OUR SERVANT NASSAH. 41 



who are decidedly of negro origin. The word which 

 designates them, in fact, expresses this ; Seedee 

 being derived from the word Assuard, which sig- 

 nifies in the Arabic language, black. His face was 

 nearly triangular, the apex at the chin, the base a 

 long flat forehead, whilst his nose was the exact 

 reverse of this, the apex being between the eyes, 

 and its base below spreading out into two large and 

 fiat-like nostrils, which seemed to repose upon, 

 rather than arise from, his dusky cheeks. His 

 mouth was an awful gap ; but all the deformity of 

 his countenance was more than compensated by 

 the pleasing expression of his humorous looking 

 little eyes, that told of single purposeness, fidelity, 

 and contentment ; and that quiet resignment to cir- 

 cumstances, which was a great characteristic of his 

 manner and mode of expressing himself, "If it 

 please Allah," " Allah has me in his keeping," 

 being favourite replies of his. Tall and erect; 

 his posture graceful without effort, in his well 

 arranged Arab costume his appearance was very 

 picturesque. Always on his guard from any 

 surprise, and proud of his occupation, I could see 

 that he was sincerely attached to his master, Mr. 

 Cruttenden. He acquitted himself very well 

 as a marksman, with the clumsy but handsome 

 matchlock, and was certainly the " magnus Apollo" 

 ctf the black beauties of Tajourah. 



Our rendezvous on occasions of these shooting 

 matches, was generally on the summit of a low 



