1 88 CHARACTER OF THE SHELLUHR. oh. viu, 



the Moors and Arabs, are the prevailing types. The hair 

 is cut short, and the use of the turban seems to be con- 

 fined to the women. The men, when they use an upper 

 garment, wear a black cloak or large cape of goat's hair or 

 camel's hair, into which is inserted on the back an angular 

 patch of red woollen stuff. Their character seems even 

 more different from the Arab type than their aspect. 

 The Arab hates work, takes to it occasionally from neces- 

 sity, but passes his time so far as he can between talk, 

 story-telling, and song, and dreamy contemplation, in 

 which he is helped by the habitual use of Jdef, prepared 

 from Indian hemp, the local substitute for tobacco. The 

 Shelluh, on the contrary, is active and hardworking. He 

 has some natural fitness and acquired skill in agricul- 

 ture. His intelligence is readier for all practical pur- 

 poses ; and, in spite of difSoulties of language, which 

 generally involved a double process of interpreting be- 

 tween us and the natives, we found it much easier to 

 obtain information on any matter of intsrest than from 

 the Arabs. Intense curiosity was always shown by them in 

 our proceedings, and a circle of people from the nearest 

 village, standing hand-in-hand, generally encompassed our 

 camp. 



During the morning Maw amused and interested the 

 people by showing a little practice with a small English 

 rifle. The long flint-lock guns and bad gunpowder used 

 in this country form such ineffective weapons that the 

 people cannot conceive the possibility of every shot telling. 

 This accounts for the fact that in the frequent skirmishes 

 that arise between neighbouring tribes so little damage 

 is usually done. Several hundred men may spend the 

 day in firing at each other ; a vast quantity of ammunition 

 may be consumed ; but the list of casualties on both sides 

 seldom exceeds half a dozen killed and wounded. 



At 11 A.M. we left our camping ground, and began to 

 ascend the valley, soon approaching the banks of the 

 stream, which was everywhere easily fordable. In places 



