120 
TEAVELS IN CENTEAL AFEICA, 
May Qth. — Reached at noon a long-looked-for and desired 
haven — two important Nouaer villages^ called Aliah ; it was hoped 
that there the larder might be replenished^, as the negroes were 
reported to be friendly. 
These villages were some distance from the west bank. The 
tookuls, numerous and far apart^ solitary delaeb palms^ and syca- 
more trees made picturesque this settlement. The space from the 
river to the villages was low and marshy, and the tracks of the 
hippopotami and buffalo rendered walking difficult ; but Petherick 
was on shore in a moment with his gun, hoping to bag a few birds. 
Presently the two chiefs of their respective villages, attended by 
their body-guard, came down to the Lady of the Nile:^^ all of them 
carried clubs and lances. One chief, with hair dyed red, which 
stood in confusion wild from his forehead, wore a blue calico robe. 
This he carefully tucked under his arms when he seated himself. 
Necklaces of beads and copper bracelets adorned him. He carried 
a pipe with a capacious bowl; the tube is hollowed, one and a 
half inches in diameter : it is crammed with thin fibres of bark, 
like coarse hemp, which, when thoroughly saturated with nicotine, 
is greedily chewed by the men and married women. As a mark 
of respect and friendship, the quid is passed from one to another. 
His face was wrinkled and his eyes were small and twinkling. 
The other chief was very tall and thin, and he seemed an aged 
man. He wore a panther-skin in front of his body, which was sus- 
pended by the tail round his neck. His hair was also red, and he 
was decorated with many bead necklaces. On one arm he wore 
seven bright copper rings ; on the other a massive ivory one, beau- 
tifully polished ; but I doubted if he could easily have removed it, 
as it seemed to compass tightly his muscular arm. These men had 
four of the lower front teeth extracted, as this is considered a mark 
