116 THE TROPICAL WORLD. 



of revenge. A fine or compensation for murder is familiar to 

 the barbarians of every age, but in Arabia the kinsmen of the 

 dead are at liberty to accept the atonement, or to exercise with 

 their own hands the law of retaliation. If the offer is deemed 

 unsatisfactory, the homicide and all his kin comprised within 

 the law of vengeance, make their escape to some friendly tribe. 

 A sacred custom allows the fugitives three days and four hours 

 during which their enemies abstain from the pursuit; the exiles 

 are permitted to return as soon as a reconciliation can be 

 effected. The fine for a murdered man varies among the 

 different tribes. Among the Beni-Harb in Hedjaz the price of 

 blood is rated at 800 dollars, or rather that sum imperfectly 

 expressed by live stock. All the blood relations of the slayer 

 assist to make up the required amount, rating each animal at 

 three or four times its proper value. On such occasions violent 

 scenes arise from the conflict of the Arab's two darling passions, 

 avarice and revenge. He longs to cut the foe's throat, but on 

 the other hand he is equally desirous to increase his own 

 possessions. He has always a project of buying a new 

 dromedary, or of investing capital in some promising colt. 

 The consequence is that he is insatiable. Still he receives blood 

 money with a feeling of shame, as a man who has made 

 some sacrifice of duty or fine feeling for the sake of filthy lucre. 

 Hence this mode of arrangement is not common among the 

 more wealthy tribes, and most of the great sheiks would deem 

 themselves dishonoured by compromising in any degree for the 

 slaughter of their relations. The matter being finally settled, 

 a she camel is brought to the tent of the adversary and there 

 killed that blood may be expiated by blood. The parties now 

 reconciled feed upon the flesh of the animal, and at parting the 

 homicide flourishes a white handkerchief on his lance as a public 

 notification that he is free from blood. 



The simple unvaried life of the Bedouin must often 

 cause time to hang heavy on his hands. To relieve this 

 weariness and want of novelty he has recourse to various 

 amusements which serve to fill up his vacant hours. A rover 

 or a warrior, his favourite sports are those that imitate war. 

 Throwing the jereed is a kind of rude tournament, which he 

 frequently practises. This is a blunt spear, made of heavy wood, 

 and about a yard long. The object of the game, in which the 



