CHAPTER XIX.

SOCIAL LIFE AT OMDURMAN.

System of public security and justice in Omdurman--The court of small causes--Bribery and corruption--The story of the slave and her mistress--How the Khalifa deals with quarrelsome persons--Thieves and pickpockets-- The story of Zogheir--Usurers and their trade--The chief of police--Brigandage--Disproportion of males to females in Omdurman--How the Khalifa overcame the difficulty-- Immorality--The marriage ceremony 328