574 LECTURES AND ESSAYS [1880- 



again the Shereef interposed, broke up the force, and 

 recovered the booty. 



Of late the turbulent tribe which has made most noise 

 in the outer world are the Harb, on the Medina road, 

 who, under their leader, Sad, have of recent years so 

 often disturbed the security of the pilgrims. But the 

 most formidable tribe of Central Arabia is certainly the 

 Oteibe, the representatives of the ancient Hawazin. 

 Strictly speaking, the Oteibe are not a tribe, but a con 

 federation of tribes, of whom I can name fourteen. All 

 these tribes acknowledge one supreme judge. They 

 extend from the limits of Taif and the Beheita right 

 through the Nejd to the district of Oneize. They are 

 great robbers, and much feared, but have a better char 

 acter for honour and hospitality than the Harb. Their 

 strength was estimated to me by some informants at 

 60,000 fighting men. But Sheikh Aly Qasim, who was 

 long employed among the tribes round Taif as collector 

 of tithes, assures me that 20,000 would be a fairer estimate. 

 To the south-east of the Oteibe are the Qahtan, a tribe 

 nearly as strong, and hereditary enemies of the Oteibe. 

 All accounts agree that the Qahtan are very savage, but 

 the practice of drinking the blood of their enemies in 

 time of war, with which they are generally credited, 

 is perhaps now obsolete. Mohsin, who knows the East, 

 says that the practice still obtains in a tribe beyond 

 the Qahtan named, if I am not mistaken, the Yam, and 

 he gave me a picture of the single combats of these 

 tribesmen, in which each grasps his adversary, and 

 plunges his dirk into his side, which formed an exact 

 parallel to the scene at the pool of Gibeon in the war 

 between David and Ishbosheth. The Qahtan are not 

 subject to the Shereef, but go with the Aseer, and are 

 reckoned to the race of Yemen. Not much inferior in 

 strength to the Qahtan are the Beeshe, from whose 

 numerous negro slaves a force of irregular horse has long 

 been drawn for the protection of Mecca. Between 



