River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-03-02


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 a 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. Early in the morning
the herds had been driven off by the
boys and girls. These are now fol-
lowed by the camels laden with the
tents, camp kit, and small children.
The women walked by the side, or
rode perched on the top of the tent
loads, singing wild Bedouin songs as
they moved, needless of their poverty
but reveling in their freedom. The
men rode far in advance or at the
rear, on the lookout for enemies, and
scouting the country in search of new
pasture. Sometimes they INDUCED in
a course with their greyhounds after
hares or gazelles. 1t is a fine sight to
see large tribe on migration, imbued
with the spirit of divine unrest"
h.
camel herds are watered quickly, and
the tribe moves off, never camping be-
side the WE'LL AS of old, the most fire.
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
we'll that saw there was an ominous
little graveyard. During a journey
of over seven hundred miles | 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 signal to the rest or the
tribe, 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 camels.
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 week at
time; then the fit comes on them
and they collect in bands of so or 100
individuals and go off on maraud-
ing expedition. They are daring rob-
bers, and their one alienation from
the dull monotony of life is systematic
thieving. These raiding parties rem
der the whole of Arabia unsafe, and
are the terror of all travellers. The
bands are composed Of from 20 to $50
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. 1 never saw 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 we'll 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
selected and pedigrees carefully kept