SYRIAN BEDOUINS 345 



to be made under escort of a Bedouin, as a species of 

 backsheesh to these wild tribes, while to go beyond the 

 Jordan necessitates as complicated a previous diplomatic 

 negotiation with the sheiks through whose territory you 

 desire to pass as the transfer of a European province. 

 You cannot deal with one ; all the tribes are at war, or, 

 at least, in a state of armed neutrality ; but you may deal 

 through one with the rest. After you get into their 

 midst you are handed from one tribal limit to another 

 with as much ceremony as if you were a distinguished 

 State prisoner which, indeed, you are. There is no risk 

 to your life, unless you should fall in with warring tribes, 

 and then little; but you do well to carry no valuables. 

 Having made your trade and agreed as to backsheesh, 

 the payment of the half of which you are generally ad- 

 vised to reserve to the end, you may commit yourself con- 

 fidently to your swarthy-skinned guides. Particularly if 

 you are fond of horses will you excite their sympathy. 

 Many is the suspicious-looking Arab who has hailed me 

 as a brother, because out of two horses I instinctively 

 picked one with the better points. Many is the fraternal 

 embrace I have been fain to submit to. But all this apart. 

 I am not writing a book of travels. 



The Syrian Bedouin is in some respects a better type 

 of man than the Arab of Africa. To begin with, he has 

 more respect for his women. No traveller sees anything 

 of an Arab's household ; it is discourteous, and not always 

 safe to refer to his wives. When I was visiting my friend 

 the caliph not of Bagdad, but of M'Kalta I was much 

 tempted to ask some questions as to his family. The Ko- 

 ran allows him four wives how many he has I know not. 

 His two sons, one fourteen and one eight years old, I 

 saw a number of times ; he was proud to introduce them 

 to me. On several occasions a couple of little girls, who 



