mounted on a camel standing in readiness to receive them. Early the next day they were delivered over to a second slave-merchant, who sold them to a Turk at Cairo, of whom the European, at whose house I met the elder girl, had bought her. Thus we see, that a hard fate attends these poor blacks everywhere, and that slavery, without the possibility of escape, is almost their certain lot. CHAPTER X. RELIGION. The greater part of the natives of Kordofan profess Islamism, but they are less fanatic than other Mahommedans, probably arising from the fact, that few Christians and no Jews are to be met with in these southern parts, hence there is no cause for religious asperity or hatred. I found, however, as a rule that, with the exception of the Dongolavi, but few adhere strictly to the Koran, and their ideas on articles of faith are quite in their infancy; nor do they trouble themselves much with the various religious ceremonies, and live in a state of utter ignorance, with the exception of believing in one God, and sometimes calling upon their prophet for assistance. There are very few Mosques in the country, and these are only frequented by the Turks and Dongolavi, who are resident there. Thus the Koran is not very strictly followed, but every one lives after that natural species of religion which has been impressed upon his mind, through the medium of his senses of sight, and hearing, under the paternal roof. Hence all manner of heterogeneous opinions and ideas are mixed-up with their faith. They believe in one God, and in addition to him in an evil spirit, and a great deal of heathen superstition is, moreover, jumbled together with their Islamism. A prominent cause of this ignorance is the negligence of the government, which does not institute a sufficient number of schools, for very few of them are to be found among the majority of the tribes. Only a small portion of the natives can read and write, with the exception of the Fakeérs and Tekirs. It is the office of these men to study the Koran, and to communicate what they have read to the people. The former are the school-masters and religious instructers: they write a few sentences from the Koran on a board, and make their scholars copy them. When they have learnt thus much, they are considered sufficiently instructed, leave the school, and before a year is over have forgotten everything again. They also write amulets, with which they frequently deceive the people in the most shameful manner. They ingratiate themselves further into the favour of families, like the clergy of Italy, and when they have once gained a footing, worm out the most trivial secrets, interfere with all the domestic affairs, and have frequently more authority in the house than the master himself. Matches are concocted by them, and, in fact, nothing is undertaken without their advice. The functions of