by the Arabians, which are said to contain pasture lands and fixed habitations; the resting places of Hamed being only hollows, affording wells and bushes, and resorted to only for the purpose of temporary refreshment. That such wahs do exist, cannot be denied; because the Arabs of Ludamar and the Senegal, who inhabit the Desert after the rains, have numerous herds of oxen; but they appear to be out of the track of the caravans; and those of Ludamar, at least, are incapable of supporting the cattle during the dry season.

CHAPTER XVIII.

ARABS OF THE SAHARA, SUSE, AND MAROCCO.

THE general surface of that part of the Sahara

seen in my travels was smooth, hard, and of a light reddish brown; the mountains of loose sand were within a short distance of Cape Bojador. The valleys, or dells, I saw, were from five to thirty feet below the surface of the plain; they were mostly scooped out in the form of a bowl, and contained from one to five acres. They seemed to serve as receptacles for the little rain that falls there; and the thorn bush, on which the camels feed, was thinly scattered over them. These hollows were ten, fifteen, and twenty miles apart.

The Bedouin Arabs of the Sahara are the descendants of the ancient Arabians; and their bold

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and figurative language is the same that was spoken in Arabia in the time of Muhamed, twelve centuries ago; it is distinguished by its powerful emphasis and elegant cadence. When the Arabs converse peaceably, it strikes on the ear like soft wind music; and when they speak in anger, it is like the roaring of an irritated beast of prey.

Most of the Arabs who inhabit this vast desert live entirely on the milk of their camels, and wander from valley to valley, as the produce of each is consumed. They live in tents woven from the hair of these animals; those I saw were in the form of an oblong umbrella, and reached within two feet of the ground. One of these tents is the habitation of a whole family, and the same mat serves as a bed for all. They lie down, wrapped in their hayks, the children between the grown persons, and close together, to keep off the cold winds that blow under the tent in the night; their bushy hair, which resembles a thrum mop, serves them for a pillow. The family consists of the husband, the wife, or, sometimes, more than one wife, and the children that are unmarried; these are generally about four, but sometimes six or eight. The rich Arabs have one, two, or three negro slaves, who are allowed to sleep on the same mat with themselves.

The father of the family is its absolute chief. He deals out the milk to each individual with his own hand, and none dares touch it till it be thus divided. He always assists in milking the camels, puts the milk into a large wooden bowl, and if it do not reach the mark proper for the consumption of the family, he raises it with water, if there be any; then gives each his portion, and takes his

own. The large bowl has probably been in the family for ages, and is frequently split in every direction, and held together by small iron plates, with rivets at each end. Some of these bowls will contain five gallons. The milk is distributed in a smaller bowl, and if any be left, it is put into a skin, and drank at noon the next day.

When the place affords food for the camels during some days, they are driven out early in a morning, and home in the evening. They are always made to lie down before the tent of their owner, with their tails towards it, and have the joint of one knee bent, as it is thrust through the running noose of a rope; but this is only fixed on the leaders; the others remaining quiet when these are fast. In this manner they are suffered to lie till about midnight, when the rope is drawn away, the net which covers the bag, to prevent the young ones from sucking, is taken off, and the camels are milked. As each is milked, the net is replaced, and the animal is made to lie down; they lie till day-light, when they are made to rise; a little milk is drawn from them; the young ones are allowed to suck the remainder; and the net is put on again, not to be removed till the following midnight.

While the head of the family is thus employed, assisted by all the males, the wife and the females are employed in striking and folding up the tent, selecting the camels that are to carry the baggage, and loading them. The old men, the young chil dren, and the women who cannot walk, are put in a kind of leathern basket, with a bottom like the tree of a saddle, which is placed on the back of one of the quietest camels. The husband, hav

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ing told his family what course to steer, mounts his camel, and sets off for the spot where the tent is to be fixed. The wife follows, and when she arrives at the place, she unloads the camels, lets them go to feed, spreads the tent, puts all the baggage under it, clears away the small stones, lays down her mat, arranges her bowls, and hangs up her skins of water, if there are any.

The Arabs begin their journey early in a morning, and pitch their tents about four o'clock in the afternoon, if they can. The families of the same encampment travel together, and each man can distinguish his camels, among five hundred, or a thousand, A large party will frequently travel together half the day; then separate, and encamp within a few miles of each other. When a place of encampment is agreed on, the men go out different ways, on their camels, to see whether there are any enemies near.

The Arabs are ever ready to attack an inferior or an equal force, and they fight for the sake of plunder. They attack the negro towns in the vicinity of the Desert, which are walled in to ward off their incursions; and if they prevail, they retire to the Desert with the spoil.

The Arabs of the Sahara are about five feet seven or eight inches in height, thin, but tolerably well made. Their complexion is a dark olive; they have high cheek bones, lank cheeks, aquiline noses, thin lips, and round chins; their eyes are black, sparkling and intelligent. They have long beards, and long, coarse, thick black hair, which the men cut to the length of six or eight inches, and as it is never combed, it stands out in every direction from the head.

The Arab women are short and meagre, and their features are harsher than those of the men. They braid their long black hair and turn it up, fastening it into a bunch on the head with thorns. The upper lip is raised by the two eye teeth, which they take great pains to cause to project and turn up. Their teeth are white; their eyes are black and extremely beautiful. They are clad in a garment of camel's hair, which hangs down from the shoulders nearly to the knees, and is sewed up on the sides, but leaves the arms and breast uncovered. At the back is a fold in which the infant is carried.

The men are lords and masters in their families, and the women are necessary drudges. They do not join in the devotions of their lords, and seldom speak when men are conversing. The Arab is high-spirited, brave, hospitable, and compassionate; yet he is rapacious and revengeful. He is proud of being able to maintain his independence, though on a desert, and he despises those who are so mean and degraded as to submit to any government but that of the Most High. He is sole master of the wealth he possesses, and always ready to defend it. He is elevated in rank, for the traditions of his ancestors have been handed down to him for a thousand years. He is content to live on the milk of his camels, and he thanks God for his continued mercies. He is learned, for he can read and write. The koran, written on skins, is kept in every family, and also a great number of poems and tales. Male children are never corrected; females are beaten without mercy.

In every division of a tribe there is one man