308 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



ing alrmg like the wind, armed with long 

 lances, enoircling in a gallop the place where 

 they intend to halt, and each individual chooses 

 a particular spot according to his own fancy ; 

 and immediately drives his lance in the ground, 

 and fastens his mare to it as a sign that he 

 will pitch his tent there. Now a great many 

 are coming up, some on Horses, but most on 

 camels, and in the distance a formidable army 

 is seen marching up, pele-mele, very fast. 

 These are the Arabian families and the gross 

 of the tribe, with their tents, baggage, and 

 camels ; some of these animals carrying women 

 or children, others tents and furniture, and an 

 innumerable lot following quickly on foot. 

 Those conveying the families are accoutred 

 accordins: to the wealth of the owner. That 

 of the Cheick, whom I saw, carried a sort of 

 palanquin in the shape of a canoe, placed at 

 length, and open in front to direct the animal, 

 containing three or four women and as many 

 children in a state of nudity. Each family 

 now takes the direction for the lance, which 

 they vvell know, and in a few moments after- 

 wards a town appears to have been built. 

 Naked children are running about and gam- 

 bolling in the water wherever they can find a 

 ditch. 



The camp is pitched without the. least re- 

 gularity, only the tent of the Cheick is in the 

 centre, and distinguished from the others by 

 its larger size ; they are all made of camel or 

 goat skins, without elegance or neatness, 

 fastened by two poles of six feet height. The 

 interior is divided by a carpet, one half for the 

 wcixnen, the other for the men, and to receive 

 sirangers. The furniture consists of a few 

 carpets, straw or reed mats, which serve as a 

 bed, (some of the poorer sleep on the bare 

 earth only covered by a habas,) the most 



necessary utensils for cooking; such as a pot of 

 metal, a large metal or wooden plate, a cup 

 of zinc or wood, out of which they all drink 

 without being cleaned, a coffee-pot of copper, 

 and a cask fabricated of camel skins. 



Their toilette is as simple as their cooking 

 utensils : the men wear a long wide shirt until 

 it actually becomes rotten, nor do they take it 

 off but at night, when they lay on it, only 

 covered by a mechlas of coarse wool ; and go 

 barefooted. The Anaze's Arabs, however, 

 shew a little more elegance : they never leave 

 their tents unarmed ; their weapons consi.st of 

 a sword, a bad gun, and a lance ; or axes, 

 hammers-in fact of anything with ^^hich they 

 may destroy life. 



The women wear a long shift of blue linen, 

 a black veil, drawn in a knot under the nose, 

 and gently falling down on their body ; they 

 often let it fall to shew a large ring drawn 

 throuo-h the rig^ht nostril and fastened with a 

 chain to the temple. 1 hey are fond of shew- 

 ing their lips, painted with blue colour, and 

 they have many figures engraved on the chin, 

 cheek, nose, and neck. They never leave their 

 tents uncovered ; they are above the middle 

 stature, walk nobly and gracefully ; their black 

 eyes are very beautiful, and appear larger as 

 they paint their eyelids ; their nose is well 

 formed, but the remainder of their faces is dis- 

 figured by many different marks. Their hands 

 and arms are always handsome, but their feet 

 are rather wide, never having been compressed 

 by shoes. 



The children walk about naked, the boys 

 only wearing a tightly laced girdle of leather 

 lound their bodies. I inquired after this 

 custom, and was told it rnaae them strong aad 

 last runners, nor did they require so much 

 food : the men also wear this bell. They were 



