The owner of the mare called out to him to listen: sure that he could not be pursued, he returned, and stopped at a short distance, for Nabee was armed with his lance. He then said to him, “Thou hast my mare; since it pleases God, I wish thee success: but, I conjure thee, tell no one how thou hast obtained her.” “Why not?” said Daher. “Because some one really ill might remain without aid: you would be the cause why no one would perform an act of charity more, from the fear of being duped as I have been.” Struck with these words, Daher reflected a moment, dismounted from the horse and gave her back to her master, and embraced him. Nabee took him home. They remained together three days, and swore fraternity.
Sheik Ibrahim was enchanted with these stories, which gave him to understand the character and the generosity of the Bedouins. The tribe of Douhi is richer and more rapacious than that of Mehanna; their horses are finer. We stayed with them a fortnight. Sheik Ibrahim gave presents to all the chiefs, and sold some articles to the women, to keep up our character of merchants. We then went to visit the three tributary sheiks of the Emir Douhi.
Sheik Ibrahim told me that he had no other object in staying among the Bedouins than that of giving me an opportunity of studying more closely their language and their customs; that it was necessary for his own purposes to get to the Drayhy; but that I must avail myself of our roamings amidst the tribes to take exact notes of their names and their numbers, which it was most important to him to know.
Their manner of speech is extremely difficult to acquire, even for an Arab, although in fact it is the same language. I applied myself with success. I also learned, in the course of our long wanderings, the names of all the sheiks and the numbers of all the tribes, a thing which had never been accomplished before: I shall give the list at the end of my journal.
The numerous tribes are often obliged to divide themselves into detachments from two hundred to five hundred tents, and to occupy a large space, in order to procure water and pasturage for their flocks. We went successively through their encampments, until we could find means to transport ourselves to the Drayhy, who was at war with the tribes of the territory of Damascus. We were universally well received.
In one tribe it was a poor widow who showed us hospitality. In order to regale us, she killed her last sheep and borrowed bread. She informed us that her husband and her three sons had been killed in the war against the Wahabees, a formidable tribe in the neighbourhood of Mecca. Expressing our astonishment that she should rob herself on our account:—“He that enters the house of the living,” said she, “and does not eat, it is as though he were visiting the dead.”
One tribe already considerable had been lately formed in the following manner:—A Bedouin had a very beautiful daughter, whom the chief of his tribe demanded in marriage; but he would not give her, and in order to avoid his solicitations he went away furtively with all his family. The sheik being told of what had happened, some one said: “Serah (he is gone).” “Serhan[H] (he is a wolf),” replied he; meaning by that, that he was a savage. From that time the tribe of which this Bedouin became chief, has been always called the tribe El Serhan (the wolf.) Whenever the Bedouins are courageous and have good horses, they in a short time become powerful.
At last we heard of the arrival of the Drayhy in Mesopotamia. At this period Sheik Ibrahim was obliged to go to Damascus for merchandise and money, which were both equally wanting. We had made acquaintance there with a Bedouin of one of the tribes near the Euphrates, which had preserved a neutrality in the affair of Nasser. This Bedouin, whose name was Gazens el Hamad, had come with others to Damascus to sell butter. He engaged to carry our goods on his camels, and take us to the Drayhy: but alas! we were not destined to reach him so easily. Scarcely were we come to Corietain, to take back our goods left at the depot, when we received news of a victory gained by Zaher, the son of the Drayhy, over Nasser; a victory which gave renewed violence to the war. All the tribes ranged themselves on one side or the other. That of Salkeh, our guide’s tribe, had been attacked by the Drayhy, who was following up his advantages with great inveteracy, and no one dared to cross the desert. M. Lascaris was in despair. He could neither eat nor sleep: in short, exasperated to the highest degree at finding himself stopped in his projects, he even found fault with me. I then said to him,—“It is now time we should understand one another. If you wish to get to the Drayhy for the purpose of trading, it is utter madness, and I decline to follow you. If you have other projects or motives adequate to the exposure of your life, let me know them, and you shall find me ready to sacrifice myself to serve you.” “Well then, my dear son!” said he, “I will trust you: know that this commerce is merely a pretence to conceal a mission with which I was charged at Paris. These are my instructions, reduced to ten heads.
1. To set out from Paris to Aleppo.
2. To find a zealous Arab, and to attach him to me as interpreter.