in fome places the ground is uneven and ftony, Almoft invariably naked on every fide, the earth prefents nothing but a few wild plants, thinly fcattered; and thickets whofe folitude is rarely disturbed but by antelopes, hares, locufts, and rats. Such is the nature of nearly the whole country, which extends fix hundred leagues in length, and three hundred in breadth; and stretches from Aleppo to the Arabian fea, and from Egypt to the Perfian gulph.

It must not, however, be imagined that the foil in fo great an extent is every where the fame; it varies confiderably in different places. On the frontiers of Syria, for example, the earth is in general fat and cultivable, nay, even fruitful. It is the fame alfo on the banks of the Euphrates; but in the internal parts of the country, and towards the fouth, it becomes white and chalky, as in the parallel of Damafcus; rocky, as in the Tih and the Hedjaz; and a pure fand, as to the eastward of the Yemen. This variety in the qualities of the foil is productive of fome minute differences in the condition of the Bedouins. For instance, in the more fterile Countries, that is those which produce but few plants, the tribes are feeble, and very diftant; which is the cafe in the defert of Suez, that of the Red Sea, and the interior of the Great Defert called the Najd. When the foil is more fruitful, as between Damafcus and the Euphrates, the tribes are more numerous, and let's remote from each other: and, laftly, in the cultivable diftricts, fuch as the Pachalics of Aleppo, the Hauran, and the neighbourhood of Gaza, the camps are frequent and contiguous. In the former instances, the Bedouins are purely paftors, and fubfift only on the produce of their herds, and on a few dates and flesh meat; which they eat either fresh

or dried in the fun, and reduced to a powder. In the latter they fow fome land, and add cheese, barley, and even rice to their flesh and milk meats.

Such is the fituation in which nature has placed the Bedouins, to make of them a race of men equally fingular in their physical and mo. ral character. This fingularity is fo ftriking, that even their neighbours, the Syrians, regard them as extraordinary beings; efpecially thofe tribes which dwell in the depths of the deferts, fuch as the Anaza, Kaibar, Tai, and others, who never approach the towns. When, in the time of Shaik Da her, fome of their horfemen came as far as Acre, they excited the fame curiofity there, as a vifit from the favages of America would among us. Every body viewed with furprize these men, who were more diminutive, meagre, and fwarthy than any of the known Bedouins. Their withered legs were only composed of tendons, and had no calves. Their bellies feemed to cling to their backs, and their hair was frizzled almost as much as that of the negroes. They, on the other hand, were no lefs aftonished at every thing they faw; they could neither conceive how the houfes and minarets could stand erect, nor how men ventured to dwell beneath them, and always in the fame fpot; but, above all, they were in an ecstasy on beholding the fea; nor could they comprehend what that defert of water could be. They were told of mofques, prayers, and ablutions; but they asked what thofe meant? and inquired who Mofes, Jefus Chrift, and Mahomet were? and why, fince the inhabitants were not of feparate tribes, they followed different leaders?

The Bedouin Arabs are divided into tribes, which conftitute so many diftinct nations. Each of these tribes appropriates to itself a tract

of

of land forming its domain; in this they do not differ from cultivating nations, except that their territory requires a greater extent, in order to furnish fubfiftence for their herds throughout the year. Each of thefe tribes is collected in one or more camps, which are difperfed thro' the country, and which make a fucceffive progrefs over the whole, in proportion as it is exhausted by the cattle hence it is, that within a great extent a few fpots 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 property: this is with them the law of nations. If, therefore, a tribe, or any of its fubjects, enter upon a foreign territory, they are treated as enemies and robbers, and a war breaks out. Now, as all the tribes have affinities with each other by alliances of blood or conventions, leagues are formed, which render these wars more or lefs general. The manner of proceeding on fuch occasions is very fimple. The offence made known, they mount their horfes, 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 fmall bodies, or man to man. They encounter 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 decided by the firft flock, and the vanquished take to flight full gallop over the naked plain of the defert. Night generally favours their efcape from the conqueror. The tribe which has loft the battle flrikes its tents, removes to a distance, by forced marches, and feeks an afylum among its allies. The enemy, fatisfied with their fuccefs, drive their herds farther on, and the fu

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gitives foon after return to their former fituation. But the flaughter made in thefe engagements frequently fows the feeds of hatreds which perpetuate thefe diffenfions. The interest of the common fafety has for ages eftablished a law a mong them, which decrees, that the blood of every man who is flain must be avenged by that of his murderer. This vengeance is called Tar, or retaliation; and the right of exacting it devolves on the neareft of kin to the deceased. So nice are the Arabs on this point of ho nour, that if any one neglects to feek his retaliation, he is difgraced for ever. He therefore watches every opportunity of revenge: if his enemy perifhes from any other caufe, ftill he is not fatisfied, and his vengeance is directed against the nearest relation. These animofities are tranfmitted as an inheritance, from father to children, and never ceafe but by the extinction of one of the families, unless they agree to facrifice the criminal, or purchase the blood for a ftated price, in money or in flocks. Without this fatisfaction, there is neither peace, nor truce, nor alliances between them, nor fometimes even between whole tribes: There is blood between us, fay they, on every occafion; and this expreffion is an infurmountable barrier.

Y

Confined to the moft abfolute neceffities of life, the Arabs have as little industry as their wants are few; all their arts cenfift in weaving their clumsy tents, and in making mats and butter. Their whole commerce only extends to the exchanging camels, kids, ftallions, and milk for arms, cloathing, a little rice or corn, and money, which they bury. They are totally igno rant of all fcience; and have not even any idea of aftronomy, geometry, or medicine. They have not a fingle book; and nothing is

2

fo

fo uncommon, among the Shaiks, as to know how to read. All their literature confifts in reciting tales and hiftories, in the manner of the Arabian Nights Entertainments. They have a peculiar paffion for fuch ftories; and employ in them almoft all their leifure, of which they have a great deal. In the evening, they feat themselves on the ground, at the threshold of their tents, or under cover, if it be cold; and there, ranged in a circle round a little fire of dung, their pipes in their mouths, and their legs croffed, they fit a while in filent meditation, till, on a fudden, one of them breaks forth with, Once upon a time-and continues to recite the adventures of fome young Shaik, and female Bedouin he relates in what manner the youth first got a fecret glimpfe of his miftrefs; and how he became defperately enamoured of her; he minutely defcribes the lovely fair, boafts her black eyes, as large and foft as thofe of the gazelle; her languid and empaffioned looks, her arched-eye brows, refembling two bows of ebony; her waist straight, and fupple as a lance: he forgets not her steps, light as thofe of the young filley, nor her eye-lafhes blackened with kohl, nor her lips painted blue, nor her nails tinged with the golden-coloured henna, nor her breafts refembling two pomegranates, nor her words fweet as honey. He recounts the fufferings of the young lover, fo wafted with defire and paffion, that his body no longer yields any shadow. At length, after detailing his various attempts to fee his miftrefs, the obftacles of the parents, the invafions of the enemy, the captivity of the two lovers, &c. he terminates,

to the fatisfaction of the audience, by restoring them, united and happy, to the paternal tent, and by receiving the tribute paid to his eloquence, in the Ma cha allah he has merited *. The Bedouins have likewife their love fongs, which have more fentiment and nature in them than thofe of the Turks and the inhabitants of the towns; doubtlefs, because the former, whose manners are chafte, know what love is; while the latter, abandoned to dẹbauchery, are acquainted only with enjoyment.

The Arabs have often been reproached with a spirit of rapine; but, without wifhing to defend it, we may observe, that one circumftance has not been fufficiently attended to, which is, that it only takes place towards reputed enemies, and is confequently founded on the acknowledged laws of almost all nations. Among themfelves, they are remarkable for a good faith, a difinterestedness, a generofity which would do honour to the most civilized people. What is there more noble than that right of afylum fo refpected among all the tribes? A ftranger, nay, even an enemy, touches the tent of the Bedouin, and from that inftant his person becomes inviolable. It would be reckoned a difgraceful meannefs, an indelible fhame, to fatisfy even a juft vengeance at the expence of hofpitality. Has the Bedouin confented to eat bread and falt with his gueft, nothing in the world can induce him to betray him. The power of the Sultan himself, would not be able to force a refugee † from the protection of a tribe, but by its total extermination. The Bedouin, fo rapacious without his

camp