SIIILLOOK. 
73 
Anthropophagi or Men-Eaters. 
Garcilasso-DE-la-Vega mentions a people in Peru, who made 
eunuchs of their children by their female captives, in order to fatten 
them for the table ; and when the mothers could breed no more, they 
shared the same fate : and Herrera speaks of the markets in China, 
as being regularly supplied with human flesh, which was considered 
as a delicacy, and only fitted for the rich. The history of Milan 
furnishes an extraordinary instance of Anthropophagia. A woman 
was broken on the wheel, and burnt in that town, in the year 1519, 
whose crime was a long continued practice of enticing children into 
her house, whom she killed and salted. 
Shillook. 
This is the name of the inhabitants of Sennaar, a country of Africa. 
This country, together with all the northern part of Africa, had been 
over-run by the Saracens during the rapid conquests of the Khalifs ; but 
instead of erecting any distinct principalities here, as in other parts, 
they had incorporated themselves with the original inhabitants called 
shepherds, whom they found at their arrival, and had converted them 
to their religion, and become one people with them. In 1504 the 
Shillook, a people before unknown, came from the western banks of 
the river Bahiar el Abiad, which runs into the Nile, and conquered 
the country, allowing the Arabs, however, to retain their possessions 
on condition of paying them a certain tribute. These founded the 
city of Sennaar, and have ever since continued to carry on a com- 
mercial intercourse with Egypt. At the establishment of their monar- 
chy the whole nation were Pagans, but soon after became converts to 
Mahometanism, and took the name ofFuuge, an appellation signifying 
lords or conquerors, and likewise free citizens. 
Mr. Bruce, who passed through this country in his return from 
Abyssinia, gives a list of twenty kings who have reigned in it since 
the conquest of the Shillook. This country is inhabited by a people 
so barbarous and brutish, that no history of them can be expected. 
One of the most remarkable of their customs is, that the king ascends 
the throne with the expectation of being murdered whenever the 
general council of the nation thinks proper. The dreadful office of 
executioner belongs to one single officer, styled, in the language of 
the country, Sid el Coom, and who is always a relation of the monarch 
himself. It was from his registers that Mr. Bruce took the list of the 
kings already mentioned,^ with the number of years they reigned, and 
which may therefore be received as authentic. 
The Sid el Coom, in office at he time when Mr. Bruce visited this 
country, was named Achmet, and was one of his best friends. He had 
murdered the late king with three of his sons, one of whom was an 
infant at his mother’s breast ; he was also in daily expectation of per- 
forming the same office to the reigning sovereign. He was by ho 
means reserved concerning the nature of his office. When asked by 
Mr. Bruce, why he murdered his young son in his father’s presence I 
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