The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-22
CHILDREN OF THE DESERT.
Love, Courtship and Marriage Among the
Rowing Arabs.

Col De Funiak, in Louisville Courier-Journal.
The girls have little to do with selecting
their husbands. The men nearly ALWAYS fix
that up among themselves. A bold warrior
sees girl whom he loves, in another tribe
He rides up at night, finds out where she is
sleeping, dashes up TO her tent, snatches her
up in his arms, puts her before him on the
horse and sweeps away like the wind. If he
happens to be caught he is shot If he is
not the tribe from which he has stolen the
girl pays him visit in few days. The
dervsh. priest of the tribe joins the hands
of the young man and the girl, and both
tribes join in the merriment All the
bravest men steal their wives, but there are
some who do not. Their method is a little
different OF a calm, moonlight night, and
a moonlight in the tropics is far more beau
tiful than here, you may see an Arab sitting
before the tent of his inamorata picking
a stringed instrument something like
our banjo, and singing a song of
his own composition. This is his
courtship. They are the most musical peo-
pie in the world They talk in poetry, and
extemporizaton is as easy with them as it
was with the Scalds of old. The courtship
only lasts week or two. If the girl is OBJ
stinate he goes elsewhere and seeks to win
another girl by his songs and music. Some
times the fathers make up the match, but
always the girl is the obedient slave. Her
religion, her people, her national instincts,
the traditions of her ancestors, all teach her
to be the slave of her husband. The power of
life and death is in his hands, and she bows
before his opinions with the most implicit
obedience. 1t is only when the fair-faced
Frank comes, with his glib talk of woman's
higher duties and grander sphere, with his
winning manner, with his marked respect
so hattering to womans soul, that she
leaves her husband, forsakes the teachings
of her childhood, gives up home and friends
and risks death itself to repose in his arms
They are as fine riders as the men, and as
fearless They ride straddle and can
go almost any distance without fatigue
They are fine shots, and don't know " hat
personal fear is.
The women of these people are modest and
far more faithful than the women Acivil-
lied life Indeed, it is the rarest thing in
the world to hear of conjugal infdelity. The
women mature at eleven and twelve, and are
old at thirty-6ve. When young they are
very beautiful. They have soft dark skin,
black, flowing hair, and soft, languishing
eyes, They are passionate in their loves, but
after marriage all their affection is conferred
in their husband. If a woman is found to
be untrue to her husband she is instantly
killed, together with her lover. But this sell
dom happens. 1t is only when Europeans
visit them that they are seduced. Several
with the expedition of which / was mem
Der got into trouble on account of native
girls and had to be sent back home to save
them from the fury of outraged husbands.
They are not given to jealousy, and though
one man may be the husband of half q dozen
wives they seem to live together in perfect
unity.