A DEAF AND DUMB ARAB. 243 



severed the spine there. Though it was far from any 

 pleasure to us to aid in such a night slaughter of 

 buffaloes, it was one not likely often to have its equal, 

 for in nine shots we brought down five, and we have 

 no cause to regret it, for our people will take care 

 that not a scrap is wasted. It has proved a fine oppor- 

 tunity to fulfil a promise to our hard-working Ibrahim, 

 to give him an animal all to himself, for one of the 

 buffaloes was found quite dead, and the Arabs therefore 

 did not grumble at his having the whole of it for his 

 friends at Kassala. The deaf and dumb man is a 

 splendidly-made fellow, and is quite the 'Ibrahim' of 

 his own camp, as he does most of the hard work, and he 

 is considered their boldest hunter. By various signs 

 his friends understand him perfectly, and, much to his 

 delight, he finds in Albert a new friend with whom he 

 can hold a long conversation with even greater ease. 

 The fact of Albert being able to talk to him with facility 

 astonished us greatly at first, and it proved, if proof were 

 wanting, that when language is of no avail the minds 

 of human beings, of whatever race they may be, naturally 

 turn to a very similar method of giving expression to 

 the thoughts ; and it has also brought to light another of 

 Albert's numerous talents. At Shepherd's Hotel, Albeit 

 was one day told that a Russian gentleman wished to 

 see him in his room, so he went up stairs and knocked 

 at the door, and receiving no reply came down again, 



R 2 



