NUMBERS OF THE CAMEL. 165 



ler. I borrow from the often quoted journal the 

 following description of one of these quarrels : — 

 " The Arabs were almost constantly at logger- 

 heads among themselves. Their wars were 

 chiefly of words, and it is incredible what a 

 power of lungs they will exhibit on a question 

 of two pence. While with them, we had among 

 our own Bedouins, besides several minor and 

 more informal set-tos and one general meUe in 

 which the belligerents did little but push each 

 other about, one regular duello^ dans les formes, 

 with swords. The dispute was about furnishing 

 camels for the Hawajees, but I did not inquu-e 

 into the precise point of difference. Why should 

 I pester myself with the quarrels of Ethnicks ? 

 Nevertheless, I felt a good deal of interest in the 

 result. I shall tell you why. One of the com- 

 batants had a short-bladed sword, true Damas- 

 cus, with a chased silver hilt, which I had in 

 vain tempted him to sell. But no, it had been 

 his father's, and his father's, and so on back to 

 Adnan, from whom all Bedouins are descended. 

 I hoped that, in a certain event, his adminis- 

 trator would be less scrupulous. The champi- 

 ons were placed in the centre of a ring of Arabs, 

 and when all was ready, ' winked and held out 

 their cold iron.' After a little preliminary flour- 

 ishing, they went at their good work in earnest. 

 They poked, they cut, they thrust, and they 



