St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1870-09-02

VIZ. EDITOR: onc day we crossed
upon The upper deserts, deep groove
cut through the sand. The Sheikh ex-
planned that Il quarrel had taken place
here, that blood had been shed and that
this tulrow was drawn as a token of re-
vcnge.
Blood revenge is something that sounds
rather fearful to Us, but among the Be
douins it has become the law of self
| preservation. There is no written code
OF law upon the desert. yet common con-
sent has established some formulas which
are older than the time of Moses and are
As sacred TO the Bcdouin as Moses law
to the Hebrew. The oldest and most
rigorouIAf all is the law OF Blood Re
venge, called TIE Thar.
According to the 7H,u, blood must
pay for blood nothing else can. But
the matter does not lie merely between
the slayer and the slain. The right of
revenge extends five generations on both
sides Ii Mou-a should Kill Sulciman.
then Sulciman's friends 10 the fifth Gene
ration, Lave a right TO Kill any of Mousa's
family within four dcgrces Of cnnsanguin-
ity, /. t. they can kill Muusn's f;.tier.
grandfather, great grandfather, great
great grandtathcr iii they can find him)
Or any one descended from either of these
tuur-but they must not kill his n1eat-
great -great-gramdtathcr Or his children,
because he and his children are beyond
the fifth generation. This is the limit in
the ascending gencrations-but descend
ing 10 the children, the IHu or right to
blood i never lost; it goes down to the
latest generations. SO you will see that
III the course Of year, things are likely
to get badly complicated unless Sulei-
mans children ale fortunate enough to
find their man and Kill him.
And wherever there is matter Of
blood unsettled, there is IA great deal of
playing hide and seek betwe.a ~ tribes.
Our customs are 50 entirely reversed
among them that whenever a stranger
appears he j. always set down AS an en-
envy until the contrary is proved or
known. \ Bcdouin secs an object NOV
ING on the distant horizon He imme-
dlateiy starts off to look it up. 1t proves
to he another Bedouin. They both see
each other but are us yet too far distant
10 know each other. Then the manru-
vering begirs. They cautiously ride I'D
toward each othcr-then halt-then ride
away, pretending they don't care-thcn
wheel about--thcn halt again-then cal
lop around IN treat professionally get
ting better identified it turns out very
likely that they are friendly 70 each
other, and they dismount, salute and
kiss each other, laughing nwardly one
would suppose, at all this elaborate game
OF thrust and parry in getting acquainted
Our Shcikh left us one morning to look
up some suspicious fellow as he sup
posed, away out on the eastern horizon.
After whole forenoon's advance and
retreat, he joined us again and said twas
only young nephew of his. But our
commiseration at his loss of time and
camel flesh was quite thrown away, for
what Is time TO a Bedouin? and as to
camel flesh, why the les of that the bet
ter for his speed.
1t very often happens when a Bedouin
has killed a man that he rms of -
another tribe and receives protection. In
any case, he Is allowed by immemorial
custom, three days and four hours time
to get good start. Meanwhile he ooes
very likely, to one of the larger tribes ,
and Is received, if they want him, but of ,
course there is then blood between the ]
tribes. In the great tribe of the Sham
mar there are multitudes of these refu-
gees OF tie Harb, Anazeh, Dhofyr and 1
others. The tents of the Shammar thus t
answer to the refuge cities of the old
Hebrews, During the 40 years of the
wilderness wanderings, Moses probably !
Jaw something of the practical operation q