LITIGATION 57 



What I called "the incident of the royal shirt" 

 occurred at this jebel. After a little reconnoitring, the 

 Mek of the place, a man, a typical negro in appearance, 

 came down the hill clad in a very antique cotton jibba, 

 and escorted by ten or more all but naked companions. 

 I settled a complaint which he made — an Arab family 

 settling without, by, or with your leave, on his well 

 and grazing ground — and he then retired behind some 

 rocks to procure a guide. Presently the same shirt, 

 but containing a much smaller man, returned, followed 

 by a fine naked black, who, when he came to shake 

 my hand and present me with a large " beteik " (water- 

 melon), I recognised as the Mek. A week or so after 

 my return to El Eddaiya, when buying grain at the 

 " Matmurra," I recognised the shirt doing duty as a 

 sack. To make assurance doubly sure I asked the 

 proprietor if he came from J. Abu Gerein. He did. 



My noonday halt I made at J. Seigo, which, being 

 near a seat of government, was full of litigants. I 

 listened to many complaints which, on inquiry, turned 

 out to have already been investigated. They were 

 brought before me in the hope that, being a new man, 

 I would reverse former decisions : a very favourite 

 practice in the East. 



Here I learned the local way of buying ostrich 

 feathers. The "marbua" weighs four pounds. The 

 buyer selects from the store a pound of feathers, the 

 seller the other three. The whole costs about i6s. 



The return of the remainder of the patrol was 

 heralded by the "luluing" of the wives, most of whom 

 had now turned up, and now came to help their 



