So we have learned something about the people who live in the North of
Africa. In Egypt, the land of the great River Nile, the people can
grow rich and prosperous. They have time to learn, but, except the
Copts, many of whom are goldsmiths, they seem to have quite forgotten
how to make the beautiful things the old Egyptians made. In the
desert, the Sahara, there is little water, and life is very hard. All
day people must work to get enough for food and clothes. It is a land
without a king and without laws, where each must fight for himself.
Yet these people, on their long journeys through the waterless waste,
have learned to be very brave and fearless and strong. They are
patient, and endure great hardships without grumbling. They love
music, and often sing as they ride over the silent sand. In the
evening they gather round the fire to tell stories of what happened
long ago. The people of North Africa are all Arabs or Egyptians or
Berbers, with olive complexions and smooth, dark hair as a rule. Next
we shall read about the very dark-skinned races who live farther
south, in Central Africa, where the sun is much hotter.
IV
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UGANDA, AN AFRICAN KINGDOM