THE SOCIAL LIFE OF THE ARAB. 



117 



players evince the most astonishing dexterity, is for one party 

 to pursue, and the other to fly, and try to elude being struck 

 by the weapon. Sometimes they amuse themselves with sham 

 fights ; and nothing can be more picturesque, than to see a group 

 of these wild men huddled together in the greatest apparent 

 confusion, with drawn swords and couched lances. 



The more domestic pastimes are chess, draughts, dancing, 

 singing, the reciting of poetry and story-telling, for which they 

 have a singular passion. Captain Burton, who witnessed one of 

 their war dances, describes it as wild in the extreme, resembling 

 rather the hopping of bears than the inspirations of Terpsichore. 

 The dancers raised both arms high above their heads, brandish- 

 ing a dagger or some other small weapon. They followed each 

 other by hops on one or both feet ; sometimes indulging in the 

 most demented leaps, whilst the by-standers accompanied them 

 with clapping of hands and various motions of the body. There 

 is a species of song, common all over the desert, in which the 

 youths of both sexes join in the chorus. It is called the mesamevy 

 and is the only opportunity which the lover has of serenading his 



■mistress ; the verses are often composed extempore, and relate, 

 of course, to the beauty and qualities of the beloved object, who 

 is sometimes apostrophized in epithets that sound rather oddly 



[to European ears : ' Grhalia ! if my father were a jackass, I 

 /"ould sell him to purchase Ghalia.' 



During their long marches through the desert, the Bedouins 

 likewise have recourse to singing, both to enliven their camels, 

 for it is well known that that animal never moves with so much 

 ;ase as when he hears his master sing, and to while away the 

 tediousness of the road. Monotonous and droning a* it is, their 



[song has yet an artless plaintiveness which admirably suits the 

 singer and the scenery. If you listen to the words you will 

 mrely hear allusions to briglit verdure, cool shades, bubbling 

 rills, or something which the son of the desert hath not, and yet 

 ?hich his soul desires. A common entertainment among the 

 Jedouins, is the reciting of tales after the manner of the 

 Arabian Nights,' those enchanting fictions which rival even 

 Robinson Crusoe' in the affections of childhood. Assembled 

 ifter a tedious march round the blazing fire which cooks their 

 fimpie meal of dhourra or sour camel's milk and flovir, and 

 [uaffing the soothing fumes of tobacco, they learn to forget 



