334 SOCIAL STATE OF THE ARABS. 



can contrive through the aperture to spit upon a 

 man or a child, or receive from their hand the 

 smallest morsel of food, he claims the rights of the 

 dakheil. To obtain his release gives rise to many- 

 adventurous intrigues and ingenious stratagems. 

 His mother or his sister will often enter the camp 

 in the garb of a beggar, or during night, and having 

 put the end of a worsted thread in his mouth, she 

 retires, still unwinding the clew, to some neighbour- 

 ing tent, and places the other end in the hand of the 

 owner, who by this means is guided to the prisoner, 

 and claims him as his " protected." The right of 

 freedom is at once allowed ; the thongs which tied 

 his hair are cut, his fetters are struck off, and he is 

 entertained by the captor as his guest, with all the 

 honours of Arabian hospitality. To avoid paying a 

 ransom, a prisoner will often remain six months 

 under this rigorous custody, always conceahng his 

 real name, and giving himself out for a poor mendi- 

 cant. He is, however, generally recognised, and 

 obliged to purchase his liberty at the expense of all 

 his property in horses, camels, sheep, tents, pro- 

 visions, and baggage. 



Should the robbers fail in their enterprise, and 

 meet, when returning, a hostile party of the tribe 

 they intended to pillage, their declaration, " We 

 have eaten salt in such a tent," is a passport that 

 ensures them a safe journey. 



The Arabs are the most adroit and audacious 

 thieves in the world ; their address, indeed, in this 

 art is proverbial. They spring behind the horse- 

 man, seize him with one hand by the throat, and 

 with the other rifle him of his money. They stole 

 the swords from the sides of the French officers in 

 Egypt, and even purloined clothes and valuable arti- 

 cles from under their heads while sleeping. These 

 acts of rapacity they always palliate by using a soft- 

 ened and delicate language when relating them. 

 Instead of saying, I robbed a man of this or that 



