CHAPTER XXII. 
THE ARAB STORY-TELLER. 
This is, among his countrymen, a most important character. 
Every body who has traveled through Egypt or Syria, will bear 
witness that the accompanying pencil-sketch is a faithful repre> 
sentation of the class. The old gen¬ 
tleman whose name is attached to 
it lives in the neighborhood of Bei¬ 
rut. He is called Ben-Hozain, the 
King of Talkers. The handwrit¬ 
ing is his own; and you will admit 
that the name looks as much like 
Ben-Hozain as it does like Benja¬ 
min Huggins, of which I think it 
must be a corruption. Ben is con¬ 
spicuous chiefly for the length of 
his mustache. His tongue is long, 
but his mustache is a good deal 
longer ; in fact, it is such a mus¬ 
tache as any Arab in Syria, how¬ 
ever distinguished, might be proud 
to swear by. It is to be regretted 
that people should swear at all; but if they will swear, it 
is better they should be profane on the subject of beards or 
mustaches, than on matters of higher import. By profession 
and inclination Ben-Hozain is a story-teller. I do not mean 
to say that he is given to willful lying, or to any malicious 
misrepresentation of facts ; but the business of his life is to 
entertain the public of Beirut with traditional romances of 
the country. Where people read but little, they make up 
