ISl 1.] Sketch of the present State of Palestine and Arabia, 437 
nation. The Arabs, wherever I saw 
them,, in Judea, in Egypt, and even in 
Barhary, appeared to me rather of a lofcy 
than of a small stature. Their port is 
erect and ijaughty: their frame well pro¬ 
portioned and extremely agile. The 
form of their head is oval; the forehead 
high and arched; the nose aquiline; the 
eyes large, and the countenance singu¬ 
larly mild and conciliatory. While the 
mouth remains shut, there is nothing 
about them to indicate the savage; but 
as soon as they begin to speak, ymu per¬ 
ceive a set of long pointed teeth exqui¬ 
sitely white like those of the ounce, and 
hear a harsh rough language very strongly 
aspirated; they are strikingly contrasted 
in this respect with the American Indian, 
whose' ferocity is in his look, and whose 
token of humanity is in his mouth. 
The Arabian women are rather taller 
in proportion than the men. Their car¬ 
riage is truly noble; the regularity of 
their features, the symmetrical elegance 
of their forms, and the disposition of 
their veils, remind you somewhat of the 
statues of the Muses, and the Vestals. 
We encountered three of them in tlie 
mountains of Judea, who carried vases 
full of water on their heads, and gave 
our horses drink. Were not such the 
daughters of Laban and of the Midian- 
ites? All this, however, is to be under¬ 
stood with some qualification. The 
drapery of these fine statues is often but 
a collection of rags: these symmetrical 
forms are disfigured by an aspect of 
wretchedness and of suffering; and, to 
produce the impressions wliich we liave 
just described, they must be vievved at a 
distance. 
Most of the Arabs wear a tunic fas¬ 
tened round the waist with a girdle. 
They go barefoot, and are armed with a 
poniard and a lance, or \vith a long gun. 
The tribes journey in caravans, and their 
camels are made to march in a single 
file, The latter have a leader, and the 
animal is tied by a long cord to the neck 
©f a mule that guides the herd, and, as 
chief of the expedition, is privileged 
from burdens, and enjoys various otiher 
immunities: among rich tribes the ca¬ 
mels are decorated with trappings and 
feathers. 
The Arabian mares are treated ac¬ 
cording to the nobility of their lineage, 
with more or less distinction, but always 
with the utmost rigor. The horses of 
the Arabs are never suffered to stand in 
shade; but asQ left exposed tg tlie 
most intense heat of the sun, and are 
tied by the hind and fore-legs to stakes 
driven in the earth, so as to deprive them 
of tlie power of motion. It sometimes 
ha|)pens that they drink but once, and 
eat but a small quantity of barley, in the 
course of the twenty-four hours, d'his 
severe discipline, so far from dispiriting 
or weakening them, tends to render them 
more patient of fatigue, as well as more 
fleet and tractable. I have often 
gazed with admiration upon an Arabian 
horse, chained thus in the burning sand, 
with his mane dishevelled, his head 
thrust between his legs in search of 
shade, and bis fierce eye fixed obliquely 
upon his master. But the moment his 
feet are released from their fetters, and 
the owner leaps upon his back, you re¬ 
cognise the horse of Job.” “ Fervens 
et fremens sorbet terrain ; uhi audlerU 
huccinum, dicil vah /” 
All that has been related concerning 
the passion for tales which distinguislies 
the Arabs, is literally true. We shall 
mention an instance that fell under our 
owm observation. During the night 
which we passed on the shore of the 
Dead Sea, we observed dur Bethlehe- 
mites seated around a large fire, witli 
their guns laid near them on the ground, 
while their horses, fastened to stakes, 
formed a kind of circle about them. 
These Arabs, after having taken their 
coffee, and conversed fur some time with 
great earnestness and with their usual 
loquacity, observed a strict silence when 
the sheik began his tale. We could, by 
the light of the fire, distinguish his sig¬ 
nificative gestures, liis black beard, 
his white teeth, and the various plaits 
and positions which he gave to his tunic 
during the recital. His. companions 
listened to him with the most profound 
attention; all of them with their bodies 
bent forward, and their faces over the 
flame, alternately sending forth shouts of 
admiration, and repeating, with great 
emphasis, the gestures of ilie historian. 
The heads of some few of their horses 
and mules were occasionally seen ele¬ 
vated'above the group, and shadowitig 
as it were the picture. When to these 
was added a glimpse of the scenery 
about the Dead Sea, and the mountains 
of Judea, the whole efl’ect was striking 
and fanciful in the highest degree. 
I have studied, wiifi lively interest, 
the character of the American Indians 
on the borders of their lakes, but I 
contemplated here a very distinct r^ce 
S K 2 of 
