88 H. S. Jarrett — Customs among the Bedouins of the Haurdn. [No. 2, 



man of its owner's relations; these camels are called by them rakh 

 (camel-troop). The leader of the whole expedition is the Shaykh of 

 the tribe, whom all obey. When the whole force is assembled, the Shaykh 

 thus addresses them : " Ride forth, O horsemen, and you, camel-drivers, 

 go to a certain spot and there await the horsemen till they come to 

 you." Upon this the horsemen set forth, making for the enemy's 

 cattle where they may be grazing on the plain, and the camels march to 

 the appointed place and lie in concealment. Let us now turn to the 

 horsemen. 



When they arrive within six or seven hours from the habitations 

 of the enemy, the horsemen lie in ambush in a certain defile. A detach- 

 ment of about ten of them then set out and march on till they 

 near the enemy's tents and lie in ambush during the whole day 

 and night, and in the morning they watch the direction taken by the 

 cattle and the herdsmen to pasture. And as cattle must necessarily be 

 sent with the drover to the plain, as soon as the horsemen on the 

 look-out observe the herd leaving the tents for the pasturage, the 

 detachment make for the ambush of their own people to give them 

 notice that the cattle are moving towards a certain quarter. Upon this 

 the Shaykh rides with the whole of his force after the cattle, having, as 

 they put foot in stirrup, uttered some such words as, ' May Grod 

 provide for our families ! ' When they arrive within an hour's 

 distance of the cattle, they scatter in pursuit and collect all the cattle 

 together and drive them forward in front of their horses. It is not 

 long before the news reaches the owners of the cattle, who mount 

 their horses to save their property from the hands of the enemy. 

 Sometimes the pursuit by these horsemen of those of the enemy con- 

 tinues a whole day or more, until the one body overtakes the other, 

 when the scales of fray and contest are balanced between the two 

 forces. Should the owners of the cattle prevail, they recover the 

 plundered camels and sheep and return with song and chants of victory 

 and triumph and their women come out to meet them an hour's dis- 

 tance from the encampment with dance and paeans of joy. We shall 

 now describe a few incidents of their skirmishes and attacks and the 

 customs they therein observe. When a horseman overtakes another and 

 wounds him with his lance or sword and hurls him from his horse to the 

 ground, the latter calls to his overthrower : ' I am under thy protec- 

 tion ; spare me, as may God spare thee ' The victor then dismounts 

 from his horse and binds his fallen adversary, driving him in foot in 

 front of him after despoiling him of his weapons, and remounting, leads 

 the horse of his captive behind him till he reaches his own people. He 

 then digs a pit in the ground before his tent, about a yard in depth, 



