X. 



ARABIAN HORSES. 



THERE is no other race in the world by whom 

 good birth is valued so highly as it is by the 

 Bedouins of Arabia. And yet in their form of gov- 

 ernment these nomadic clans are the most democratic 

 of people. Every Arab finds himself the member of 

 a tribe, but if he chooses to leave it, he can do so 

 without let or hindrance. He may take refuge with 

 strangers, or pitch his tent in solitude and isolation. 

 Even when the majority determine upon war or upon 

 some warlike expedition, the minority are not obliged, 

 either by law or by public opinion, to join with their 

 fellows. They stay at home, if they prefer, without 

 discredit. Each tribe has a leader, a sheikh, elected 

 by universal suffrage, but his authority is very lim- 

 ited, and his commands are enforceable only so far 



