8o Bedouin Tribes of the Ettphrates. [en. xix. 



and a fine sight it was. The Mehed camp covers 

 several miles of ground, and the tents are scattered 

 about, in groups of ten or a dozen, at intervals of at 

 least a quarter of a mile, so that it is impossible to 

 make even a guess at the whole number ; but the 

 line of camels extended as far as we could see on 

 either side of us, and the tribe is said to reckon a 

 thousand tents. Jedaan of course rode with us, and, 

 as it was the first day of our visit, a fantasia was per- 

 formed in our honour, much in the same fashion as 

 that to which Faris had treated us, but done with 

 less spirit. There seems to be none of that personal 

 affection for Jedaan among his followers that we 

 found among the Shammar for their Sheykh, and 

 Jedaan himself is moody and pre-occupied. He 

 went through his own part of the performance more 

 as a duty than a pleasure, and it was soon over. I 

 am glad, however, to have seen him ride in it, as he 

 is the most celebrated horseman of the desert, and, 

 mounted as he was to-day on his big horse, he cer- 

 tainly gives one a fine idea of Bedouin j)rowess. 

 His seat on horseback is admirable, a more natural 

 one to Euro^Dcan eyes than that of most Arabs, who 

 generally sit crouched on the very shoulders of their 

 mares. Jedaan on the contrary sits well back, and 

 his legs hang easily from the knee, while his hand 

 seems to be very perfect. He was riding a horse 

 celebrated in the tribe, a powerful four year old of 

 at least fifteen hands, of which we had already heard, 

 and showed it off" admirably, but I was disappointed 



