THE WANDERING ARAB. 443 



" Saint " or travelling fanatic) descriptive of Bedouin 



life in the Sahara : 



"The wandering Arab is encamped in a vast plain, 

 Around him nothing breaks in upon the silence 

 By day, but the lowing (or moaning) of camels : 

 By night, but the cry of jackals, and of the Angel of death. 



The sun is the hearth before which I warm myself 



The clear light of the moon is my torch. 



The herbs of the earth are my riches. 



The milk of my camels is my sustenance. 



The wool of my sheep is my vesture 



I lie down where the night overtakes me 



My house cannot fall to pieces. 



I am the bird of migratory habits. 



He carries with him no provision 



He does not sow, He does not gather in (harvest) 



God it is that provideth his sustenance. " * 



It would be difficult to convey a better idea of Be- 

 douin life than is portrayed in these lines, recited by 

 one of themselves. 



Their strict views respecting the duties of a host 

 towards his guest and the self-command which is part 

 of the Arab character are admirably illustrated in the 

 following anecdote. The incident occurred in the Sahara 

 Desert, during the stay of a caravan at an Arab town 

 in one of the oases 



" Our host's son, a little boy of seven or eight years of 

 age, had delighted us with his grace and vivacity. His 

 father adored him. In the evening, however, he did not 

 come to supper, and we asked his father to send for him. 



* Le Grand Desert, on Itine'raire cFune caravane de Sahara au pays 

 des Nigres, par Eugene Daumas (French general), Paris 1848, p. 373. 



