might be altered, and after a few days' confinement and
continued threats, the Khalifa was at length graciously pleased to
commute the sentence into confiscation of property. Yusef Kurdi paid
6,000 dollars and Ben en Naga's son 5,000 dollars, while both of them
were kept in prison for many months to expiate their hasty step. With
no less energy did the Khalifa deal with thieves and swindlers.

There are various classes of thieves: there are the pickpockets, whose
field of labour lies principally in the markets, the small bazaars, and
landing-places. They are principally Khartum people or Egyptians, and
their feats of dexterity are marvellous. The removal and cutting out of
purses and money-bags is for them a quite simple operation, and is
generally performed when people are engaged in a violent dispute. The
thief has generally a confederate with whom he works. They will sit in
the crowded ferry-boats, and whilst one of them attracts the attention
of his fellow-passengers by singing or telling an exciting story, the
accomplice is busily engaged in pocket-picking; or sometimes one of them
will begin rocking the boat whilst the other takes advantage of the
passengers' alarm by robbing them. They hover about all day long in the
market, watching their opportunities to steal both from purchasers and
vendors. Stolen goods are sold to a particular set of men who are in
league with the thieves, and the money obtained is quickly squandered.
The art of pocket-picking has become quite a science, and so skilful are
they that detection is almost impossible. The stolen goods are passed on
so readily from hand to hand that even if the original thief is caught
the person robbed will probably never secure what he has lost. Over and
over again thieves are apprehended _in flagrante_, but when brought up
before the judge, no trace of the stolen article is ever found.
Frequently the judge does not fail to get his share of thieves' profits;
so that the latter have every inducement to continue their nefarious
practices.

But far more dangerous than the pickpockets are the housebreakers. Of
the latter there is a regularly organized body, of whom the chief is
known as the Sheikh el Haramieh. The band is made up of strong and bold
slaves, who are experts at breaking through walls or climbing over them,
armed with a long knife, with which they would not fail to stick anyone
who attempted to stop them. They employ women and children as spies, who