B E £> O 
who were more diminutive, meagre, and fwarthy, than- 
any of tile known Bedouins. 'I heir withered legs were 
only compofed of tendons, and had no calves. Their bel¬ 
lies feemed to cling to their backs, and their hair was friz¬ 
zled ; a Into ft as much as that of the negroes. They on the 
other hand were no lels aftonilhed at every thing they law ; 
they could neither conceive how the houles and minarets 
could (land ereft, nor how men ventured to dwell beneath 
them, and always in the fame (pot; but, above all, they 
were in an ecftacy on beholding the fea, nor could they 
comprehend what that defect of water could be. Wennay 
imagine that the Arabs of the frontiers are not fetch no¬ 
vices ; there arc even feveral (mail tribes.of them, who, 
living in the mid ft of the country, as in the valley ot Be- 
kaa, that of the Jordan, and in Paleftine, approach nearer 
to the condition of the peafants; but thefe are defpifed by 
tlie others, w ho look upon them as baftard Arabs and Ra¬ 
yas, or Haves of the Turks. 
In general, the Bedouins are fmall, meagre, and tawny; 
more fo, however, in the heart of the deleft than on the 
frontiers of the cultivated country : but they are always 
of a darker line than the neighbouring peafants. They 
alfo differ among themfelves in the fame camp; and M. 
Volney remarked, that the fhaiks, that is the rich, and their 
attendants, were alw ays taller and more corpulent than the 
common clafs." He lias feen fome of them above five feet 
five and fix inches high; though in general they do not, 
he fays, exceed five feet two inches'. This difference can 
only be attributed to their food, with which the former are 
(applied more abundantly than the latter. And the ef¬ 
fects of this are equally evident in the Arabian and Turk¬ 
men camels; for thefe latter, dwelling in countries rich 
in forage, are become a fpecies more robuft and fiefhy than 
the former. It may likewife be affirmed, that the lower 
clafs of Bedouins live in a ftate of habitual wretchednefs 
and famine. It will appear almoft incredible to us, but it 
is an undoubted faff, tiiat the quantity of food ufually con- 
fumed by the greateft part of them does not exceed fix 
ounces a day. This abftinence is nioli remarkable among 
the tribes of the Najd and theHedjaz. Six orfeven dates 
foaked in melted butter, a little fweet milk, or curds, ferve 
a man a whole day ; and lie elleems himfelf happy when 
he can add a fmall quantity of coarfe flour or a little ball 
of rice. Meat is referved for the greateft feftivals; and 
they never kill a kid but for a marriage or a funeral. A 
few .wealthy and generous fhaiks alone can kill young ca¬ 
mels, and eat baked rice with their victuals. In times of 
dearth, the vulgar, always half famifhed, do not difdain 
the moft wretched kinds of food ; and eat locufis, rats, li¬ 
zards, and ferpents, broiled on briars. Hence are they 
fuch plunderers of the cultivated lands, and robbers on the 
high roads : hence alfo their delicate conftitution and their 
diminutive and meagre bodies, which are rather adlive 
than vigorous. 
From thefe faffs w'e are by no means juftified in conclu¬ 
ding that the frugality of the Bedouins is a virtue purely 
of choice, or even of climate. The extreme h.eat in which 
they live unqueftionably facilitates their abftinence, by de- 
ftroying that activity which cold gives to the ftomach. 
Their being habituated alfo to fo fparing a diet, by hin¬ 
dering the dilatation of the ftomach, becomes doubtlefs a 
means of their fupporting fuch abftemioufnefs; but the 
chief and primary motive of this habit is with them, as 
w ith the reft of mankind, the neceffity of the circumftan- 
ces in which they are placed, whether from the nature of 
the foil, or that ftate of iociety in which they live. 
It has been already remarked, that the Bedouin Arabs 
are divided into tribes, which conftitute fo many diftinft 
nations. Each of thefe tribes appropriates to itfelf a traff 
of land forming its domain ; in this tiiey do not differ from 
cultivating nations, except that their territory requires a 
greater extent, in order to furnifh fubiiftence for their 
herds throughout the year. Each tribe is colledled in one 
or more camps, which are difperled through the country, 
and which make a fucceflive prog re Is over the whole, in 
Vol. II. Ho. 107. 
u i n s; 
proportion as it is exhaufted by the cattle; hence if is, 
that within a great extent a few (pots only are inhabited, 
which vary from one day to another; but, as the entire 
fpace is neceffary for the annual fubfiftence of the tribe, 
whoever encroaches on it is deemed a violator of proper-, 
ty ; this is with them the law of nations. If, therefore, 
a tribe, or any of its fubjedts, enter upon a foreign terri¬ 
tory, they are treated as enemies and robbers, and a war 
enfues. Now, as ail the tribes have affinities with each 
other by alliances of blood or conventions, leagues are 
formed,_ which render thefe wars more or lef$ general. 
The manner of proceeding on fuch oceafions is very lim- 
ple. The offence made known, they mount their hories 
and feek the enemy ; when they meet, they enter into a 
parley, and the matter is frequently made up ; if not, they 
attack either in (mall bodies, or man to man. They en¬ 
counter each other at full fpeed with fixed lances, which 
they fometimes dart, notwithstanding their length, at the 
flying enemy : the victory is rarely contefted ; it is deci¬ 
ded by the firft (hock, and the vanqui(hed take to flight 
full gallop over the naked plain of the defert. Night ge¬ 
nerally favours their efcape from the conqueror. The 
tribe which has loft the battle ftrikes its tents, removes to 
a diftance by forced marches, and feeks an afylum among 
its allies. The enemy, fatisfied with their fuccefs, drive 
their herds farther on, and the fugitives foon after return 
to their former lituation. But the (laughter made in thefe 
engagements frequently fows the feeds of perpetual diffen- 
fion. The intereft of the common fafety has for ages eftaw 
blifhed a law among them, which decrees that the blood 
of every man who is (lain nmft be avenged on his murder¬ 
er. This vengeance is called tar, or retaliation; and the 
right of exadling it devolves on the neareft of kin to the 
deceafed. So nice are the Arabs on this point of honour, 
that, if any one negledls to feek his retaliation, he is dif- 
graced for ever. He therefore watches every opportunity 
of revenge: if his enemy perifhes from any other caufe, 
(till he is not fatisfied, and his vengeance isdiredled againft 
the neareft relation. Thefe animofities are tranfmitted as 
an inheritance from father to children, and never ceafe 
but by the extindtion of one of the families, unlefs they 
agree to facrifice the criminal, or purchafe the blood for a 
dated price, in money or in flocks. Without this latis- 
fadtion, there is neither peace, nor truce, nor alliances, be¬ 
tween them, nor fometimes even between whole tribes : 
There is blcod between us, fay they on every occafion ; and 
this expreffion is an infurmountable barrier. Such acci¬ 
dents being necellarily numerous in a long courfe of time,, 
the greater part of the tribes have ancient quarrels, and 
live in an habitual ftate of hoffi 1 ity ; which, addud to their 
way of life, renders the Bedouins a military people, tho* 
they have made no great progrefs in the art of war. 
Their camps are formed in a kind of irregular circle, 
compofed of a (ingle row of tents, with greater or lefs in¬ 
tervals. 1 hefe tents, made of goat’s or camel’s hair, are 
black or brown, in which they differ from thofe of thef 
Turkmen, which are white. They are (Iretched on three 
or four pickets, only five or fix feet high, which gives 
them a very Hat appearancej at a diftance one of thefe 
camps feems only like a number of black fpots; but the 
piercing eye of the Bedouin is not to be deceived. Each 
tent inhabited by a family is divided by a curtain into two 
apartments, one of which is appropriated to the women. 
The empty fpace within the large circle ferves to hold 
their cattle every evening. They never have any intrench- 
tnents; their only advanced-guards and patroles are doo-s; " 
their horfes remain faddled and ready to mount on the firft 
alarm; but, as there is neither order nor regularity, theic 
camps, aluays eafy to furprife, afford no defence in cafe of ' 
an attack: -accidents, therefore, very frequently happen, 
and cattle are carried off every day; a fpecies of maraud¬ 
ing war in which the Arabs are very experienced. 
The tribes which live in the vicinity of the Turks are ’ 
dill more accuftomed to attacks and alarms; for thefe ' 
ftrangers, arrogating to themfelves, in right of conqud'ft, ' 
10 G the 
