The Holbrook news., 1911-04-21


 is continual and relentless struggle with Nature. His environment has made him cruel and warlike; the salt of the desert wells seems to have en- tered into his soul and made him bit ter towards all men,
 The Arabs are true Ishmaelites, and have no definite abode; their life is constant wandering They never cultivate the soil, but live entirely on the produce of their herds Their tents are therefore adapted to their restless life, quickly taken down or put up and easy of transport. They are made of camels' hair, loosely woven, supported on poles by very long guy-ropes. They are sufficient, however, to protect occupants from the hot sun, but not from the rain, and in winter the encampments are the most uncomfortable places i'm aginable to live in The women oc- cupy one-half, the men use the other. partitioned off by a brightly-colored curtain. The average tent measures twenty yards by six.
 At the best of times the Bedouins are half-starved, camels milk and bread being the staple food, but all day long they appease their hunger by slipping strong black coffee On occasion feast takes place, especial ly on the return of the men from a successful hunt, and then there is a surplus of meat
 When necessity forces the tribe to migrate, which is very often, for graz ing is not sufficient in any one place to support their immense herds of camels for any length of time, the whole tribe moves at once. Early in the morning the tents are taken down by the women and rolled up into huge bales with which the men load up the camels. together with other house hold impedimenta. When the camels are laden the small children are lifted on to the top of the loads, and, all being in readiness, the migration begins. The great tribe, divided up into groups and families scattered over the desert moves off in search of new pastures
 When the tribe reaches well, the camel herds are watered quickly, and the tribe moves off, never camping be- side the well. As of old, the most ire quent causes of quarrel are the waterings. Robbers lie in wait at the wells in order to catch unwary stran- gers coming to drink. Around every well that I saw there was an ominous little graveyard. During a journey of over seven hundred miles I found but five wells, but the supply of water in these was almost unlimited.
 Eventually, when the chief finds a suitable grazing ground he lights a fire as a signal to the rest or the trihe. who are scattered over a large stretch of desert The smoke of the fire shows the wanderers the direction of their chiefs tent; then they gather round and pitch their own in groups near by.
 In this arid. inhospitable land there is scarcely substance enough to sup port human life, and even what there is has to be wrested from Nature. Flocks need grazing. and as the herds increase they need more extensive pastures. The men therefore fight for the best and widest pasturages, and also to secure larger herds of cameIs.
 Although the Arabs life is one of supreme idleness, given up to the breeding of his herds, yet the desert air is not conducive to rest. The Be douins lie in their tents for a week at time; then the fit comes on them and they collect in bands of 50 or 100 individuals and go of on a maraud- ing expedition. They are daring rob bers, and their one alleviation from the dull monotony of life is systematic thieving. These raiding parties ren- der the whole of Arabia unsafe, and are the terror of all travellers. The bands are composed of from 20 to 15d men. Mounted on swift dromedaries. armed with breeching-loading rifles. carrying food and water for many days, they are the most mobile war riors in the world.
 In Arabia travel is only possible by means of camels. The prancing Ara, bian steed is a myth to the traveller in the peninsula. never saw a horse worth looking at in those desert re gions; indeed, cannot see how horses could be bred to perfection in such a herbless land Without the camel life would be impossible. The "humpy herds" are the sole products of the desert, and on them one must wander from well to well if one determines to brave this most inhospitable and dangerous of journeys. Camels form the chief concern of the Arabs exist ence; they supply him with all his wants, tents. food, clothing. and transport. hence the breeds are well