AND LOWER EGYPT. 285 



clothes of the passengers, with an attention truly 

 curious, and much more interesting than the solici- 

 tude of the silly Mussulman to keep the skirt of 

 his robe out of the animals' way. They even keep 

 watch for the security of their executioners ; they 

 are the terror of thieves in the night-time ; on the 

 quays, in boats, in the woods, and in the interior 

 of cities, all kinds of merchandise are confided to 

 their vigilance. An admirable instinct, a native pro- 

 pensity to be useful to man, excites them to under- 

 take an oversight which no one imposes on them, 

 nor so much as indicates to them, and it would be 

 impossible to approach a deposite surrounded by 

 those spontaneous guardians. But what is no less 

 singular is, that those dogs do not remove from the 

 quarter in which they were born ; they form them- 

 selves into separate tribes, which have limits that 

 they never transgress ; one that should pass from 

 onequarter to another, would be presently assaulted 

 by the whole cohort, in respect of which he would 

 be an intruder, and could with difficulty escape. 



The Bedouins, who, at all points, are less super- 

 stitious than the Turks, have a breed of very tall 

 greyhounds, which likewise mount guard around 

 their tents; but they take great care of these use- 

 ful servants, and have such an affection for them, 

 that to kill the dog of a Bedouin would be to en- 

 danger your own life. 



4 With 



