CAMEL AND DROMEDARY. 183 



fourthly, the horse ; in this there are neither camels nor 

 dromedaries. 



If the heavy caravan contains five hundred elephants, 

 the chief appoints one thousand camels and dromedaries 

 with an escort of four thousand armed men on horseback. 

 This was the ancient apportioning of a caravan, and as 

 the manners of the East have experienced little change, 

 the arrangements which existed in the patriarchal times, 

 are still conformed to with scarcely any variation. 



Each caravan is also provided with a guide, or hybeer, 

 from the Arabic word hubbar, to inform or direct ; and his 

 services are indispensable in traversing the deserts, whether 

 to or from Egypt, along the coast of the Red Sea, or in the 

 western extremities of Africa. He must be a man of some 

 consideration in his tribe, and it is requisite that he should, 

 be acquainted with the situation and properties of all kinds 

 of water, the distances from one well to another, whether 

 occupied or not by hostile tribes, and if so how to avoid 

 them with the least inconvenience. He must also know 

 in what latitudes the terrible simoon or hot wind of the 

 desert is met with, as well as the season of its blowing, and 

 the tracts occupied by moving sands. 



This hybeer generally belongs to some powerful Ara- 

 bian tribe, whose protection he requires in time of danger, 

 or to assist the caravan if necessary. Moses apparently 

 requested Hobab to undertake this office when about to 

 cross the great desert. " And he said unto him, leave us 

 not, I pray thee ; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are 

 to encamp in this wilderness, that thou mayest be unto us 

 instead of eyes. And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, 

 it shall be, that what goodness the Lord shall do unto us, 

 the same will we do unto thee." 



Large and strong camels generally carry a thousand, 

 and even twelve hundred weight ; the smaller only six or 

 seven hundred. In these commercial journeys they do 

 not travel quick ; and as the route is often seven or eight 



