Stephens, John Lloyd: Incidents of travel in Egypt, Arabia Petraea, and the Holy Land: with a map and angravings (Band 1) (1837)

ethics of the desert.

257

ried. I asked him, if the brothers did not choose to
keep a sister with them, what became of her ; but
he did not understand me. I repeated the ques-
tion, but still he did not comprehend it, and looked
to his companions for an explanation. And when,
at last, the meaning of my question became appa-
rent to his mind, he answered, with a look of won-
der, " It is impossible—she is his own blood." I
pressed my question again and again in various
forms, suggesting the possibility that the brother's
wife might dislike the sister, and other very suppo-
sable cases; but it was so strange an idea, that
to the last he did not fully comprehend it, and his
answer was still the same—" It is impossible—she
is his own blood." Paul was in ecstasies at the noble
answers of the young savage, and declared him
the finest fellow he had ever met since he left Cairo.
This was not very high praise, to be sure ; but
Paul intended it as a compliment, and the young
Bedouin was willing to believe him, though he
could not exactly comprehend'how Paul had found
it out.

I asked him who governed them ; he stretched
himself up and answered in one word, "God." I
asked him if they paid tribute to the pacha; and
his answer was, " No, we take tribute from him."
I asked him how. " We plunder his caravans."
Desirous to understand my exact position with
the sheik of Akaba, under his promise of pro-
tection, I asked him if they were governed by
their sheik ; to which he answered, " No, we gov-
ern him." The sheik was their representative,

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