Far Off | Page 8

forgotten. The
Arabs are so unforgiving and revengeful that they will seek to kill a
man year after year. One man was observed to carry about a small
dagger. He said his reason was, he was hoping some day to meet his
enemy and kill him.
Of what religion are this revengeful people? The Mahomedan.
Mahomed was an Arab. It is thought a great honor to be descended
from him. Those men who say Mahomed is their father wear a green
turban, and very proud they are of their green turbans, even though they
may only be beggars.
THE ARABIAN WOMEN.--They are shut up like the women in Syria
when they live in towns, but the women in tents are obliged to walk

about; therefore they wear a thick veil over their face, with small holes
for their eyes to peep out.
The poor women wear a long shirt of white or blue; but the rich women
wrap themselves in magnificent shawls. To make themselves handsome,
they blacken their eyelids, paint their nails red, and wear gold rings in
their ears and noses. They delight in fine furniture. A room lined with
looking-glasses, and with a ceiling of looking-glasses, is thought
charming.
ARAB TENTS.--They are black, being made of the hair of black goats.
Some of them are so large that they are divided into three rooms, one
for the cattle, one for the men, and one for the women.
ARAB CUSTOMS.--The Arabs sit on the ground, resting on their heels,
and for tables they have low stools. A large dish of rice and minced
mutton is placed on the table, and immediately every hand is thrust into
it; and in a moment it is empty. Then another dish is brought, and
another; and sometimes fourteen dishes of rice, one after the other, till
all the company are satisfied. They eat very fast, and each retires from
dinner as soon as he likes, without waiting for the rest. After dinner
they drink water, and a small cup of coffee without milk or sugar. Then
they smoke for many hours.
The Arabs do not indulge in eating or drinking too much, and this is
one of the best parts of their character.
[Illustration: CAMELS.]
THE THREE EVILS OF ARABIA.
The first evil is want of water. There is no river in Arabia: and the
small streams are often dried up by the heat.
The second evil is many locusts, which come in countless swarms, and
devour every green thing.
The third evil is the burning winds. When a traveller feels it coming, he

throws himself on the ground, covering his face with his cloak, lest the
hot sand should be blown up his nostrils. Sometimes men and horses
are choked by this sand.
These are the three great evils; but there is a still greater, the religion of
Mahomed: for this injures the soul; the other evils only hurt the body.
THE THREE ANIMALS OF ARABIA.
The animals for which Arabia is famous are animals to ride upon.
Two of them are often seen in England; though here they are not nearly
as fine as in Arabia; but the third animal is never used in England. Most
English boys have ridden upon an ass. In Arabia the ass is a handsome
and spirited creature. The horse is strong and swift, and yet obedient
and gentle. The camel is just suited to Arabia. His feet are fit to tread
upon the burning sands; because the soles are more like India-rubber
than like flesh: his hard mouth, lined with horn, is not hurt by the
prickly plants of the desert; and his hump full of fat is as good to him as
a bag of provisions: for on a journey the fat helps to support him, and
enables him to do with very little food. Besides all this, his inside is so
made that he can live without water for three days.
A dromedary is a swifter kind of camel, and is just as superior to a
camel as a riding-horse is to a cart-horse.
THE THREE PRODUCTIONS OF ARABIA.
These are coffee, dates, and gums.
For these Arabia is famous.
The coffee plants are shrubs. The hills are covered with them; the white
blossoms look beautiful among the dark green leaves, and so do the red
berries.
The dates grow on the palm-trees; and they are the chief food of the
Arabs. The Arabs despise those countries where there are no dates.

There are various sweet-smelling gums that flow from Arabian trees.
THE THREE PARTS OF ARABIA.
You see from what I have just said that there are plants and trees in
Arabia. Then it is clear that the whole land is not a desert. No, it is not;
there is only a part called