OLD RECORDS 285 



close to the wadi (some miles further south), from 

 which the official name of the town was taken. The 

 mamur, a capable native cavalry officer, Hafiz Eff. 

 Kadri, was police magistrate, and saw to everything 

 local. So my work seldom took me from my quarters 

 till 9 A.M. Then I got into the governor's felucca, 

 and half floated, half sailed down-stream to my 

 office. Coming back was a more difficult operation. 

 Sometimes we had to be towed from the bank : the 

 inhabitants would volunteer cheerfully for this, hot 

 though the weather was. As one sat in the boat 

 under a big umbrella one appreciated their labour. 



The Nile, however, began to rise. Then there 

 would be miniature storms on its thousand yards 

 broad surface. The small whirlwinds (devils) that 

 came down at that season were rather exciting. In- 

 teresting, too, it was to see the natives floating down- 

 stream riding inflated water-skins. 



My time was devoted chiefly to reading the records 

 of the oldest province in the Sudan. Odd cases 

 came before me — for instance, hasheesh- or opium- 

 smuggling ones. I remember one opium-smoker 

 had to be forcibly removed from the office, as he 

 refused to be parted from the drugs, that had been 

 confiscated. He presented a terrible picture of 

 distress. Important cases in which Europeans were 

 concerned were generally left to be dealt with by 

 judges from Khartum. In one or two, legal reasons 

 prevented an adjudication. Begged by plaintiffs and 

 defendants to put an end to litigation, I held the 

 scales of justice myself in the rough-and-ready 



