Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-11-11
THE EGYPTIAN BEDOUINs.
The UnsmbdMed Sons of the Desert to the
East and Hest Of the Yailey Of the

THE EGYPTIAN BEDOUINS.
The Unsssbdsed Sons of the Desert to the
East and Vest Of the Yatlty Of the
Nile.
Story books give children, and older per-
sons, too, an impression of the Arabs
which is Sc partial that it becomes false
and misleading. There are Arabs as noble
and hospitable as has eyer been described,
sons of liberty who ride on fleet and beau
tiful steeds which they care for with such
affection as delights the heart of Mr.. Henry
Bergh and those whs sympathize with him
in his zeal for the comfort of dumb ami
mails; but they are not the Bedouins of the
desert east and west of the Nile On the
contrary. these are among the most rapa-
cious and cruel people in the aworld, their
hand against every man in the most en-
phatic sense. They constitute, probably,
the majority of the Arab people, and even
when the better quality of the tribes dwell
ling in Syria and Arabia is taken into ac-
count, the popular conception of the Arabs
must be very greatly modified before it
becomes true.
Recent events in the land Of Eg Jpt give OPP
portuneness to an account of the Redouins,
who constituted part of Arab Pasha's
army. They were found deficient in cour.
age in close quarters, and whether the
number engaged in his service be given at
ten thousand or forty thousand, or any in
termediate number, the value of their as
sistance was not commensurate with the
lowest of these figures. The London
Times stated recently that the Arabs of the
north of Africa evidence a decline of
courage in the proportion as their home
lies toward the east of the continent. The
theory is so far confirmed in the very
cautious fighting quality exhibited by those
in the service of Arab, who were all of
them jewellers towards the east. Sir Gar
net WOlseley's campaign would have
proved more arduous if he had had to con-
tend with such opposition from the Arabs
as was encountered by French generals in
the conquest of Algiers.
Egyptian Bedouins, including the Arabs
of upper and lower Egypt and Nubia, are
separated into tribes ranging in number
from 500 to 10000 men, which give allegi-
ence to their respective chiefs, the most
distinguished of whom are known as emirs
and sheiks. These are absolute rulers,
having power over the lives of their sub
jects. Leaders in war, they are also su
prene in the making treaties and the con-
duct of business for their tribe, whose oper-
atoms are determined by their arbitrary
will. They fix the route of all predatory
expeditions and the time for them. and
possess in all essential matters a despotic
rule unquestioned and unquestionable.
Their responsibility is relieved by such re-
turn as the first choice of captured slaves
and the privilege of marrying any daugh-
ter of any subject. Tyranny so complete
as this is incompatible with the existence
of noble qualities in those who submit to
it.
The life of the Egyptian Bedouin pre-
sents variety of business and bad adyen-
ture aptly summarized as that of the thief,
kidnapper, slave dealer and assassin. His
most profitable enterprises are those of
slave catching and slave dealing, in which
he manifests unmatched uuscrupulousness
and cruelty associated with systematic
ability not less remarkable. In the month
of November of every year meeting of
the tribes takes place in the neighborhood
of Souakim, on the borders of the Red
sea. Here the district of country to be
ravaged by each tribe is carefully
selected and plan of predatory eper-
ations adopted, after much discussion
to which all agree sad pledge themselves
Young girls are placed as security in the
hands of the neutral tribe of Jemmah, and
the violation of the agreement on the part
of any tribe is visited with the loss of its
share of the security. Various Oriental
fornalities are gone through i'll ratification
of the agreement, including the common
enjoyment of the nargileh, and then comes
the S0naraf1Hn Each marty ctartc off in,
its proper direction on the diabolical work
marked out for it. Speedily fire, slaugh-
ter, pillags and bondage overtake the
wretched population of nu merous villages.
Plans are laid with skill. A village being
set fire to i'll several places at once, the Be-
douins rush in upon the frightened and
confused people. Old men and women and
extremely young children are remorseless-
ly put to death by the sword. Children of
five years old and upwards, young men
and maidens, and adults able to work are
seized and bound and laden with booty.
The cattle and herds of all the peaceful
settlement are driven off as part of the
spoil, by cruel fate, their quondam own
ers being frequently compelled to take
charge of them. In miserable procession,
surrounded by their cruel captors, who are
mounted on camels or horses and heavily
armed the slaves are marched off, their
number constantly augmentlng as they
progress towards the border of the Red
sea, where the slave markets are held.
Here, in the neighborhood of Souakim,
convene buyers from Afghanistan and Be-
loochistan, Turkestan, Persia, Arabia, and
from as far uorth as Zibzibar. The pref
test girls are reserved for the seraglios of
Constantinople, the boys are sold to the
cruel fate of diving for pearls in the deep
bottom of the Persian gulf, where large
proportion of them are drowned; while the
great body of captiees are devoted to SER
vile toll in the fields. Readers have no.
ticed that the political situation in Egypt
has promoted a section of the philanthro-
pist, of England to memorabilia Mr.. Glad
stone asking for the best Offices of the gov
eminent in the putting down of the afro
cious traffic described. For years past, |