A VERY MIXED SOCIETY. 53 



fuel, and now that the people understand their work 

 bricks can be turned out in any number required. For a 

 time the manufactory will be worked by the Govern- 

 ment, but Munsinger Pasha hopes that it will ultimately 

 pass into private hands. Our next visit was to the prison, 

 a low range of buildings surrounding a courtyard, in 

 which, on our approach, the prisoners were drawn up in 

 line, all of them having heavy chains round their ankles 

 excepting two, who turned out to be our victims. As 

 usually happens, these were the least idle of our camel- 

 men ; and therefore, after a little special pleading on 

 their behalf, we succeeded in obtaining their release. 

 We walked down the line, and the chief gaoler explained 

 the nature of each crime, and a very curious list it was. 

 The first two were boys, who were convicted of selling a 

 little girl as a slave ; then came a man who had murdered 

 another, and had confessed his guilt, but there having 

 been extenuating circumstances, he has been sentenced 

 to imprisonment for life. Next came a horrible-looking 

 creature, who, besides having chains round the ankles, 

 had his wrists fixed in a block of wood ; he was known 

 as an inveterate thief, and had committed, it was believed, 

 many murders, though none could be proved against him. 

 A little farther on stood the handsomest man of the 

 Hadendowa Arabs we have seen, who stole some camels 

 and murdered the owner, one of another tribe, his excuse 

 being that this man had done the same to his father ten 



