32 TEE SOUDAN. strongly reminds one of Jacob’s curious taste in dressing up Joseph in the same way. While writing this, I was attracted by dogs furi ously barking—evidently a tribal dispute, for from my bedroom window I can just see the boundary of the domain between two tribes of dogs. A small bridge separates them, and a most dreadful growling ensues when one or the other tries to pass the limits. I had hardly believed the many stories that have been told of the way different dogs have to stick to their owners but here I daily see the truth of those reports, and can vouch for their not being exaggerated. Quantities of pigeons, too, fly about. Every village has its pigeon-houses, looking like great mud cones, and in the evening the owners go out and call them in. An amusing instance of the usual Egyptian dishonesty was told me the other day. When a man wants to get hold of extra pigeons, he goes out of an evening, but instead of calling them he frightens the pigeons away. They do not understand this, keep circling above, and swoop down now and then towards their houses. Other pigeons, seeing this commotion, join them, and as soon as the man sees there are enough, he hides. The whole of the birds, old and new, then go into the house, and the man, returning, shuts them in. This would be a fine business if it were not that all of them do the same thing, and therefore each gets caught in his turn. They know this perfectly well, but no Egyptian fellah could resist the tempta tion of cheating his neighbour. My husband has had a great deal to do to-day
