Frendeet Commences With A Swelling Of One Of The
Limbs, Generally Accompanied With Intense Pain; This Is Caused By
A Worm Of Several Feet In Length, But No Thicker Than
Pack-Thread.
The Arab cure is to plaster the limb with cow-dung,
which is their common application for almost all complaints.
They
then proceed to make what they term "doors," through which the
worm will be able to escape; but, should it not be able to find
one exit, they make a great number by the pleasant and simple
operation of pricking the skin in many places with a red-hot
lance. In about a week after these means of escape are provided,
one of the wounds will inflame, and assume the character of a
small boil, from which the head of the worm will issue. This is
then seized, and fastened either to a small reed or piece of
wood, which is daily and most gently wound round, until, in the
course of about a week, the entire worm will be extracted, unless
broken during the operation, in which case severe inflammation
will ensue.
It was the 22d November, and the time was approaching when the
grass throughout the entire country would be sufficiently dry to
be fired; we accordingly prepared for our expedition, and it was
necessary to go to Katariff to engage men, and to procure a slave
in the place of old Masara, whose owner would not trust her in
the wild countries we were about to visit. We therefore mounted
our horses, and in two days we reached Katariff, rather less than
sixty miles distant. The journey was exceedingly uninteresting,
as the route lay across the monotonous flats of rich table land,
without a single object to attract the attention, except the long
line of villages which at intervals of about six miles lined the
way. During the dry weather (the present season) there was not a
drop of water in this country, except in wells far apart. Thus
the cattle within twenty miles of the Atbara were driven every
alternate day that great distance to the river, as the wells
would not supply the large herds of the Arabs; although the
animals could support life by drinking every alternate day, the
cows were dry upon the day of fasting; this proved a certain
amount of suffering.
Upon arrival at Katariff we were hospitably received by a Greek
merchant, Michel Georgis, a nephew of the good old man from whom
we had received much attention while at Cassala. The town was a
miserable place, composed simply of the usual straw huts of the
Arabs; the market, or "Soog," was bi-weekly. Katariff was also
known by the name of "Soog Abou Sinn."
I extract an entry from my journal.--"The bazaar held here is
most original. Long rows of thatched open sheds, about six feet
high, form a street; in these sheds the dealers squat with their
various wares exposed on the ground before them.
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