Fig. 53.—Band of Mounted Bedouins.
In all the deserts which are, in name at least, under the sway of the Khedive of Egypt, the Bedouins no longer fill the rôle which was theirs in earlier times, and still belongs to them in Arabia and in North-west Africa. For between them and the Egyptian government there is a strict treaty which binds them to allow caravans to pass through their haunts unmolested. Thus robberies in the desert are of the rarest occurrence, and an encounter with the Bedouins raises the less apprehension, since these children of the desert are usually the owners of the hired camels. At the same time the true lords of the waste still love to cling to the old customs and to retain a semblance of their dominion, so that it is prudent before setting out on a desert journey to claim safe-conduct from some recognized chief. With this in possession, an encounter took form somewhat as follows.
One of the sunburnt horsemen sprang forward from the troop, and turned to the leader or head of our caravan.
“Peace be with thee, O stranger!”
“And with thee, O chief, be the grace of God, His mercy, and His compassion!”
“Whither journey ye, sirs?”
“To Belled-Aali, O Sheikh.”
“Do ye journey under protection?”
“We journey under the safe-conduct of his Excellency, the Khedive.”