244 Proceedings of the Royal Society 
villages and retire ; the main object in war is to kill or capture the 
opposing chief. 
Weapons . — The weapons used by the Fors are spears, hows and 
arrows, throwing knives, swords, a few guns, clubs, shields, stones, 
and two machines for throwing large stones and javelins. Bows 
and arrows are not very much used; the bows are very strong, about 
4 feet long, and are strung with the sinews of animals ; the arrows 
have very varied barbed heads, and are made so that the head shall 
remain in the wound when the arrow is withdrawn ; they have no 
feathers, but are notched for the string, and are ornamented with 
bits of iron wound round them. Six spears make a complete set, 
five of which are light, so as to be easily thrown ; the other is much 
heavier, and is used in hand-to-hand combat. There are many 
different shapes in use, some plain and others barbed. Shields are 
made of bulls’ hide ; they are oval and convex, and from 3 to 5 feet 
long. A wooden rib runs down the centre inside, in the middle of 
which there is a wooden handle, which is grasped by the hand. 
Most of the swords in use are imported ; they are straight, two- 
edged, and used for both cutting and thrusting. The throwing 
knives are curiously curved, and are thrown with unerring aim, as 
are also stones, the latter being much used, especially from heights 
such as occur in the Marah district; they are also thrown with a split 
stick. The machines for throwing heavy stones, and the catapults 
for javelins are well and dexterously made. I do not know when 
they were introduced into the country, but they have been there for 
hundreds of years if tradition be correct. 
Government . — The Fors have had a long hereditary line of despotic 
sultans, the last of whom, Haroun, was killed by the Egyptian troops 
in 1881, after I visited Darfur. Until this time the sultans lived 
in great state, and the Arab tribes who had encroached upon their 
country had been compelled to pay them taxes in order to enjoy 
their protection. Wherever the sultan lived his residence was 
called El Eascher, and it is only since the Egyptians conquered the 
country that El Fascher has become a definite spot. Darfur was 
divided into five large provinces, severally ruled by a high dignitary 
of state, and each of these provinces were subdivided into small 
districts under the management of shartays or local governors. All 
these rulers are hereditary, but the succession goes to the youngest 
