384 ENCAMPMENT OF BAGAKA CAVALKY. 
of three hundred soldiers, foot and horse, formed a 
picturesque encampment under some beautiful large 
soonud trees — Acacia Arabica. The Bagara Arab 
horsemen reminded me of the wandering tribes we 
read of in the Bible ; the listless way all walked about in 
their long gowns, the docility of their pony horses, the 
Oriental-like saddles, the women grinding corn, all 
camped so close together looking in amazement at the 
white men, wondering where we could have dropped 
from, and smiling as we walked amongst them. These 
boats had been two months on the voyage from Khar- 
toom, and had been joined on the route by upwards 
of a hundred Bagara cavalry, who with fifty camels 
travelled by land, keeping pace with the fleet. The 
Bagara wear no covering on their heads; their hair is 
straight, black, and silky, worn off the face in long 
broad plaits pinned flat down behind. Their horses, 
though small and thin, were well cared for, having no 
galled backs, as might be supposed on looking at their 
awkward-shaped saddles. With these animals, and 
their long -handed, broad -bladed, glistening spears, 
wonderful feats are said to be performed by them in 
elephant-hunting, although no guns are used. At night, 
their camp was guarded by sentinels, who called out at 
intervals, instead of our custom of going the rounds. 
Music was indulged in to a late hour by incessant beat- 
ing on drums. An interesting funeral scene took place 
in this camp, on occasion of the death of one of the 
Khartoom natives. The body, veiled in white linen, 
was laid on the brink of a grave, and a line of well- 
dressed Arabs stood over it reading prayers from a, slip 
of paper held in their hands, all in the most devout 
and solemn manner. 
