Frank took a rapid note of the appearance of the sheik, so that he might know him again: "A large cloak of gray material, with the sleeves and skirt of a white caftan showing beneath it—cloak fastened at the neck by a clasp and cord with red tassels, a beard white as snow and not closely trimmed, and a head-dress of a cafeeah, or Syrian kerchief, held in place by cords of twisted camel's-hair. A face browned by exposure and its natural hue, and a pair of eyes so keen that they might pierce a hole through a blanket." Such was the Bedouin sheik that our friends encountered.
One of the boys asked the Doctor if this was a part of the race of Arabs that made it unsafe for travellers to go through their country.
"Yes," answered the Doctor. "I do not know that this particular camp indulges in robbery, but the chances are that it does. The Bedouins of Syria and Palestine have their own notions about the rules of life, and with the most of them robbery is not incompatible with honesty."
The boys laughed at this idea, and then the Doctor explained his meaning.
MODERN BEDOUINS OF MOUNT SINAI.
"You are aware," said he, "that among the Indians of our Western plains it is perfectly legitimate and honorable to steal horses; we might come nearer home and say that many respectable men in New York and other cities do not think they have done anything wrong when they persuade their friends to buy the stocks or other property that they wish to sell. The rules of honesty vary in different parts of the world, and the standard of one country or people will not always answer for another.
"Plundering travellers or tribes weaker than his own has been the practice of the Bedouin from time immemorial. He considers it perfectly legitimate, and points with pride to the property he has stolen, provided he is in no danger of being seized for the theft.