SOCIAL STATE OF THE ARABS. 317 



in the course of the morning-. Many secret trans- 

 actions are brought to hght by this curious art : an 

 oftender can scarcely hope to escape detection in 

 any clandestine proceeding, as every footstep may 

 be a witness against him, by recording his guilt on 

 the public road, and in characters which he that 

 mns may read. Of their remarkable acuteness in 

 hearing, some wonderful but well-attested anecdotes 

 are told of those who act as pilots in the Red Sea. 

 They know very nearly the time when ships from 

 India arrive ; and going down to the water's edge 

 every night and morning, they lay their ear close to 

 the surface for three or four minutes ; and if the ship 

 is not more than 2 or 2h degrees distant (120 or 150 

 miles) they can hear the report of the signal-gun, 

 or feel the ground shake, upon which they imme- 

 diately set off with their pilot-boat.* 



The Arabs are thoroughly inured to fatigue, and 

 can endure hunger and thirst to a surprising degree. 

 They sometimes travel five days without tasting 

 water, and can discover a brook or a natural spring 

 by examining the soil and plants in the environs. 

 They are dexterous horsemen, swift of foot, expert 

 in handling their arms, and reckoned good marks- 

 men since they became familiar with the use of the 

 musket. Their most common arms are lances, 

 sabres, matchlocks, pistols, and daggers. The shep- 

 herds have slings, with which they throw stones 

 with great precision. The lance is made of wood 

 or bamboo, twelve feet long, with an iron or steel 

 pointed head. Occasionally they are covered with 

 workmanship in gold and silver, but are often with- 

 out any ornament except two balls or tufts of black 

 ostrich-feathers placed near the top. In striking, 



* Captain Newland mentions an instance of a ship which, 

 after firing the morning gun, ran 95 miles by the log ; and when 

 the pilot came on board in the evening, he declared he had heard 

 the signal at sunrise, on the faith of which he had put off witk 

 his boat. — Philosoph. Transact, vol. Ixii. 



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