that o f the Nuba we a re 'n ow
fpeaking of, I cannot pretend to purfue this refemblance
farther. They are immoderately fond o f fwine’s flefh.and
maintain great herds o f them in their poffeffion. The
hogs are o f a fmall kind, generally marked with black and:
white, exceedingly prolific, and exaftly refembling a fpe-
cies o f that k in d common in the north o f Scotland. The
Nuba are not circumcifed. T h e y very rarely turn Maho-r
metans; but the generality o f their children do. Few o f
them advance higher than to be foldiers and officers in
their own corps. The Mek maintains about twelve thou-
fand o f thefe near Sennaar, to keep the Arabs in fubjeition.
They are very quiet, and fcarcely ever known to be gu ilty
of.