THE ACUTENESS OF THE NOMADIC ARABS. 107 



phlegmatic. They are not seldom subject to attacks of melan- 

 choly, which make them dislike the sound of the human voice 

 and long for solitude. 



From living constantly in the open air, the nomadic Arabs 

 acquire a remarkable acuteness in all their senses. Their 

 powers of vision and of hearing improve by continual exercise, 

 and as their piercing eye sweeps over the desert it distinguishes 

 objects at an incredible distance. Their sense of smelling, 

 too, is extremely nice. Tfcse true Bedouin, when in the 

 tainted atmosphere of towns, is all ways known by bits of cotton 

 in his nostrils, or his kerchief tightly drawn over his nose, a 

 heavy frown marking exti'eme ^disgust. Declining the shelter 

 of a house when business calls him to visit crowded cities, he 

 passes the night in a garden or public square, rather than 

 breathe the confined air of an apartment. One of his most 

 singular faculties is the power of distinguishing the footsteps 

 of men and beasts on the sand, in the same manner as the 

 American Indians discover impressions made upon the grass. 

 From inspecting the footsteps, an Arab can tell whether the 

 individual belonged 'to his own or some neighbouring tribe, 

 and is thus able -to judge whether he be a stranger or a friend. 

 He likewise knows fi*om the fain-tness or depth of the impression 

 whether the person carried a load or not, whether he passed the 

 same day or several days befoa'e. From examining the intervals 

 between the steps, he judges whether or not he w^as fatigued, 

 as the pace becomes then more irregular and the intervals 

 unequal, hence he calculates the chances of overtaking him. 

 Every Arab can disting'-ui-sh the footmarks of his own camels 

 from those of his neighbours ; he knows whether the animal 

 was pasturing or loaded, or mounted by one or more persons ; 

 and can often discover from marks in the sand certain defects 

 or pecidiarities -of formation that serve him as a clue to ascer- 

 tain the owner. This sagacity, 'wihich enables the Arab to 

 read in the sands of .the desert as in a printed volume, becomes 

 extremely useful in tthe pursuit of fugitives, or in searching 

 after stolen cattle. Instances occur of camels being traced by 

 their masters to the residence of the thief at the distance of 

 five or six days' journey ; and, incredible as it may seen, a Bedouin 

 shepherd can track his own camel in a sandy valley, when 



