XII.] THE CAUCASIC PEOPLES. 473 



the lead in the onward movement of humanity. The Arab again 

 is a fanatic, ever to be feared, because he blindly obeys the will 

 of Allah proclaimed by his prophets, marabouts, and mahdis 1 . 

 But the Berber, a born sceptic, looks askance at theological 

 dogmas : an unconscious philosopher, he is far less of a fatalist 

 than his Semitic neighbour, who associates with Allah countless 

 demons and jins in the government of the world. 



In their physical characters the two races also present some 

 striking contrasts, the Arab having the regular oval brain-cap 

 and face of the true Semite, whereas the Berber head is more 

 angular, less finely moulded, with more prominent cheek bones, 

 shorter and less aquiline nose, which combined with a slight 

 degree of sub-nasal prognathism, imparts to the features coarser 

 and less harmonious outlines. He is at the same time distinctly 

 taller and more muscular, with less uniformity in the colour of 

 the eye and the hair, as might be expected from the numerous 

 elements entering into the constitution of the present Berber 

 populations. 



In the social conflict between the Arab and Berber races, the 

 almost unique spectacle is presented of two nearly equal elements 

 (same origin, same religion, same government, same or analogous 

 tribal groupings, at about the same cultural development) refusing 

 to amalgamate to any great extent, although living in the closest 

 proximity for over a thousand years. In this struggle the Arab 

 seems so far to have had the advantage. Instances of Berberised 

 Arabs occur, but are extremely rare, whereas the Berbers have 

 not only everywhere accepted the Koran, but whole tribes have 

 become assimilated in speech, costume, and usages to the Semitic 

 intruders. It might therefore seem as if the Arab must ultimately 

 prevail. But we are assured by the French observers that in 

 Algeria and Tunisia appearances are fallacious, however the case 

 may stand in Marocco and the Sahara. "The Arab," writes 

 Dr Malbot, to whom I am indebted for some of these details, 

 " an alien in Mauritania, transported to a soil which does not 

 always suit him, so far from thriving tends to disappear, whereas 



1 The Kababish and Baggara tribes, chief mainstays of the late Sudanese 

 revolt, claim to be of unsullied Arab descent with long pedigrees going back to 

 early Muhammadan times. 



