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Rh Arabs came into the land some of them took to the plains inland, and continued their wild wandering idle style of life—half predatory, half pastoral; others took up their abode on the coast, became more mingled with the people of other sea-faring tribes, built towns, and came at last to be known as Mauri or Moors, from which the part of the land they dwelt in was known of old by the name of Mauritania.

"But the aborigines," continued Lucien—

"The abor-what? sir," asked Flaggan, removing his pipe.

"The aborigines—the original inhabitants of the land—"

"Ah, I see, sir," returned Ted; "them as wos at the werry beginnin', just arter Adam and Eve like; 'zactly so—fire away!"

"Well, I'm not quite sure," replied Lucien, with a laugh, "that they came here immediately after the time of Adam, but at all events they came before the time of an authentic history, for our earliest historians record the fact that before any other nation invaded the northern shores of Africa, the country was in possession of a very warlike race, who, although overcome and driven from the plains by the more civilized and better-armed nations that successively attacked them, remained in the fastnesses of the Atlas Mountains absolutely unconquerable,