Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 1.djvu/372

 296 NOETH-EAST AFEICA. of trade ; from Khartum in Kordofan to Darf ur they are grouped together in numerous colonies. They also hire themselves out as mercenaries, and in this capacity they were formerly largely employed to make raids into the zeriba region to procure slaves for the dealers. The dialect of the Danaglus differs little from that of the northern Barabras ; but it is much more corrupted by Arabic words, thanks to their commercial relations with this people. The complexion of the Mahas, who occupy both banks of the Nile about the region of the Third Cataract, is darker than that of the Danaglas, and they are usually more boastful, haughty and morose in character ; they look upon themselves as a distinct race. The Kenuzi, the Kens of the ancient inscriptions, inhabit a valley farther north, between Korosko and the First Cataract. The pastoral peoples, who enclose the Nubian peasants on both sides of their narrow Nilotic valley, all call themselves Arabs, whatsoever their origin may be. Their language is that of the Prophet, which becomes yearly more universally spoken. The name they apply to the Nubians, in its true sense recalling the ancient term of " barbarians," is said to signify " embarrassed, constrained, speaking with difficulty." These pastoral peoples nowhere intermingle with the Nubian peasantry ; they have their own villages, feast-days, and national dress, and nearly all of them go bareheaded. The Bisharin. The most characteristic representatives of these Nubian " Arabs," and of those constituting the most numerous group of tribes, are the Bisharin, who are pre- eminently Bejas, and whose name, slightly modified, may probably be that of the whole race. These Bejas are usually estimated at 200,000 persons. The Bisharin rarely attain a great height, but they are extremely shrewd, and although thin and sinewy, are well proportioned. Their complexion differs greatly from that of the Nigritian peoples, and excepting in those families that have been modified by crossings, does not present any blackish tinge. Their colour is more of a red, like that of the American Indian, and amongst the women, who are under cover of the tent, differs little from that of the Calabrian and Sicilian peasant-women. The youths are so slender and graceful in form that they might easily be taken for young girls. During their prime the features of the Bisharin are regular and slightly angular ; the nose is straight and shapely ; the skin, always healthy and clean, appears as if stretched over their hollow cheeks, and on smiling, a glimpse is obtained of their pure ivory teeth, whitened by the continual mastication of the bark of the arak, an evergreen tree found in abundance near Dongola. They never smoke. Old age comes upon them rapidly, fatigue, misery, hunger and thirst quickly changing their appearance. The eye is bright but half shut, which is caused by their custom of half closing the lid to evade the blinding light reflected from the sands.