Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 1.djvu/348

 276 NORTH-EAST AFRICA. Fauna. The southern part of Dar-For also forms the northern boundary of the forest zone, which, however, thanks to the rains, encroaches towards the north on the basin of the Bahr-el-Arab. Here stretch the dense forests of El-Hallah, frequented by the elephant, rhinoceros, giraffe, and buffalo, which are chased by the Baggara hunters of the Kambanieh or Habanieh tribe. The ostrich, and various species of antelope, are also found in large numbers in the surrounding steppes ; but the plains of the northern provinces are the favourite resort of the ostrich hunters, and the finest feathers are procured from this region. In the vast steppes which intervene between Kordof^ln and Dar-For, the nomad pastors engage twice yearly, before and after the rainy season, in a general battue. All the domestic animals of the tribe, such as the camels, horses and oxen, used as mounts or beasts of burden, are brought into requisition and driven to the hxmting- ground, where the beaters spread out into a circle so as to drive the game towards the entrance of a narrow passage strewn with traps and well guarded at the outlet. Horsemen then fall upon the captive animals and massacre them before they have time to destroy or free themselves from the traps. Occasionally as many as three hundred large animals — antelopes, gnus, and buffaloes — are thus obtained in one day, and the tribe are in this way enabled to pay the arrears of their taxes. In the southern region of Dar-For, the ardha, or white ants, exist in such numerous colonies that whole forests are destroyed by them. In times of want the natives eat these termites, mixed with the fruit of the tamarind. After sunset they light fires before the pyramidal hills of the " white ants," who rush out in thousands, and thus whole boxes are packed with them " like the boxes of currants in Greece." Inhabitants of Dar-For. The race of " pure Forians," as Mohammed the Tunisian called them, occupy the mountainous region in the centre of the country. As far as can be judged by the meagre reports on the tribes that have been studied by travellers, they are Nigritians of a dark brown complexion, the nose flat and the forehead low and receding. They are divided into several groups, of which the most important are the Kimjara, who till recently ruled over the country, and governed Kordofan before the arrival of the Egyptians. Although considered as Nas-el-Belid, or a " stupid people," the Forians have at least this advantage, that they lack the cruelty and avarice of their neighbours. Under their rule the people of Kordofan increased and prospered, whereas they have become impoverished and have decreased since the departure of the Kimjaras. The Kimjara language, which after Arabic is that most generally spoken in Dar-For, is said probably to belong to the Nubian group. But Lepsius has discovered that there ar^ essential differences between the speech of the Nubas and that of the Kunjaras. The Massabat nomads, who are found in the plains between Dar-For and Kordofan, are also said to be of Forian race, although they are now assimilated to