SOCIAL STATE OF THE ARABS. 323 



with perils, battles, and death. The desert is the 

 genuine theatre of those keen passions depicted in 

 the Arabian tales, and perhaps the Bedouins are the 

 only people in the East that can with justice be en- 

 titled true lovers. While Europeans merely lan- 

 guish and sigh, and while the townsmen compose 

 amorous verses, the Bedouins sometimes cut and 

 slash their arms Avith knives to show the violence 

 of their affections. The pastoral life is favourable 

 to forming acquaintances ; and there are occasions 

 when the youth of both sexes mingle in parties to 

 sing and dance in the open space before or behind 

 the tents. 



The marriage ceremony in general is very simple. 

 — Negotiations commence with the father of the 

 maiden, who usually consults the wishes of his 

 daughter, and if her consent is gained the match 

 takes place. The marriage-day being appointed 

 perhaps five or six days after, the bridegroom comes 

 with a lamb in his arms to the tent of his betrothed, 

 and there cuts the animal's throat before witnesses, 

 and as soon as the blood falls upon the ground the 

 ceremony is regarded as completed. It is accom- 

 panied AA-ith feasting and singing ; all the guests 

 present must eat bread and meat ; for this is a cir- 

 cumstance absolutely necessary on such occasions. 

 The form of betrothing differs in different tribes, 

 sometimes the friend of the lover, holding the girl's 

 father by the hand, merely says before witnesses, 

 " You declare that you give your daughter as wife 



to ." Among the Bedouins of Sinai the father 



of the bride gives to the suitor a twig of a tree or 

 shrub, or something green, which he sticks in his 

 turban and wears for three days, to show that he 

 has taken a virgin in matrimony. The betrothed is 

 seldom made acquainted with the change that is to 

 take place in her condition. On returning home in 

 the evening with the cattle, she is met at a short 

 distance from the camp by her future spouse and a 



