Travels in Arabia

vels-Residence

nvited the travellers to be his guests, and the former, it afterward appeared, had intended that they should reside in his house, hoping to make some profit from the merchandise which

and sunk here and there into small triangular recesses, destined to the reception of books-though of these Ghafil at least had no over-abundance-lamps, and other such like objects. The roof of timber, and

r of the house rises, and if a strict Wahabee, or at any rate desirous of seeming such, replies with the full-length traditionary formula 'And with (or, on) you be peace, and the mercy of God, and his blessings.' But should he happen to be of anti-Wahabee tendencies, the odds are that he will say 'Marhaba,' or 'Ahlan w'sahlan,' i.e., 'welcome,' or 'worthy and pleasurable,' or the like; for of such phrases there is an infinite but elegant variety. All present follow the example thus given by rising and saluting. The guest then goes up to the master of the house, who has also made

beforehand by those we had met at the entrance pass, is a sort of event in the town; the dress of some betokens poverty, others are better clad, but all have a very polite and decorous manner. Many a question is asked about our native land and town, that is to say, Syria and Damascus, conformably to the disguise already adopted, and which it was highly important to keep well up; then follow inquiries regarding our journey, our business, what we have brought with us, about ou

wooden bowlful of dates, bearing in the midst of the heap a cupful of melted butter; all this he places on the circular mat, and says, 'Semmoo,' literally, 'pronounce the Name,' of God, understood; this means 'set to work at it.' Hereon the master of the house quits his place by the fireside and seats himself on

a general view will help better to understand what follows in the narrative, besi

its climate and productions, it belongs hardly so much to Northern as to Central Arabia, of which it is a kind of porch or vestibule. If an equilateral triangle were to be drawn, having its base from Damascus to Bagdad, the vertex would find itself pretty exactly as the Djowf, which is thus at a nearly equal distance, southeast and southwest, from the two localities just mentioned, while the same cross-line,

hat of Sook, or 'quarter,' of the common borough. Of these Sooks, the principal is that belonging to the family Haboob, and in which we were now lodged. It includes the central castle already mentioned, and numbers about four hundred houses. The other quarters, some larger, others sm

Arabia two families, however needy, inhabit the same dwelling. Ghafil's abode, already described, may give a fair idea of the better kind; in such we have an outer court, for unlading

orri,' well known to travellers in many cities of Italy, at Bologna, Siena, Rome, and elsewhere, and denoted a somewhat analogous state of society to what formerly prevailed there. Hither, in time of the ever-recurring feuds between rival chiefs and factions, the leaders and their partisans used to retire for refuge and defence, and hence they would make their sallies to burn and destroy. These towers, like all the modern edifices of the Djowf, are o

with the dwellings of chiefs and their families. What has just been said about the towers renders the reasons of this isolation

Nedjed and Hasa, it is far, very far, above whatever Egypt, Africa, or the valley of the Tigris from Bagdad to Bassora can show. However, the palm is by no means alone here. The apricot and the peach, the fig-tree and the vine, abound throughout these orchards, and their fruit surpasses in copiousness and flavor that supplied by the gardens of Damascus or the hills of Syria and Palestine. In the intervals bet

most equals it in the number of its inhabitants. I should reckon the united population of these two localities-men, women, and children-at about thirty-three or thirty-four thousand souls. This calculation, like many others before us in the course of the work, rests partly on an approximate survey of the number of dwellings, partly

een acutely said that they are seldom despised save by those who do not themselves possess them. Tall, well-proportioned, of a tolerably fair complexion, set off by long curling locks of jet-black hair, with features for the most part regular and intelligent, and a dignified carriage, the Djowfites are eminently good specimens of what may be called the pure northern or Ishmaelitish Arab type, and in all these respects they yield the palm to the inhabitants of Djebel Shomer alone. Their large-developed forms and open countenance contrast strongly with the som

individual was Suliman-ebn-Dahir, a very adventurous and fairly intelligent young fellow, with whom next-door neighborhood and frequent intercourse rendered us intimate during our stay at the Djowf. One day, while we were engaged in friendly conversation, he said, half laughing, 'Do you know what we were consulting about while you were in the pass below on the morning of your arrival? It was whether we should make you a good reception, and thus procure ourselves the advantage of having you residents among us, or whether we should not do better to kill you all three, and take our gain from the booty to be found in your baggage.' I replied with equal coolness, 'It might have proved

, so at least he be not murdered before admittance, better treated, or more cordially invited to become in every way one of th

s, our new abode, consisted of a small court with two rooms, one on each side, for warehouse and habitation, the whole being surrounded with an outer wall, whose door was closed by lock and bolt. Of a kitchen-room there was small need, so constant and

hardly far enough advanced to offer a sufficiently good prospect for medical art, whose exercise, to be generally advantageous, requires a certain amount of culture and aptitude in the patient, no less than of skill in the physicia

ixed shrewdness and simplicity, diverted us through the week. Handkerchief after handkerchief, yard after yard of cloth, beads for the women, knives, combs, looking-glasses, and what not? (for our stock was a thorough miscellany) were

ous hamlets arrived, led by rumor, whose trumpet, prone to exaggerate under every sky, had proclaimed us throughout the valley of Djowf for much more important character

by his father, generally one of the wealthier and more influential inhabitants of the quarter yet unvisited by us, waiting our return, to invite us to an early breakfast. We would now accompany our Mercury to his domicile, where a hearty reception, and some neighbors collected for the occasion, or attracted by a cup of good coffee, were sure to be in attendance. Here an hour or so would wear away, and some medical or mercantile transaction be sketched out. We, of course, would bring the conversation, whenever it was possible, on local topics, according as those present seeme

lvery whiteness to the very verge of the palm-tree tops, and the last rays of daylight are almost as sharp and clear as the dawn itself. Chat and society continue for an hour or two, and then everyone goes home, most to sleep, I fancy, f

llises, with palm-trees above and running streams around. How pleasant it was after the desert! At other times visits of patients, prescriptions, and similar duties would take up a part of the day; or some young f

hose massive stone walls are mentioned in Arabian poetry. Hamood's residence is an irregular structure, of more recent date, with no distinguishing feature except a tower about fifty feet in height. Palgra

us, perhaps as a precautionary arrangement against any sudden assault or treasonable intention on our part, for an Arab, be he who he may, is never off his guard when new faces are in presence. In other respects he showed us much courtesy and good-will, made many civil inquiries about our health after so fatiguing a journey, praised Damascus and the Damascenes, by way of an indirect compliment, and offered us a lodging in the castle. But here Ghafil availed himself of the privileges conceded by Arab custom to priority of host-ship to put in his negative on our behalf; nor were we anxious to press the matter. A pound or so

for the purpose of studying the many interesting scenes presented by the exercise of th

hich is here used for cutting grass. Energetically gesticulating with this graceful implement, he thus challenged his judge's attention: 'You, Hamood, do you hear?' (stretching out at the same time the hook toward the governor, so as almost to reach his body, as though he meant to rip him open); 'he has taken from me my camel; have you called God to mind?' (again putting his weapon close to the unflinching magistrate). 'The camel is my camel; do you hear?' (with another reminder from the reaping-hook); 'he is mine, by God's award, and yours too; do you hear, child?' and so on, whi

afee, the same who along with Ghafil came to meet us on our first arrival; and that of Salim, a respectable and, in his way, a literary old man, our near neighbor, and surrounded by a large family of fine strapping youths, all of them brought up more or less in the fear of Allah and in good e

efs arrived at the Djowf, on their way to Djebel Shomer, where they purposed to win Telal's good graces by tendering him their allegiance in his very capital. Hamood received them and lodged them for several days, while they rested from their past fatigues, and prepared themselves for what yet lay before them. Some inhabitants of the Djowf, whose business required their presence at Ha'yel, were to join the party. "Hamood sent for us," Palgrave continues, "and gave us notice of this expedition, and on our declaring that we desired to profit by it, he handed us a scrap of paper,

joy the good things of the land-that we received our final 'Son of Hodeirah, depart.' This was intimated to us, not by a locust, but by a creature almost as queer, namely, our new conductor, a half-cracked Arab, neither peasant nor Be

anions; but they did not appear, and reason good, for they had right to a supper more under Hamood's roof, and were loath to lose it. So we halted and alighted alone. The chief of this quarter, which is above two miles distant from the c

etermined to march on without further tarrying, and ere sunrise we climbed the steep ascent of the southerly bank, whence we had a magnificent view of the whole length of the Djowf, its castle and towers, and gro