THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 457 



which is part of his title, or, as it were, his Chriftian name 

 addeci to that of his family. This prince was, neverthelefs, 

 but the Shekh of all the Arabs, to whom they paid a tribute 

 to enable him to maintain his dignity, and a fufficient 

 ftrength to keep up order and inforce his decrees in public 

 matters. As for oeconomical ones, each tribe was under the 

 government of its own Shekh, old men, fathers of families 

 in each clan. 



The refidence of this Arab prince, called for Ihortnefs 

 Wed Ageeb, was at Gerri, a town in the very limits of the 

 tropical rains, immediately upon the ferry which leads a- 

 crofs the Nile to the defert of Bahiouda, and the road to Don- 

 gola and Egypt, joining the great defert of Selima. This 

 was a very well-chofen fituation, it being a toll-gate, as it 

 were, to catch all the Arabs that had flocks, who, living 

 within the rains in the country which was all of fat earth, 

 v/ere every year, about the month of May, obliged by the 

 fly to pafs, as it were, in review, to take up their abode in 

 the fandy defert without the tropical rains. By the time 

 fair weather returned in the fertile part of the country to 

 the fouthward, and freed them from the fly, all forts of ver- 

 dure had grown up in great luxuriancy, while hunger fla- 

 red them now in the face among the lands to the north- 

 ward, where every thing eatable had been confumcd by 

 the multitudes of cattle that had taken refuge there. The 

 Arab chief, with a large army of lighr, unincumbered horfe, 

 flood in the way of their return to their pallures, till they 

 had paid the uttermoil farthing of tribute, including arrears, 

 if any there were. Such was the flate and government 

 of the whole of this vaft country, from the frontiers of 

 Vol. IV. 3 M Egypt 



