THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 479 



fonal freedom and advantages in trade ; but they are Pa- 

 eans in their hearts and in their practices, Mahometans in 

 their converfation only. As for the fons of thefe, they are 

 Pagans like their fathers, unlefs fome Fakir, or Arab faint, 

 takes pains to inftruft and teach them to read, otherwife the 

 whole of their religion confifts in the confeifion of faith, 

 « La lllah el Ullah, Mahomet Rafoul Ullah," — " There is 

 " but one God, and Mahomet is his prophet." 



There are three principal governments in the kingdom 

 of Sennaar. The firfl is at El-aice, the capital of that coun- 

 try, from which the Shillook come. The Bahar el Abiad 

 fpreads itfelf all over the territory, and, divided into a quan- 

 tity of fmall channels, (whether by art or nature I know 

 not) furrounds a number of little iflands, upon each of which 

 is a village, and this colledion of villages is called the town, 

 of El-aice. The inhabitants are all fifliermen, and have a 

 number oFboats, like canoes, in which they fail up and 

 down to the catara6ts. With incredible fleets of thefe their 

 invafion was made when they undertook the conqueft of 

 the Arabs, who had not the fmalleft warning of the attempt. 

 They had, at that time, no weapons of iron : their fwords 

 and lances were of a hard wood called Dengui-Sibber. It 

 muft be a relation of the Mek of Sennaar that commands 

 at El-aice ; and he is never fufFered to leave that poft, or 

 come to Sennaar. 



The fecond government, next to this in importance, is 

 Kordofan. The revenue confifts chiefly in flaves procured 

 from Dyre and Tegla. It feems this lituation is the mofl: 

 convenient for invading thofe mountains, either from its 

 having water in the way, or from fome other circumftance 



that 



