The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-03-14
observation-disclosures the Arabs.

ttDV' iNllA III = 'slpl4t- inc .iIhbN.
The principles Of Government among me
wandering children oi the desert are Oastu
upuu ancient custom irom Time mmemoilaI,
anu their civil Institutions are well adapted
To- lneir habits and mode Of life. Every Ara0
tribe has It's chlci shcill, and every camp is
headed by It's own sheik, or principal man,
but he has no actual authority over the lndi-
yIduuls of his tribe. The real government OF
the BcdOuin consists IN the separate strength
al their different families, who, by their own
individual weight and influence, maintain an
even balance IA Ule entire BODY social OF eaCh
Tribe. Ii u dispute arises between TWO lnul-
Vduals the shCik Cndcavors 10 settle the mat
ter, but ii the relations to the parties lall,
aided by the shciks influence, in making
|praCr then commences war between the whole
I kindred and families of either dispu,ant The
IrrrrOgatlyc of the sheik consists in leading
/ his tribe against the enemy, in conducting
NEGOTIATIONS for peace or war, after consulting
vim the chief men Of the tribe, In fixing the
spot for cncampment and in entertaining dis
diminished strangers. He derives no yearly
income from his tribe or camp; on the con
Iurry he is Obliged to support his title by con
siderable disbursements; he must maintain
the poor, and divide his presents among ms
friends He derives II certain income from
lthrtribulr he ryactsitrom the Syrian villages,
land his cmoumcns from the Mecca pilgrim
Ir1royan. When Il shcik dies he is succeeded
| in his dignity by one of his sons or his brother,
or some relation distinguished for Valor and
lliberality, but not invariably. Sometimes a
stranger 10 the family may be chosen, and oc-
OCCASIONALLY during the lifetime of the shclk he
NAV be- drsposcd from his dignity.
TbcrrcXists in some tribes an official called
the kliy, or Judge, who is selected from men
/ 80, ,I,.,ir ara n fol In and love
of iusricr. They wear no special dress, and
have no written code of laws to refer to, but
They receive considerable fees and emolu-
mcnts A still higher judge is the mebcSShae,
OF whom there is one In every principal tribe
! for deciding in cases Of great difficulty. The
IpYnishmcnts inflicted are invariably peCun-
i,.ry fines, according to the nature of the of
tense, and, rs the amount Of these is well
known and dreaded, this has Il wholesome
effect upon the unruly spirits Of tribe, The
ltws of inheritance among the Arabs are
those prescribed by tue Koran, and on aman'S
death his property is divided among the male
children in equal shares His effects are
known to the whole tribe, and il he leaves
children under age the next relation takes
| them under his care
The law of blood revenge is one terrible pc
culiarity which churactcrIZes these strange
children OF Nature. In theory 1t Is luaI VINO
ever sheds the blood of a man owes blood on
that account to the family OF the deceased
But not only Is blood claimed from the actual
homicide bat from all his relations, and this
right is never lost; it dc sends on both sides
to the latest generations. Sometimes the tcud
is healed by a certain fixed price of blood
being stipulated to be pad to the nearest re
lations of the slain person. In consequence
of a single murder it is sometimes necessary
to remove many hundred tents, and the tugi
lives move from one tribe to another for more
than fifty wears, until ut length compromise
is made For those Slain in wars between two
tribes, the price Of blood is required from The
persons who were known to have actually
killed them Appeals are sometimes made
to the mejcsshae to settle by whom man may
have been killed in battle if the accused de
mes the charge.-IHc Alps IF ArJbio.