442 LEARNING AMONG THE BEDOUINS. 



women turned back in the direction towards their 

 own homes, which I did not at the time notice, 

 except that I thought they missed a good market 

 by not visiting the Kafilahs which were in our 

 rear. 



That which astonished me as much as anything 

 during my journey, and which I have omitted to 

 mention before, was the great numbers of Bedouins 

 who had never resided in towns, and who yet were 

 able to read and write Arabic. Several have 

 inscribed their names in my note books. This I 

 considered a curious fact in mankind lore, to find 

 savages so situated as the Dankalli, such adepts in 

 an art so foreign to their pursuits or wants. 



Connected with this knowledge of writing, I 

 observed a circumstance that may afford some 

 solution of the cause, for the different directions in 

 which various nations are accustomed to write. The 

 Dankalli, for instance, inscribe the letters from above 

 downwards, which I attribute, in a great measure, 

 to their resorting generally for practice to the skin of 

 the left fore arm, which, projecting before them, the 

 elbow resting upon the stomach, serves as a tablet, 

 upon which a stunted mimosa thorn acts as a style. 

 The letters are rendered visible by the pale 

 coloured scarf, the erased transparent epidermis, 

 which marks the course of the thorn upon the 

 black skin. When the hand and arm are brought 

 down in a direction across the chest, for the 

 purpose of examining the writing, it is evident 



