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e'fcape punifhment, and the law of retaliation would b? in 

 force. His fiibjefts, haraflTed bj fcverity, would abandon 

 him, and join another tribe ; his own relation? would depofe 

 him, and advance themfelves to his ftation. The dignity of 

 fcheik is hereditary, but not confined to the order of pri- 

 mogenitnre ; the petty fcheiks, who form the hereditary nobi- 

 lity, chufe the grand fcheik out of the reigning family, with- 

 out conlidering his immediate relation to his predeceffor. 

 I>ittle or no revenue is paid to the grand fcheik. In faft, 

 the principal fcheik in eveiy tribe defrays the charges of all 

 vlio arrive at or leave the camp. His rank fubjefts him to 

 great expence by the entertainment of his allies, and of the 

 principal men, who affemble to deliberate concerning en- 

 campments and removals, peace and v,-ar, and the litigations 

 between individuals. To thcfe he mull give coffee, bread 

 baked on the alhes, rice, and fometimes roalkd kid or ca- 

 mel. In a word, he mull keep open table. On hisgenero- 

 fity depend his credit and his power. To provide for thefe 

 expenccs, the Icbeik has nothing but his herds, a few fpots of 

 cultivated ground, the profits ot his plunder, and the tribute 

 he levies on tlic high roads, the total of which is very iiicon- 

 fiderable. The moll powerful fcheiks among the Etdo- 

 wecns, though fometines denominated princes and lords, 

 may be compared ti. fubllantial farmers, whole fimplicity 

 they rcfemble in their drefs, as well as in their domellic life 

 and manners. A fcheik, who has the command of 500 

 horfe, does not dildain to faddle and bridle his own, nor 

 to give him his barley and chopped llraw. In his tent, his 

 wife makes the coffee, kneads the dough, and fuperintends 

 the dreffing of the vicluals. His daughters and kinfwomen 

 wafh the linen, and go with pitchers on their heads, and 

 veils over their faces, to draw water from the fountain. 

 Thefe manners agree precifely with the dcfcription= in Ho- 

 mer, and the hiilory of Abraham in the book of Gene- 

 fis. 



The fimplicity, or rather poverty of the lower clafs of 

 the Bedowtens, correfponds to that of their chiefs. The 

 whole wealth of a family coufills of moveables, of which 

 . the following is a pretty exaft inventor)'. A few male 

 and female camels, fome goats and poultry, a mare with 

 her bridle and faddle, a tent, a lance 16 feet long, a 

 crooked fabre, a rnfty muflcet, will' a flint or matchlock, 

 a pipe, a portable mill, a pot for cooking, a leathern 

 bucket, a fmall coffee-roaflrr, a ftraw mat, which ferves 

 equally for a feat, a tabic, and a bed, fome clothes, which 

 are put np in leather bugs hung up in their tents, a 

 mantle of black woollen, and a few glafs or filver rings 

 ■which the women wear upon their legs and arms. But 

 the principal and moll important article in the pofleflion 

 of a Bedoween is his mare, which ferres in making his 

 excurfions againll hollile tribes, or feeking plunder in the 

 country or on the highways. The mare is preferred to 

 the horfe, becaufe, as Volnev, Chenier, and others fay, 

 (he does not neigh, is more docitt, and yields milk, which 

 occafionally fatistits the thirft, and even the hun^^er of her 

 mafler. 



The Bedoweens of the defert preferve their butter in a 

 leathern bag ; and their water in goat (Icins. Their health 

 confills of a hole made in the ground, and laid with Hones ; 

 inflead of an oven they ufe an iron plate in preparing 

 their bread, which is raade into fmall cakes. In their 

 excurfions, they carry with them a fupply of meal, and 

 their other provifions are dates, milk, checfe, and honey. 

 They are drefled much like thsir brethren in Egypt, ex- 

 cept that they wear fhocs of undrefled leather, and of a 

 peculiar fhape ; and that many of them walk bart-footcJ 

 ever the fcorching fand, which renders their Skin at length 



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infenfible. Their women appear Icfs (hy and fcnipulons 

 than the other femaL-s of the ea(l, converfe more freely 

 with (Irangers, and expofe themfelves with their faces un- 

 veiled. 



The arts of the Arabs, whofe wants are few, confix in 

 weaving their clumfy tents, and in making mats and but- 

 ter. Their whole commerce only extends to the exchang- 

 ing of camels, kids, ftallions, and milk, for arms, cloth- 

 ing, a little rice or cotton, and moiiey, which they bury. 

 They are totally ignoiant of all fcience, and have not 

 even any idea of afirononiy, geometry, or medicine. Thty 

 have not a fmgle book ; and nothing is fo uncommon 

 among the fcheiks as to know how to read. Their whole 

 literature confills in reciting tales and hiRorics, in the 

 manner of the Arabian Nights Entertainments. For fuch 

 florics they liave a peculiar paffion ; and in the evening they 

 feat themfelves on the ground, at the door of their tents, 

 or u-idcr cover, if it be cold, and there, ranged in a circle, 

 lound a fmall fire cf dung, with thfir pipes in their mouths 

 and their legs croffed, after indulging for fome time filent 

 meditation, they amufe themfelves with the recital of tales 

 of this kind. They have hkeivife, befides their love-ftories, 

 their love-fongs, which have in them more nature and fenti- 

 ment than thofe of the Turks and the inhabitants of the 

 towns. 



It has been obfervcd, that the Bedoweens, though their con- 

 dition in the depths of the defert rcfembl^s, in many refpedla, 

 that of the favages of America, have not the fame ferocity. 

 So that, accuftomed to endure hunger, they have never been 

 addiftedto the pvaftice of eating human ficlh ; and their man- 

 ners are in general much morefociable and mild. Volney attri- 

 butes this difference of manners to the difference of their fitua- 

 t ion. The American favages have been induced by the nature of 

 their country' to become hunters rather than fliepherds ; and 

 their habits have contributed to produce and cherifh a fero- 

 city of charafter. But the Bedoweens, v^hofe naked plains, 

 without water or forells, are dellitute of fifh or game, and 

 poffcffmg the camel, have been determined to a padoral life, 

 and hence they have acquired manners which have influenced 

 their whole charafter. Finding at hand a light, but con- 

 (lant and fuiScient nourifhment, they have acquired the ha- 

 bit of frugality. Content with the milk of the camel and 

 dates, they have not defired flclh ; they have (hed no blood ; 

 their hand's are not accullomed to (laughter ; nor their ears 

 to the cries of fuffcring creatures, and they have prefei-vcd a 

 fenfible and humane heart. Neverthckfs, when the Arab 

 (hepherd became acquainted with the ufe of the horfe, his 

 mcde of life was conudcrably changed. The facility of 

 paffmg over extenfive trafts of country rendered him a wan- 

 derer. He became greedy from want, and a robber from 

 greedinefs : and fuch is his prefent charatler. A plunderer 

 rather than a warrior, the Arab poffcffts no fanguinary cou- 

 rage ; he attacks only to defpoil ; and if he meets with re- 

 fillancc, never thinks a fniall booty is to be put in competition 

 with his life. To irritate him, you mud (hed his blood ; 

 and then he is found to be as obilinate in his vengeance as 

 he was cautious in avoiding danger. The fpirit of rapine, 

 with which the Arabs have been often reproached, is excr- 

 cifed only towards reputed enemies, and is accordingly 

 founded on the acknowledged laws of almoft all nations. 

 Among themfelves they arc remarkable for a good faith, a 

 difinterelledncfs, and a generofity, which would do honour 

 to the moll civilized people. What can be more noble than 

 the right of afylum fo refpedled among all the tribes ? A 

 ftranger, nay even an enemy, touches the tent of the Bedo- 

 ween, andirom that indant his perfon becomes inviolable. It 

 would be reckoned a difgraceful meannefs, an indelible ilmme, 

 O z u> 



