on, Sam," said Frank wearily, "such as that the
Emir was upon when we were captured."

"Oh, I see, sir. Big sort o' savage kind o' murder and burglary,
wholesale, retail, and for exportation, as you may say. When they want
anything they go out and take it?"

"Exactly."

"Hah! That's what old Mr Abraham meant when he said that these Soudan
tribes didn't care about settling down and doing any gardening or
farming, because they could go and help themselves whenever they wanted.
He said they were black locusts who came out of the south."

"He was quite right, Sam," replied Frank, "and you have seen the effect
of their visits; every place is devastated, and the poorer, industrious
people get perfectly disheartened."

"I see, sir. Feel it's no use to get together a bit of a farm and some
pigs, because as soon as the corn's ripe and the pigs are fat these
locusts come and eat the lot."

"You are right as far as the corn is concerned, Sam," said Frank,
smiling; "but I don't think you have seen many pigs since you have been
out here."

"Well, now you come to mention it, sir, I haven't. I was thinking about
it when I saw some of those bits of farm places outside where the slaves
were at work, and it made me think of an uncle of mine who was in that
line of business away in the country--he's a rich farmer now out in Noo
Zealand. I used to go for a holiday to see him sometimes down in
Surrey, and he would say that there was nothing like having a good sow
and a lot of young pigs coming on, different sizes, in your styes, for
they ate up all the refuse and got fat, and you'd always something to
fall back on for your rent, besides having a nice bit of bacon in the
rack for home use. He said he never saw a small farm get on without
pigs. Some one ought to show 'em how to do it out here. But I don't
know what would be the use of fattening up your pigs for the Mahdi chaps
to come and drive them away."

"There is no fear of either, Sam," said Frank, smiling. "These
Mohammedan people look upon the pig as an unclean beast."

"Well, that's true enough, sir; but it is his nature to. He's nasty in
his habits, but he's nice."

"I mean unclean--not fit to eat--a Mohammedan would be considered
defiled by even touching a pig."

"Ho!" said Sam scornfully, "and I suppose killing and murdering and
getting themselves covered with blood makes 'em clean! Unde--what do
you call it?--undefiled. Well, all I can say is that the so