The Men Have Remarkably Fine Features, But The Women Are Not
Generally Pretty.
The Bishareen is the largest Arab tribe of
Nubia.
Like all the Arabs of Upper Egypt, they pay taxes to the
Viceroy; these are gathered by parties of soldiers, who take the
opportunity of visiting them during the drought, at which time
they can be certainly found near the river; but at any other
season it would be as easy to collect tribute from the gazelles
of the desert as from the wandering Bishareens. The appearance of
Turkish soldiers is anything but agreeable to the Arabs;
therefore my escort of Turks was generally received with the
"cold shoulder" upon our arrival at an Arab camp, and no supplies
were forthcoming in the shape of milk, &c. until the long
coorbatch (hippopotamus whip) of Hadji Achmet had cracked several
times across the shoulders of the village headman. At first this
appeared to me extremely brutal, but I was given to understand
that I was utterly ignorant of the Arab character, and that he
knew best. I found by experience that Hadji Achmet was correct;
even where milk was abundant, the Arabs invariably declared that
they had not a drop, that the goats were dry, or had strayed
away; and some paltry excuses were offered until the temper of
the Turk became exhausted, and the coorbatch assisted in the
argument. A magician's rod could not have produced a greater
miracle than the hippopotamus whip. The goats were no longer dry,
and in a few minutes large gourds of milk were brought, and
liberally paid for, while I was ridiculed by the Turk, Hadji
Achmet, for so foolishly throwing away money to the "Arab dogs."
Our route was to change. We had hitherto followed the course of
the Atbara, but we were now to leave that river on our right,
while we should travel S.E. about ninety miles to Cassala, the
capital of the Taka country, on the confines of Abyssinia, the
great depot upon that frontier for Egyptian troops, military
stores, &c.
Having procured fresh camels, we started on 5th July. This
portion of the desert was rich in agates and numerous specimens
of bloodstone. Exactly opposite the village of Gozerajup are
curious natural landmarks,--four pyramidical hills of granite
that can be seen for many miles' distance in this perfectly level
country. One of these hills is about 500 feet high, and is
composed entirely of flaked blocks of grey granite piled one upon
the other; some of these stand perpendicularly in single masses
from 30 to 50 feet high, and from a distance might be taken for
giants climbing the hill-side. The pinnacle has a peculiar
conical cap, which appears to have been placed there by design,
but upon closer inspection it is found to be natural, as no stone
of such immense size could have been placed in such a position.
For the first two hours' march from this landmark, the country
was covered with scrubby bush abounding in gazelles and
guinea-fowl.
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